Wah Cantt BASTI

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History:
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Wah Cantt is adjacent to Taxila, a small town enriched with one of the most important archaeological sites of the world. The ancient name of Taxila was 'Takshasila' which means the "city of cut stones". Here civilization and its manifestation in sculpture and other arts took roots and flourished. Taxila was conquered by Alexander in 327 BC. It later came under the Mauryan dynasty and attained a remarkably mature level of development under Ashoka. Then appeared the Indo-Greek descendants of Alexander’s warriors and finally came the most creative period of Gandhara. The great Kushan dynasty was established somewhere near 50 AD. During the next 200 years, Taxila became a renowned center of learning, philosophy and art. Pilgrims and travelers as well as teachers and students were attracted to it from as far away as China and Greece.
The name 'Wah' has its roots in the Mughal era with the Mughal emperor Jehangir reported to have coined the name when his army was stationed here en route from a mission. Emperor Jehangir was impressed by the scenery of this place, so he said "Wah" ('wow') and this place was named 'Wah' after that exclamation. It is said that Mughal emperor Jehangir’s army was coming back from a campaign in Kashmir, it was evening time, and they were tired and looking for a place to stay. After a little search they were successful in finding a place with a natural source of water. As soon as the Mughal King watched the natural beauty of the spring and surrounding mountains, he loudly exclaimed ”Wah!”. His words were written on the stone of history. Since that day, this territory is called Wah.[1] The Mughal advent had a strong influence on the architecture of the city which is still visible to date with prominent Mughal sites like the Wah Gardens.
After gaining Independence, Pakistan had no facilities capable of producing armaments and military goods so urgent plans were made for an ordnance factory in Wah, Punjab. The word Cantt was added to Wah in 1951, when Prime Minister Khawaja Nazim-u-Din unveiled the foundation stone of Pakistan Ordnance Factories Wah Cantt. Chaudhry Sardar Khan was the founder and first Deputy Director General of Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), Wah Cantt. POF is not one ammunition factory but it is a complex of 14 factories manufacturing arms and ammunition ranging from bullets, shells, assault rifles, missiles and bombs. Heavy Industries in neighboring Taxila produces tanks and other heavy arms. The nearby town of Kamra is the site of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex where aircraft are manufactured, assembled, repaired and overhauled for the Air Force.

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Geography:
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Wah Cantt is located 50 km (appx. 30 miles) north west of Islamabad. It is a valley as it is surrounded by hills in all directions. Mughal Emperor Zaheer-UD-Din Babur mentioned the Wah region in his book the Baburnama. Wah has a rich historical background. It was a favorite place of the great Mughal rulers. They built several gardens here such as the most famous “Wah Garden”. It is still present with its remains of Mughal architecture. It is located on the main G.T Road. Wah Garden has a historical value along with being a beautiful and attractive picnic spot. This park has the potential to attract people from different places.
Sultan Sher Shah Suri, who built the famous Grand Trunk Road (GT Road), built a 'bawley' or watering place here. It is now called the Sher Shah Park and is situated near the Aslam Market. It is said that Sher Shah's horses used to drink water there.
Wah is located in a fertile valley. It is suitable for growing every sort of crops, especially fruits. This area was not developed before the construction of the POF, but now it is one of the most advanced and developed places in Pakistan.

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Culture:
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Wah Cantt is a multicultural City. People with various ethnic backgrounds live and work here.People from different relegious background live in here. Culture from Karachi to Khyber can be observed in the city. People are skillful and educated and most of them are factory employees. The city is rather quiet in the morning, but all charm of the city is restored in the evening. The hustle bustle of people for evening walks, children and elders playing games in playing grounds and elderly sitting on grass gardens add to the beauty of city. The city is said to have one of the best civic amenities in the entire country with a solid health care and education system.
Wah Cantt is divided into 27 sectors and some private housing colonies. The commonly known colonies are Officer's colony Basti/Lala Rukh Shahwali Colony, Lala Zar, Gulistan colony, Ismailabad and AC Wah. Popular markets include Aslam market, Basti market, Anwaar chowk, Laiq Ali chowk Munirabad, Asifaabad, Ahmed Nagar and Nawab Abad . This city is distinguished because of a very high standard of education. Literacy rate is approximately 96%.The Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said “Wah Cantt possessed ideal education and health facilities and I am impressed with the 96 per cent literary rate in this city”.96% literacy rate 115 educational institutes serve over 50,000 students. Unsurprisingly, it has become one of the most expensive cities in the whole country. The secret of this excellence is disciplined living and strictly conscientious society where parents are reprimanded for keeping their children away from school even for a single day without cogent reason.[2]
Wah also has 'Senior Citizen Foundation of Pakistan - Wah Chapter' office. The organization is devoted to the welfare of the senior citizens of Wah. The President Mr. Durrani and Secretary General Mr. Fazal Hussain Awan, and executive committee of the organization are providing dedicated services to the senior citizens of Wah. Some of their prominent contribution to the Senior Citizens in Wah are:-
Establishment of Senior Citizen office at Lalarukh. Library where all daily newspapers and journals are kept for senior citizens. TV room for watching interesting programs. Medical Services like Physiotherapy, Sugar tests and discounted medicines and holding of free medical camps. Free transport service within Wah Cantt.
Besides the organization also holds quarterly and annual functions wherein the Chairman POF Board and other officials participate and encourage the activities of aging citizens.

