The entire city is sparkling with colourful lights, buntings and yellow flags. Historically, Bahawalnagar was a district of the Bahawalpur state which became part of the West Pakistan on Oct 14, 1955.
The British, in the 19th century, started strengthening their rule over India and to get access to all parts of the subcontinent they linked country’s far-flung areas with railways. They constructed railway junctions after every 100 miles where engines were changed, refuelled and coaches supplied water.
In 1894, a railway junction was established at Rojhanwali soon after the Karachi-Delhi rail route was introduced. In 1904, the Rojhanwali railway station was renamed Bahawalnagar after Bahawalpur state’s ruler Nawab Bahawal Khan V. This railway junction proved to be the prime cause for the emerging of Bahawalnagar town.
The first police check post was set up here in 1901 while the first primary school in 1902, which was later upgraded as middle school in 1911.
The tehsildar office started functioning after the Sadqia Canal was dug in 1904-05. In 1906, the panchayat committee was constituted whose members were nominated by the government.
The 1914 was the year when Bahawalnagar was declared the sub-division while kerosene oil lamp streetlight system was introduced in the town in 1916. The permanent grain market was constructed in 1917.
In 1927, the middle school was given the high school status and renamed as the State High School in the same year. Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi inaugurated the Bahawalnagar-Samasatta train service.
The first primary school for girls came up in 1931, which was upgraded as a high school. It was renamed Government City Girls High School in 1959.
The town was declared the district in 1941, but the decision was withdrawn for some unknown reasons. In 1945, Bahawalnagar Inter College was established, becoming the second college in the Bahawalpur state after the SE College, Bahawalpur. In the same year, the district jail building was completed.
In 1953, the town was declared the district headquarters. In 1963, Bahawal Inter College was upgraded to a degree college, renamed later on as Government College Bahawalnagar. In 1995, it was made a post-graduate college. The first Inter College For Women established in 1967 was upgraded in 1969.
A housing scheme for low-income employees was introduced in the town in 1974. In 1995, the Government College for Women was made a post-graduate college.
In 2005, a sub-campus of Islamia University Bahawalpur was set up at Bahawalnagar.
According to 1998 census, the total population of the entire district is 2.61 million while the population of Bahawalnagar town consists of 133,785 souls.
The town is bounded on the north by Pakpattan and Vehari districts, on the east by Ferozepur and Ganganagar districts (India), on the south by Bikanir (Indian state) and on the west by Bahawalpur district.
River Sutlej forms the north-western boundary of the Bahawalnagar district.
The district is geographically divided into three strips running east to west and parallel to each other. These strips are the alluvial tracts formed by the river action.