Kasur

Kasur region was an agricultural region with forests during the Indus Valley Civilization. The Kasur region was ruled variously by the Maurya Empire, Indo-Greek kingdom, Kushan Empire, Gupta Empire, White Huns, Kushano-Hephthalites and Kabul Shahi kingdoms.

Kasur was established as a city by the Kheshgi tribe of Pashtuns who had migrated to the region in 1525 from Afghanistan,[14] during the reign of Babur, and built several small forts in the area.[15][16]

Under Mughal rule, the city flourished and was notable for commerce and trade. It became the home of the legendary Sufi saint and celebrated poet, Bulleh Shah, who is buried in a large shrine in the city.

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Kasur region fell into a power vacuum. Kasur was captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani, though Sikhs sacked the city in 1747 under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia,[17] and again in 1763 after Durrani shifted to Afghanistan.[18] The Sikh Empire under Ranjit Singh then captured the city in 1807.[19] During the First Anglo-Sikh War, the city was occupied by Company forces on February 10, 1846.[20]

During the British Raj, the irrigation canals were built that irrigated large areas of the Kasur District. Communal disturbances between Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims erupted in 1908 over the issue of meat sales.[21] Riots erupted following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on 12 April 1919, leading to the destruction of civic infrastructure, including the city's railway station.[22] Martial law was imposed on 16 April 1919 in response to the riots.[23]

Refugees at Balloki, Kasur during the Partition of British India in 1947

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs were to migrate to India while the Muslim refugees, migrated from India and settled in Kasur. Kasur emerged as a major center of leather tanning after independence, and is home to 1/3rd of Pakistan's tanning industry.[24]

In January 2018, two protestors were killed in rioting over the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl. There had been 12 similar murders in the past two years, five of which have been linked to one suspect, leading to widespread anger at police failures.[25][26]

In November 2020, Russia signed a 1,122-km high pressure RLNG pipeline from Port Qasim, Karachi to Kasur.[27]

Kasur has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh). Kasur has extremes of climate; the summer season begins from April and continues till September. June is the hottest month. The mean maximum and minimum temperature for this month are about 45 °C (113.0 °F) and 27 °C (80.6 °F) respectively. The winter seasons lasts from November to February. January is the coldest month. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures for the coldest month are 22 °C (71.6 °F) and 0 °C (32.0 °F) respectively. Rainfall towards the end of June monsoon conditions appear and during the following two and a half months the rainy season alternates with sultry weather. The winter rain falls during January, February and March ranging from 23 millimetres (0.91 in) to 31 millimetres (1.2 in). Water logging and salinity has effected a large area of the district making the underground water brackish.[28]