Jacobabad District is a district in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. According to 2023 Census population of Jacobabad District is 1,174,097 It is located in the north of Sindh, by the provincial boundary with Balochistan. Its headquarters is the town of Jacobabad, which was founded by General John Jacob in 1847.

Administration

District Council Jacobabad have 44 Union councils, 2 Municipal Committees and 3 Town Committees The district is administratively subdivided into the following tehsils:

History

During British India, the town was the administrative headquarters of the Upper Sindh Frontier District of the Bombay Presidency; with a station on the Quetta branch of the North-Western railway, 37 m. from the junction at Ruk, on the main line. It is famous as having consistently the highest temperature in Pakistan. During the month of June the thermometer ranges between 120° and 127 °F. The town was founded on the site of the village of Khangarh in 1847 by General John Jacob, for many years commandant of the Sind Horse, who died here in 1858, and left a marvellous Victoria Tower in his remembrance in the heart of the city. It has cantonments for a cavalry regiment, with accommodation for caravans from Central Asia. It is watered by two canals. An annual horse show is held in January. The district has had its present name since 1952. For a brief period after 1961, it included the Nasirabad subdivision. In 2004 Kashmore District was formed from its eastern half.

Demography

At the time of the 2017 census, Jacobabad had a sex ratio of 956 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 34.07% - 44.93% for males and 22.77% for females. 297,218 (29.51%) lived in urban areas. 360,298 (35.78%) were under 10 years of age. In 2023, the district had 195,161 households and a population of 1,174,097. Islam is the predominant religion with 97.74% of the population while Hinduism is the minority religion, practiced by 1.89% of the population. At the time of the 2023 census, 89.67% of the population spoke Sindhi, 6.52% Balochi and 2.14% Brahui as their first language.

Airport and airbase

The commercial airport at Jacobabad, about 300 mi north of Karachi and 300 mi southeast of Kandahar, is located on the border between Sindh and Balochistan provinces. The Shahbaz Air Base (co-located with the commercial airport in Jacobabad) was one of the three Pakistani air bases used by U.S. and allied forces to support the Operation Enduring Freedom campaign in Afghanistan and drone strikes in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

List of Dehs

The following is a list of Jacobabad District's dehs, organised by taluka:

Notable people