Kharian Cantonment


Kharian Cantonment,
or Kharian Cantonment is one of the largest cantonment in Pakistan. It is located near Kharian city, in the Gujrat district of Punjab province.
The Cantonment was built in the late 1950s with US support. The population of the cantonment is 90,462, and the population of the parent city Kharian is around 30,000.

Geography

The Kharian Cantonment is 144 km from Islamabad and 173 km from Lahore. Prominent nearby cities and towns include Lalamusa, Dinga, Sarai Alamgir and Gujrat.

History

The construction of the cantonment was completed in 1958 with the assistance of the United States as part of its military assistance to Pakistan. Its construction was supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was built according to American standards. which differed considerably from British standards for Indian and British troops. The master plan is a planned grid-like road network. It was one of the few cantonments established during the post-partition era. It was constructed to station US troops in Pakistan, a plan which was partly reversed because of the U2 spy plane crash scandal. It was one of the biggest army bases and the home of BURAK, until 2008.

Residential areas

Residential areas include the Abrar Colony, Ghazi Colony, I.J. Colony, Defence Colony, Shami Colony, North Colony, M-Block, Afzaal Colony, Gammon Colony and Johar Colony. In addition, small camps and residential areas for military personnel are present. Each colony has a small park where typically you come across children playing cricket.

Transport

Kharian Cantt is accessible by road on National Highway N-5 and the main Rail line. Not all express trains stop at the Kharian Cantt Railway station; public and private buses are the main means of transport.

Education

Kharian Cantt offers education institutes for basic, intermediate, and higher education. Prominent schools and colleges include:
In addition, good schools operate near the cantonment, including The Beaconhouse School Systems, International School of Cordoba, Bahria Foundation College, Dar-e-Arqam School and The City School. A famous Cadet College, Military College Jhelum, is located 15 km away at Sarai Alamgir.

Health care

The cantonment has an "A" class standard, 700-bed teaching hospital known as CMH Kharian. It is the second largest CMH after Rawalpindi.