Okara District

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Okara District (Urdu: ضلع اوکاڑہ) is a district of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located on Multan Road some 110km from Lahore. According to the 1998 census, the district has a population of 2,232,992 of which 22.84% are/were urban.[1]

The OKARA was initally OKANWALA, came from a wild plant.

The Okara District is famous for its fertile lands, peaceful natural environment and green fields of potato, sugarcane, wheat, rice and maize crops. The nearing cities are Sahiwal, Pakpattan Shareef, Depal Pur and Haveli Lakha. The second biggest cantonment of Pakistan Army is in Okara. In the west of Okara city, the Ravi goes winding along the borders of Faisalabad district. Its tehseel Depal Pur is known for the traces of an ancient castle which is said to have been built in the times of renowned monarch Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388). The castle was surrounded by a protective wall and a khandaq (trench), both of which are partially safe to date. The prominent features of the castle are a beautiful Shahi Mosque, a miles long tunnel, four big gates,narrow streets and houses built on old style with the smaller bricks, all of which reflect the past glory of the Muslim era in the field of architecture.

In the south of Depal Pur, there flowed the river Biyas in past and is now just a small stream and serves as the outlet, unfortunately, for the poisonous waste coming from different factories. Tehsil Renala Khurd is mainly known for a famous fruit products company Mitchell's and its farms. A part of Renala Khurd is naturally deprived of the underground sweet water. People in this part rely on canals as the main source of irrigation, as tube -wells, unlike other parts of the district, only pour out salty water which nothing but spoils the land. Traces are also found of a long range of ruins, called dhaya in local language, which, according to popular myth, are the remains of some unknown ancient city which may have been engulfed by the river 'Biyas'. These ruins give a mysterious look ------ something like a blend of desert and tiny hills, and also serve as the hideout for thieves and robbers.

The main city is is developed by the Sikhs in six blocks and all the houses in blocks were designed in a same shape and sizes, this beautifuly orginzed town planning is even never been seen today's life. The Gole Chowk (Jamia Mosque) is one of its kind in the world which is round in a shape.

The District has always been politically significant as it has produced people of such high stature as Maj General Rao Farman Ali Khan (Ex-Federal Minister), Mian Yaseen Wattoo (former Minister of Education), Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo (former CM of Punjab),Mian Muhammad Zaman (EX-FEDRAL MINISTER), Ashraf Khan Sohna (MPA), Rao Sikandar Iqbal (Minister of Defence),Rao Rashid Ali Sher, Rao Ali Shahid (Nambardar), Rao Yasir Iqbal (Secretary Information PPP Patriots),and Haji Saeed-ur-Rahman Khan (former member of Majlis-e-Shura),Rao Qaiser Ali Khan a member of the National Assembly .General Secretary District Bar Association Okara Rana Khalid Hussain Advocate High Court, is also a member of American Bar Association and International Bar Association London. Other prominent leaders include Chaudhry Zia-ud-din (Ex-MPA), It is also known for the wide variety of culture reflecting the traditions and customs of the area. Melas (fairs) in the month of 'Saawan' are notable among these traditions where different types of games are played on the drum-beat and shops of sweets and toys etc are decorated. The populatin mostly relies on agriculture as their main source of livelihood, although a number of people work in factories and offices as well. Dairy and Fruit products are the identical mark of the area. Rao, Syed, Pathan, Rajpoot, Wattoo and Arain are the main castes of people of the district.

The current Governamnet has added extra benifits to Okara District by establishing Cadet College, Education University, Zoo and many more opourtunities for general public.

Administrative Divisions of Punjab (Pakistan)
Capital	Lahore
Districts	Attock | Bahawalnagar | Bahawalpur | Bhakkar | Chakwal | Dera Ghazi Khan | Faisalabad | Gujranwala | Gujrat | Hafizabad | Jhang | Jhelum | Kasur | Khanewal | Khushab | Lahore | Layyah | Lodhran | Mandi Bahauddin | Mianwali | Multan | Muzaffargarh | Nankana Sahib | Narowal | Okara | Pakpattan | Rahim Yar Khan | Rajanpur | Rawalpindi | Sahiwal | Sargodha | Sheikhupura | Sialkot | Toba Tek Singh | Vehari