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Sports:
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People of this city are highly interested in sports. There are a number of grounds, about 300 small and big ones where different games are in proceeding all the time. Even in Ramzan sometimes people old up to 50 are found engaged in playing while above 70's watching them and rising appraisals.
F.G Science Degree College's basket ball team is champion of ALL Pakistan basketball championship last 9 times consecutively
Wah has a hockey field laid with Astro Turf, one of the earliest examples of it in this once hockey-mad nation. The Hockey Stadium at Welfare Club (near Anwar Chowk) is a sad reminder of the glory days of Pakistani hockey when the country was an undisputed champion and a recognized super power in this game. Moreover, the CB Ground (near Barrier 3) is also be used for cricket.
Welfare Club also has an indoor sports arena as well as a swimming complex. Main public swimming facility is located at Ordnance Club near Aslam Market.ourse
Wah also has a Golf Course named "POF Golf Course". Currently the number one ranked Player on this course is Mr Rehan Akhtar from Rawalpindi.

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Cantonment Board Wah:
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1. GENERAL . Wah was declared as Cantonment in the year 1949 and its limits were notified vide Gazette Notification No. 732/49 dated 02/9/1949. At that time it included mainly POF Estate areas and some private lands. In the year 1951, the Cantonment limits were extended thereby including villages such as Losar sharfoo, Bhabra, Budho, Sukho, Mehsian and Gadwal. The limits of the Cantonment were later on further extended upto Margalla Hills vide Gazettee Notification No. 1/G/863 dated 10/10/1964 which included some areas now forming part of Taxila Cantonment and Taxila Municipal Committee. These areas were subsequently excluded from the limits of Wah Cantt in 1976 vide Gazette Notification No. SRO-5050 (1)/76 dated 14/6/1976.
2. LOCATION. Wah Cantonment is situated in tehsil Taxila, District Rawalpindi. It is located 35 KM away from Rawalpindi towards North on G.T Road. Wah Cantonment is now bounded by a point near Sarai Kala Chowk in the South-East, along G.T. Road on the western side, Pathar Garh/Gattia, Hills in the North-West, Associated Cement Factory in the North, Village Boahti in the North-East, Budho & Sukho village in the South-East and the back of Taxila Mission Hospital in the Eastern side. At the time of declaration of Wah as Cantt in 1949, the G.T. Road used to pass through the Cantonment limits. Due to security reasons as the road was passing very near to factory areas, the main G.T Road was shifted towards its northern side in the year 1955. 3. AREA. Wah Cantonment is rapidly growing industrial city due to location of Pakistan Ordnance Factories. It has the total area of 24 Sq. Miles or 15350 Acres, as under:-
a. POF Estate area (MEO land) - 3976 Acres
b. Bazar Area (Cantt Board land) - 2416 “
c. Private Area - 8958 “
It includes the area of housing schemes developed by POF as under:-
(1). POFs Employees
Housing Society Lala Rukh. 320.72 Acres
(2). Officers Housing Scheme 112.15 “
(3). Gulistan Colony 36.17 “
(4). Prime Minister Housing Scheme 38.899 “
(5). New Labour Colony 38.69 “
4.444OOther colonies which form part of Wah Cantt Board are Lalazar Colony, Gulshan Colony, Shahwali Colony, Laiq Ali Chowk, Anwar Chowk, Aslam Market, and Nawababad. As regards villages, these are Losar Sharfoo, Ahmed Nagar, Gadwal, Budho, Bhabra, Gattia, Sukho/Mehsian, Losar Mera, Dhoke Kokara,