Clock Tower Sialkot (Punjab)
About Sialkot
Sialkot is situated in the northeast of the Punjab province in Pakistan at the feet of the snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab River. Formerly, Sialkot has been the winter capital of the State of Kashmir. The city is about 125 Km north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Jammu in India.
Sialkot is a most industrial region in Pakistan along Gujranwala and Gujrat. Sialkot is the World largest producer of hand-sewed footballs, with local factories manufacturing around 40-60 million footballs a year, amounting to roughly 50% of world production. As of 2017, Sialkot exported US$2.5 billion worth of goods which is equal to 10% of Pakistan's total exports, which is the fourth largest in Pakistan. Sialkot is famous for sports goods, leather, surgical instruments, light engineering related industries. All of these industies take part in the exports of country, to facility this process a dry port is also operating there. Adidas, Nike, Puma, and Reebok are the major brands of Sialkot.
In British times, it was the most industrialized city, and still after independence of Pakistan it is the most importance industrial city of Pakistan. It is also part of the Golden Triangle of Sialkot, Gujrat, and Gujranwala. People of Sialkot has more per capita income as compare to people living in other cities of Pakistan.
Sialkot also has the largest centre of surgical instrument manufacturing. Maximum requirement of world surgical instruments needs is fulfilled by the export of surgical instruments from Pakistan. Another most important industry of Sialkot is sports goods manufacturing in which footballs, hockey sticks, and cricket gloves are the most famous. Leather industry is another major industry that adds up the exports of Pakistan.
Sialkot is connected with all of the other cities of Pakistan by road, train, and air. In Sialkot has international airport known as Allama Iqbal International Airport. It is the first privately owned airport in Sialkot. Sialkot is also owned commercial local airline, known as Airsial. Sialkot is connected with Narowal, Gujranwala, Gujrat, and with Indian-occupied Jumma & Kashmir. Sialkot is aslo connected with Lahore by Lahore-Sialkot Motorway M11 with Lahore via Gujranwala and Daska.
Sialkot is also known due to the famous philosopher and poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal. He was born in Sialkot in 1877 and gave an idea separate homeland for the Muslims of sub-continent. Quid-e-Azam worked on his idea and got a separate country for the Muslims of sub-continent in 14 August 1947.
Sialkot features a humid subtropical climate with four seasons. The post-monsoon season from mid-September to mid-November remains hot during the daytime but nights cool down substantially and the low humidity makes the heat more bearable. In the winter from mid-November to March, days are pleasantly mild to warm, and occasionally heavy rainfalls occur from the passage of frontal cloud bands.