Country Pakistan District Gujrat District Time zone PST (UTC+5) | Region Punjab Tehsil Kharian Elevation 262 m | |
Hakla (sometimes spelt Haklah) (Urdu: ہکلہ) is a village located in the Gujrat District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is a part of the Panjan Kissana Union Council and comes under the administration of the Kharian Tehsil. It is located at 32°46'0N 73°55'0E with an altitude of 262 metres (862 feet). It lies midway between Lahore and Islamabad near Grand trunk road. The majority of population belongs to Gujjar tribe. Kundowana sub caste of the Gujjars dominant the village. Until the late 1970s agriculture and army were the only fields where the people were working. From then on till mid 1980s Middle East was the favourite destination for the workrs, especially Bahrain and KSA. But now people from Hakla are working and living in Europe, mainly Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and England. Some are well settled in USA and Canada. Agriculture with good irrigation system still exist. Hakla neighbors "Chak Perana" Railway Station. Hakla is famous for its contributions to Pakistani Politics and Pakistani Army and the Educational system. This village is very influential in politics of NA 106 and UC 76. Literacy rate is improving.
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Map of Hakla, Pakistan
The dominant language of the people is Punjabi and the majority speaks it with Gujjar Majhi dialect. Urdu and English understood and spoken by sizeable population.
History of Hakla
By one account, the history of Hakla can be traced back to the time of Alexander The Great's invasion of India and his subsequent campaigns including the advance through the Jhelum River. It is claimed that one of his soldiers who belonged to Macedonia and had a similar name to Hakla got injured in the Battle of the Hydaspes and stayed back in the city of Bucephala (A city founded in order to commemorate the death of Alexander's horse, Sarosh. Later he and his family along with a couple of others migrated and came to present site of the village Hakla and established a small hut at with his own name. Over the passage of time the population of the settlement grew, but due to its location and proximity from sources of water, Hakla did not grow to become a major population centre. The arrival of the Mughals in the early 15th century sparked an influx of people and subsequently Gujjar, Jat, Rajput and Sikh families began settling in the area.