Eminabad
Eminabad is an ancient town that is located in the south east of Gujranwala city, Pakistan. It is 12 to 15 kilometer away from Gujranwala city. It is also called Eminabad Mandi (vegetables and fruits market) as it holds the market for vegetables and fruits every morning. People buy and sell fresh produce here daily. It is also known to be a sacred place for the followers of Sikh religion as their founder Guru Nanak is supposed to have spent chilla (meditation for 40 days) in Eminabad. The place is called Rohri sahib and Sikhs from all over the world come here to celebrate Vaisakhi in the month of April. A hymn of Guru Nanak in the Guru Granth Sahib suggests that he was in Eminabad when the town was sacked by Babur in 1521. Before partition Eminabad was home to Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus but when a mass migration took place, a lot of migrants especially Rajputs from Karnal, Ambala, Hushiarpur and other areas of Indian Punjab came to Eminabad.
Eminabad is home to over 22,000 people. The majority of the people are following Islam. There are a very small percentage of non Muslims including Christians and Sikhs. Eminabad is one of the richest town of Pakistan. The people of Eminabad earn their living by agriculture, small businesses and government, semi-government and private jobs. Most of the people go to Gujranwala, Kamonke, Lahore or in other cities to earn their living. There are few industries around Eminabad that also provide jobs to the local community. A lot of people from Eminabad have gone abroad to earn their living that is why it is considered the richest town in Pakistan.
Education
Eminabad is home to famous writer A. Hameed. Mumtaz Mufti and Qudrat Ullah Shahab have mentioned Eminabad in their writings. Few famous academics have come out of Eminabad. The following people in the academics came from Eminabad. Dr. Amjad Hussain Malik: The Head of Department of Geology in Azad Kashmir University. Sufi Nazar Muhammad Sayyal. The famous teacher and the author of English Grammar. He served the people of Eminabad for many years. There is a Government Women Degree college in Eminabad, Two boys Government High Schools and few primary schools. There are also few private schools but none of them is really good except Pak. American School of Knowledge. This school is founded by an Eminabad borne who migrated to USA and teaching in one of the public schools in America. The people of Eminabad believe that it is a quality school. The founder's name is Rana Mujtaba Khan. There is a Tehsil hospital in Eminabad that caters to the medical needs of the town and neighboring villages. The people of neighboring villages also come to Eminabad for the shopping of their daily needs.
References
- Thakar Singh, Giani, Sri Gurduare Darshan. Amritsar, 1923
- Kohli, Surindar Singh, ed., Janamsakhi Bhai Bala. Chandigarh, 1975
- Hal-bans Singh, Guru Nanak and Origins of the Sikh Faith. Bombay, 1969