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Sohdra Town is a very old town in Punjab, Pakistan situated near Wazirabad in Gujranwala District. It is reported that its foundation was laid by Malik Ayaz (the slave and companion of emperor Mahmud of Ghazni). It was founded on the left bank of the Chenab.
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Map of Sohdra, Pakistan
Main town of Sohdra is situated some kilometers away from Wazirabad-Sialkot Highway. A link road from Sialkot Road known as Sohdra Mor connects it with the main highway while there is a small railway station of Sohdra on Wazirabad-Sialkot-Jammu railway link.
History
There are a lot of stories about the nomenclature of the town but not a single one is fully confirmed. The linkage of Sohdra's name with Malik Ayaz's horse Sudra (It is claimed that it died here and he made a garden and buried it at a place which was then named after the horse) seems somewhat logical as the rusting and evolution of names has been a part of South Asian culture for long. Its total area is 2374 acre. It is more developed than its comparatives in many ways. Sohdra has the privilege of having its own water supply before its neighboring towns and even the city Wazirabad. Moreover it was Sohdra whose electricity line now quenches the thirst of all the towns coming between Wazirabad and itself. The direct line was approved for Sohdra. Most recently the chains of famous quality schools, District Public Schools (DPS) and Lahore Grammar Schools (LGS) have also opened their branches in the Sohdra range.
A Girls' College is also in its completion stages. The land of Sohdra is very fertile and mostly used for agricultural purposes. It is mostly at higher altitude which keeps it safe from most of the floods. 90% of the lands are cultivated with rice and wheat and hence taking part in the national development and fulfilling the basic needs of the people.
Sohdra has a rich culture just like most of the old deep rooted towns and villages. The people are mostly cooperative and help each other from pushing someones halted car to paying someones daily expenses. Selflessness is a factor which is disappearing rapidly but it could still be seen in the people of Sohdra. However as Sodhra is not separate from rest of the world therefore the deterioration in this quality could be witnessed.
The Muslim population supported Muslim league and Pakistan movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minorities Hindu and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in Sohdra. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had also visited the Sohdra.
People of this area are highly interested in sports especially cricket. There is also a Ramadan tournament which has been held here at every year now.