Sialkot

Sialkot (Urdu/Punjabi: سیالکوٹ) is a city of 656,000 people (2017) in the northeast of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The city is about 5,000 years old. It is frequently visited by foreign buyers on business assignments.

Understand
It was established by Raja Sul and invaded by Alexander the Great in 327 BCE. It was re-established by Raja Sálbán in 200 CE. He built the famous Sialkot Fort. The city is famous for its small industries, such as surgical goods, sports goods, leather garments, musical instruments, uniform badges, health gloves, stainless steel utensils, and many other exportable items. It fetches more than a billion US dollars of foreign exchange every year. The city has progressed rapidly. In order to boost the exports and facilitate the movement of goods and passengers, a dry port has been establishment at Sambrial, and an international airport has been built with the financial support of the local businessmen. The Sialkot-Lahore M-11 Motorway has reduced the driving distance and travel time between the two cities considerably.

By train
The only direct long-distance train to Sialkot is the Allama Iqbal Express from Karachi. Nearest major junction is in Wazirabad and Narowal.



By road
Sialkot is linked with the National Highway (N-5) via Gujranwala and via Wazirabad. The 103-km-long motorway M11 directly connects Sialkot to Lahore with interchanges near major urban centres of the Sialkot region along the route. The motorway is connected to the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway (M2) near Lahore via Lahore Bypass. Daewoo bus service is available from Sialkot to different cities of the country including Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad.

Get around
There are some air-conditioned buses that roam around the city. These buses pick passengers wherever they see. They are cheap and comfortable. There are also plans for introduction of metro bus service in near future.

The most common means of public transport is auto rickshaw.

Taxis are also available in plenty. Careem ride hailing service is pretty popular amongst young people and foreigners. Rental car service is available near the bus station and under Jinnah Park Flyover.

See



 * Seerat Study Center is on Ghazi Road in cantonment area.
 * Imam Ali ul Haq shrine is on Imam Sahib Road.
 * Baba Bari Sahib — a centuries-old Sikh shrine (Bari Sahib) is located on Zafarwal Road.
 * Jinnah Stadium (International Cricket Test Centre) is on Circular Road.
 * Murray College — a historical college where Iqbal and Faiz studied. It also has Allama Iqbal Library (much bigger than the Allama Iqbal Library at Paris Road).
 * Clock Tower — a century-old clock tower in Saddar Bazar is the most famous landmark of Sialkot.
 * Puran Bhagat Well — another historical site near cantonment area.
 * Local Industry — visit Sialkot Chamber of Commerce to see local products. You can ask them to arrange visit local manufacturing units (Sports goods, garments, leather, surgical instruments, music instruments).

Parks

 * Gulsan i Iqbal Park
 * Sialkot Park/Garrison Park
 * Sindbad Fun House
 * Khayaban e Iqbal

Buy

 * Leather garments (original leather coats, jackets & accessories)
 * Sports Goods (soccer, volleyballs. rugby balls, basketballs, hockey sticks, tennis rackets, cricket gear, polo sticks, fishing equipments, boxing & other sport equipment).
 * Sportswear (track suits, T-shirts, gloves, sports wear & karate uniforms)
 * Musical instruments (Scotch Pipe, drums, guitars)

Sleep

 * Hotel one, Wazirabad Road.052-3240495, 052–3240494.
 * Galaxy Hotel, Wazirabad Road, 052–3555557.
 * Hotel Taj Palace, Court Road, 052–4270034.
 * Pace Tower , Aziz Shaheed Road, 052–4266144.
 * Spring Heights, Aziz Shaheed Road, 052–4261910, 052–4265685.
 * Canal View Hotel, Airport Road, 052–5520780.
 * Hotel Stay Inn, Aziz Shaheed Road, 052–4272480.

Stay safe
Sialkot is a safe city as compared to the other cities of Pakistan. Crimes such as pocketing and robbery are not very common. Violent crime is very rare. The people of Sialkot are friendly to the visitors.

Connect

 * Public call offices (PCO) line all major streets in Sialkot.
 * Internet cafes can be found in hotels and main streets.
 * WiFi Sialkot International Airport is free WiFi Zone RUN by COMSATS Internet Services, contact 111-700-800 for free access. Subway Restaurant also offers free Wifi Facility to its customers
 * General Post Office Paris Road
 * FedEx Paris Road
 * DHL Paris Road
 * TCS Khadim Ali ROAD.
 * FCA Paris Road.

Go next

 * Daska
 * Pasrur
 * Sambrial
 * Head-Marala - About 20 km from city, it is a head works on River Chenab. Two canals originate from there. A good place for angling and to eat fresh fish around, and having good views of the Shiwalak Mountains in Kashmir.