Kamalia

For other uses, see Kamalia (disambiguation).

Kamalia (Punjabi: کمالیا, Urdu: کمالیہ) is a city in the Toba Tek Singh District of Punjab Province, Pakistan. It is the administrative center of Kamalia Tehsil. It is the 67th most populous city of Pakistan.

Kamalia کمالیہ
City
Kamalia Location in Pakistan Kamalia Kamalia (Pakistan)
Coordinates: 30°44′N 72°39′E
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab
Division	Faisalabad
District	Toba Tek Singh
Tehsil	Kamalia
Union Council	9 (Urban) + 16 (Rural)
Area
• City	486 km2 (188 sq mi)
• Metro	55 km2 (21 sq mi)
Elevation	160 m (520 ft)
Population  (2023)
• City	166,617
• Rank	67th in Pakistan and 42nd in Punjab and 1st in Toba Tek District
• Density	343/km2 (888/sq mi)
Time zone	PKT
Postal code of Kamalia City	36350
Area code	046

History

Kamalia is an ancient city, existing at least before 325 BC. According to Alexander Cunningham, Kamalia was likely a settlement encountered by Alexander the Great in his campaign against the Malli.

The modern settlement of Kamalia was founded in the 14th century by Kamal Khan, a chief of the Kharal Tribe. It was situated 60 km from Jhang, where the Sials lived. The Lekhari or Kamalia Kharals of the lower Ravi quarreled with the Upera Kharals of the upper Ravi. Kamalia remained under Kharal rule until Walidad Khan, the thirteenth chief of Jhang, took possession of the town from Sadaat Yar Khan. Walidad Khan ruled until his death in 1747, after which his successor, Inayat Khan, restored Kharal control. This period lasted for about a generation. Following the death of Nahar Singh, the chief of Nakai Misl, in a battle at Kamalia against the Kharrals in 1768, the town came under the Sikh Confederacy, specifically the Nakai Misl, led by Ran Singh.

When Shah Zaman of the Durrani Empire invaded Punjab, Muzaffar Khan, Governor of Multan taking advantage of the situation marched to Kamalia and expelled the Sikhs and reinstated the Kharal leader Sadaat Yar Khan II, but he did not hold his position for very long. In 1803, Ranjit Singh annexed Kamalia to the Sikh Empire, although he was reinstated by Ranjit Singh who gave him proprietary rights to 40 villages, which were then passed to his son, Muzaffar Khan.

Muhammad Sarfraz Khan, the brother of Muzaffar Khan was loyal to the British. During the Second Anglo-Sikh War, he gave assistance to the British and attacked the Sikhs. During September 1857 Sarfraz Khan informed the British of the activities freedom fighters of Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal in Montgomery District, which acted crucial in his defeat. During the war, Kamalia was seized under the control of the freedom fighters twice, but the British reoccupied it both times. Kamalia was thoroughly sacked during the Indian Revolt of 1857. Muhammad Sarfaraz Khan was succeeded by his son Sadaat Ali Khan.

In the early 20th century, Kamalia remained under the influence of the Kharals, under the British Rule, and was situated in Montgomery District. The municipality of Kamalia was constituted on 29 July 1868. By January 1907, due to heavy debts incurred by the Kharals, the government advanced a loan of one lakh rupees and placed the Kamalia estate under the Court of Wards. This arrangement continued until 1916, after which the estate was released and then partitioned.

On 6 April 1921, a riot broke out in Kamalia over a dispute between The Akalis and Sehajdhari Sikh Party over the ownership of the Prem Sati Gurdwara, which had been previously transferred to the Akalis.

Following the partition, members of the Kharal family continued to hold proprietary rights in Kamalia and its surrounding villages, with some also serving in administrative roles.

Etymology

The present name of the city Kamalia is derived from its 14th century ruler Kamal Khan Kharal.

Climate

Kamalia has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). Summers are long and intense, with average highs from April to July routinely surpassing 40 °C, and extreme peaks reaching 48 °C. Winters are brief and mild, with daytime temperatures between 15–25 °C and occasional night lows around 5 °C.

Annual rainfall averages 250–300 mm, with the majority falling during the monsoon season (July–August). Dust and sand storms are common in the pre-monsoon and monsoon months (April–August), due to the region’s arid nature.

Kamalia
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     9     21 8     15     24 11     23     30 15     13     36 22     13     42 28     19     43 31     58     40 32     47     39 29     29     38 26     5     35 21     2     28 15     4     23 10 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.4     70 46     0.6     75 52     0.9     86 59     0.5     97 72     0.5     108 82     0.7     109 88     2.3     104 90     1.9     102 84     1.1     100 79     0.2     95 70     0.1     82 59     0.2     73 50 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Demographics

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1868	5,695	—
1881	7,594	+2.24%
1891	7,490	−0.14%
1901	6,976	−0.71%
1911	8,237	+1.68%
1921	8,916	+0.80%
1931	13,220	+4.02%
1941	14,295	+0.78%
1951	28,636	+7.19%
1961	35,248	+2.10%
1972	50,934	+3.40%
1981	61,107	+2.04%
1998	97,324	+2.78%
2017	135,641	+1.76%
2023	166,617	+3.49%
Sources:

The estimated population for 2025 according to Municipal Committee of Kamalia is 172,432.

Religion

Religious groups in Kamalia (1868–2023)

Religious group	1868		1881		1891		1901		1911		1921		1931		1941		1951		1998		2017		2023
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	2,706	47.52%	4,227	55.66%	3,670	49%	3,358	48.14%	4,114	49.95%	4,221	47.34%	5,940	44.93%	6,011	42.05%	28,457	99.37%	124,897	97.9%	134,443	99.09%	164,520	98.74%
Hinduism	2,953	51.85%	3,295	43.39%	3,701	49.41%	3,516	50.4%	2,476	30.06%	4,379	49.11%	5,625	42.55%	6,903	48.29%	0	0%	8	0.01%	6	0%	2	0%
Sikhism	36	0.63%	66	0.87%	119	1.59%	102	1.46%	1,644	19.96%	316	3.54%	1,646	12.45%	1,302	9.11%	–	–	–	–	0	0%	2	0%
Christianity	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	3	0.04%	0	0%	9	0.07%	75	0.52%	–	–	2,521	1.98%	1,196	0.88%	2,083	1.25%
Ahmadiyya	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	152	0.12%	29	0.02%	7	0%
Others	0	0%	6	0.08%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	4	0.03%	179	0.63%	3	0%	0	0%	3	0%
Total population	5,695	100%	7,594	100%	7,490	100%	6,976	100%	8,237	100%	8,916	100%	13,220	100%	14,295	100%	28,636	100%	127,581	100%	135,674	100%	166,617	100%

Notable people

• Amjad Saqib
• Riaz Fatyana
• Brijmohan Lall Munjal
• Khalid Ahmed Khan Kharal
• Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi
• Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi
• Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal
• Ashfa Riaz Fatyana
• Asad Ur Rehman
• Nazia Raheel