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Kot Addu is a historic city and Tehsil (administrative division) which comes under the Muzaffargarh District in the southern part of the Punjab province of Pakistan. This city is subdivided into 28 Union Councils. It has a population of over 400,000, making it the 150th largest city in Pakistan. It is located just east of the Indus River, more or less in the centre of the country, and about 866 km from Karachi, 600 km from Islamabad, 100 km from Multan, 80 km from D.G.Khan, 60 km from Muzaffargarh, 60 km from Layyah and 16 km from Taunsa Barrage. Kot Addu City attracts a large number of tourists every year, due to the Indus river and public gardens among other things.
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Demography
List of Union Councils of Kot Adu
The city contains a total of 29 Union councils, which are listed below.
Location
The city of Kot Adu is located in southern area of Punjab province, almost at the exact centre of Pakistan. The area around the city is a flat plain and is ideal for agriculture. There are two main canals (Muzaffar, and T.P link) and eight sub canals that cross Kot Adu, providing water from Indus River. The geographical coordinates of the city according to Google Maps is N 30° 28' 34" E 70° 57' 52" .
Geography and climate
Kot Addu is almost located at the exact geographical center of Pakistan. The closest major city is Multan. The area around the city is a flat alluvial plain and is ideal for agriculture, with many citrus and mango farms. There are also canals that cut across the Muzaffargarh District, providing water to farms. During the monsoon season, the land close to the Taunsa Barrage is usually flooded.
Kot Addu has an arid climate with very hot summers and mild winters. The city has experienced some of the most extreme weather in Pakistan. The highest recorded temperature was approximately 51 °C (129 °F), and the lowest recorded temperature was approximately −1 °C (30 °F). The average rainfall is roughly 127 millimetres (5.0 in). Dust storms are a common occurrence within the city.
Language and literature
The majority of Kot Adu's residents are native speakers of the Seraiki language, though being situated in the province of Punjab many people also know Punjabi and the national language, Urdu. The majority of the population is Muslim. English is widely understood among the educated. Kot Adu is home to many literary figures and poets who are known throughout the country. The famous folk singer Mr. Pathanay Khan belonged to this city.
Notable Personalities
Hazrat Sheikh Allama Molana Dost Mohammad Qureshi-He was born on Wednesday 29 September 1920 (15 Muharram-ul-Haram 1339 according to Islamic Date). He was born at Basti Reekh Kalan Mohammed Pur Dewan Tehsil Jampur. His parents named him as Dost Mohammad, Permanent Shifting to Kot Adu- On Sunday 26 May 1974 at Mlanually town Bhakkar he did a speech after Zuhar .He arrived at the railway station in the evening & offered Isha prayer. He intended to visit Hazrat Mohammad Abdul Malik at Multan; he was ill & was going to be operated. When train arrived at railway station his companion arranged a seat for him as train was about to move he said to his companions to put back the luggage as he started feeling pain in his chest. The doctor of nearby hospital was called but he didn’t have medicines. He was shifted to civil hospital, he started reciting Holy Quran & during reciting Holy Quran his soul left his body for ever. When Doctor of Civil hospital visited him he was died. Doctor said that it was first experience of his life that he was seeing a dead person having face freshness like a live person.May 27 Monday 1974 The time for his Salat Janaza was fixed after Zuhar prayer. Funeral processing started exactly at 4.05pm in Govt. High School Ground Kot Adu. Thousands of peoples participated in his funeral processing & uncounted no. of women were standing on roves of their homes to see the last sight of their popular religious leader. At last after Janaza prayer time came & he was buried in his grave near at his own purchased land near mosque.
Allama Abdul Aziz Pirharvi 1792-1824 was a great religious personality of the subcontinent.Abdul Aziz Pirharvi buried in Kot Addu
Pathanay Khan The recurring identification of misery of family of late Pathaney Khan, by the news report in daily Dawn on 1 May 2007, the international day of laborers, may still have not stirred the minds. In this small city of Kot Adu near High School No. 2, where Pathaney Khan has left his assets, consisted of one widow, sons and daughters and some priceless relics like Tabla, Harmonium etc. His fame and audience have crossed the shores of every continent, but nobody could know his poor financial condition beyond appreciating his spiritual ‘kaffis’. He claimed that his recording company did not pay his royalty in his last days of life. Afterwards, the family of the deceased was helped by very few organizations. Pathaney Khan is famous for singing Sufi poetry of "Baba Bhulley Shah" and "Khawja Ghulam Farid". Some of his melodies are etched in one’s mind and they penetrate deep into the soul. It’s not only the composition, but the meaningful poetry of great Sufi writers such as "Meda Ishq Vi Tu, Meda Yar Vi Tu", "Mera Ranjhan Hun Koi Hor", "Ghoom Charkhrya Ghoom". In kot adu the most beautiful shop is "baba bashir ka kademi kulfa" as well as "bashery di karhi".
–Fouzia Azeem– better known by the name Qandeel Baloch (Urdu: قندیل بلوچ), was a Pakistani model, actress, woman's rights activist and social media celebrity. Aashiq Hussain of Kot Addu claimed in television interviews that he was once married to Baloch. Soon after the interview appeared on television, Baloch admitted that she had married once but was divorced. However, both sides gave conflicting accounts of the marriage.
Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar (Urdu: غلام مصطفى کھر; born Kot Addu, Muzaffargarh on 2 August 1937) is a Pakistani politician from Punjab Province.His father, Mohammad Yar Khar, was one of the largest landowners of the district
Malik Muhammad Ahmad Yaar Hunjra minister for Punjab Prisons پنجاب جيل خانه جات was born on 6 March 1978 at Kot Addu He remained student of Government College University, Lahore during 1997-2000 and graduated from there. He obtained the degree of MBA (Finance) in 2003 from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad and graduated in Law in 2010 from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. An agriculturist and an advocate, who served as Member, Provincial Assembly of the Punjab during 2002-07, 2008–13 and has returned to the Assembly for the third consecutive term in general elections 2013. He has travelled to UK, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and UAE. He has also attended National Security Course at National Defence University in 2014.
Malik Sultan Mehmood Hanjra He was elected a member of national assembly on a ticket of Pakistan Muslim League (N) from NA-176 (Kot Addu) in Pakistani general election, 2013
Muhammad Mohsin Ali Qureshi Mohsin Ali Qureshi, was a middle-class farmer and a diehard PPP worker. The late Benazir Bhutto had awarded ticket to him, ignoring Ghulam Mustafa Khar in 2002 from NA-176, Kot Addu.As Quershi was not a graduate, he fielded his wife, Khalida Mohsin Qureshi in the 2002 poll who won the National Assembly seat. PML-Q had offered Ms Qureshi a ministry and Mr Qureshi the district nazim slot for joining PPP-Patriot, but the Bhutto loyalist declined the offer. In 2008, Qureshi, after doing graduation, himself contested the election from NA-176 and won. In 2009, he suffered a brain hemorrhage, remained in coma for five years and died in 2014.
Educational institutions
Kot Adu is rich like other major cities of Punjab as far as schools and educational campuses are concerned. There are many colleges involved in the grooming of students and fulfilling the desire to acquire and distribute knowledge and education. In the last few years, a mushrooming growth of quality educational institutions has been observed in this region. And now there are various private Commerce and Science colleges, schools, academies like Punjab Inter Science Academy, and cadet college. There is a government degree college for boys and girls each. Several colleges are affiliated with the Bahuddin Zakrya University, B.Z.U Multan Pakistan, and Punjab University Lahore Pakistan. The names of some private institutions are, Kot Addu School of Economics and Management Sciences (Mr. Fiaz Hussain Malik Director), Punjab Higher Secondary School, Bismillah. Inter Science Academy, Punjab Group of Colleges, My School System, Oxford Grammar School, Professor Academy, etc. A Govt Technical College, also, is under construction. These Institutions provided many Engineers & Doctors who are serving in different industries.
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Taunsa Barrage
Taunsa Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus. It is situated 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Taunsa Sharif and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Kot Addu. This barrage controls water flow in the River Indus for irrigation and flood control purposes.
This barrage serves 2.351 million acres (951,400 hectares) besides diverting flows from Indus River to the Chenab River through Taunsa Panjnad (TP) Link Canal. The barrage also serves as an arterial road bridge, a railway bridge, and crossing for gas and oil pipelines, telephone line and extra high voltage (EHV) transmission lines. In 2011, the rehabilitation of the Taunsa Barrage was blamed for devastation of the Muzaffargarh district during the 2010 Pakistan floods. Critics blamed the rehabilitation of the barrage, alleging that it failed to raise its height and strengthen protective embankments, used dysfunctional computer control system of the hoist gates and ignored hill-torrent management.
Industry
Kot Adu is a prominent commercial and industrial City in the Punjab province. Main Industries located e.g.; Rehmat Mills Group Ahmad Mills Groups It is connected by road and rail with Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Quetta, and Faisalabad; and also by air from Multan Airport to all Pakistani Airports.
School
Main Industries
Beside these, cotton factories, foundries, cotton, woolen and silk textile mills, flour, and oil mills are also located in this region. This area is famous for its handicrafts (Kundar work), and cottage industries.
Information technology industry
With the changing environment in the world, as the information technology has become the necessity of the world, Kot Addu has also adopted this change with a great positive response. The first totally professional information technology center was introduced in 2002, named I.TECH which then also opened a branch in Dubai in 2006, U.A.E. It is a prominent institution in that region which mainly focuses on web designing and development. There are many other institutions contributing towards education in Information Technology. It is clear from the interest of people that this region needs some Great Government I.T institution. In November 2009 the Government of Pakistan also opened a Great Technical College named LAL-MEER technical college in the Union of Kot Addu.
Health centers
There is one Government Civil Hospital and several Private hospitals in the city beside many small Government and Private Hospitals in the Union Councils.
Agriculture
Kot Addu is also an important agricultural area. Total area of Tehsil Kot Adu is 8,77,989 Acres of which 4,24,521 acres are under cultivation. Main crops of the area include:-
Besides these, bajra, moong, mash, masoor and oil seed such as mustard and sun flower are also grown in the district.
Fruits such as Mangoes (Mangoes of Shujabad district are the best in the world), citrus, guavas and pomegranates are the main grown in the Kot Adu City. Dates, jaman, pears, falsa and banana are also grown in minor quantities in the district.
One other local fruit is called a bare. It is one of the main fruits grown in this region. Due to flooding, the crops are now rare, especially cotton and wheat products affected by this flooding. So, now a majority of the agricultural lands are covered by sugarcane. People either sell this sugarcane to sugar mills or produce Jaggery from sugarcane.
Kot Addu Power Company
The Kot Addu Power Company Limited (KAPCO), was incorporated in 1996, location in Kot Addu, District Muzaffargarh, Punjab, Pakistan. Kot Addu Power Plant was built by the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). In April 2000, the Company was incorporated as a public limited company. Kot Addu Power Plant produces 1,600 MW of electricity. On 18 April 2005 the Company was formally listed on all three Stock Exchanges of Pakistan.[21]