Piplan

Piplan is a town and tehsil of Mianwali District, situated in southern Punjab, Pakistan [ [http://www.nrb.gov.pk/lg_election/union.asp?district=19&dn=Mianwali Tehsils & Unions in the District of Mianwali - Government of Pakistan] ] . It is almost 52 km (by road) from the district capital Mianwali which lies to the north. Piplan is surrounded by many other similar towns: In the south the towns of Kundian and Mianwali, in the east, Harnauli and Qaidabad, and in the north, Kaloor-Kot; in the west is also the Indus River.

History

The town (Tehsil) name Piplan itself, was given historically before the India-Pakistan partition in 1947. Many Hindus used to live in Piplan and the proper name of this small town was Peepul or Peepul wala ("Peepul": fig tree, regarded as sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists, who call it a "bo tree"). Later, after the partition of 1947, the name was changed to Peepul-Aan, now written as Piplan. Many people say the tree was located near to the main railway station of Piplan, however the tree has been cut down.Fact|date=February 2008

Language

Though Piplan is a town of Mianwali District, unlike Mianwali it has no cultural influence from the Pakhtun tribe. The whole belt of southern Punjab, from Mianwali district to Multan city, speaks Siraiki more or less. People of Piplan also speak the same dialect similar to Mianwali. Those who speak Siraiki are called native people locally. On the other hand, Indian-migrated-Muslims are almost their equal in number. They speak Urdu or Slang-Urdu (Slang-Urdu is also called Mahajeri or Rangeri, and is still spoken in India). In the education system only Urdu and English are spoken and written, but in offices and businesses Siraiki is commonly used.

Geography and Environment

Latitude:32.2867, Longitude:71.3664
Altitude (feet) 610,(meters)185
Time zone: UTC+5

Nearby Cities and Towns

Climate

Piplan (as does the whole district of Mianwali) has extreme weather. Summer lasts from May to September; June is the hottest month with an average monthly temperature of 42°C with a maximum of up to 50°C. In winter, however, the December and January temperature is as low as a 3 to 4°C average monthly.

Politics and Administration

Mianiwali district is divided into 56 Union Councils, of these 14 are under part of the Piplan administration. These are: Alluwali, Chak No 7 ML at Hafizwala, Dabb Balouchan, Doaba, Gujrat, Hernoli (RURAL), Hernoli (URBAN), Khola AT Khanqah Sirajia, Kundian -II, Kundian (RURAL), Kundian-I, Piplan, Tibba Mehrban Shah, Vichvin Bala.

*Tehsil Nazim (city Mayor): Faqir Abdul Majeed(Late)
*Naib Nazim (deputy): Malik Said Rasul
*District Nazim: Obaid Ullah Khan

*Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA): Malik Fairoz Joyia
*Member National Assembly MNA:Humair Hayat Khan Rokhari

Business and Trade

Agriculture is the main source of income, although between 1957-1981 there was a mill owned by Kohinoor Textile Mills in operation which employed many people in Piplan.

Agriculture

Piplan lies in the irrigated zone of Pakistan. There are two main seasons Rabi (October-March) and Kharif (April-September). Rabi crops included wheat, rape seed/mustard and pulses. During Kharif season the crops include groundnuts (peanuts). Sugarcane is grown throughout the year.

References

* [http://www.tco.gov.pk/Webs/closunit8091.htm List Of Permanent Closed Mills in Pakistan 1980-1991]
* [http://www.nrb.gov.pk/local_government/tehsil_mucipal_admin.htm NRB Tehsil Municipal administration]