Petaling is a district (daerah in Malay) located in the state of Selangor in Malaysia, not to be confused with the city of Petaling Jaya located in it, nor the subdistrict (mukim) of Petaling within Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya within Petaling district.

The district of Petaling was established on 1 January 1974, the same day Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal Territory. This district is located in the middle of the Klang Valley adjacent the capital, and thus has experienced tremendous urbanization. During the 1991 census, it recorded 633,165 people . In the official 2010 census, it recorded 1,782,375 people. It covers some 484.32 km² in area, The urban centres are divided into the cities of Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya (district capital). However, there are numerous town subdivisions, old subdistrict administrations (mukim), all of which share the same names like Damansara, Subang, and Petaling, which add much to the administrative confusion along with the rapid growth. Some five types of subdivisions exist for Petaling District, namely the re-organized municipal council majlis, the majlis subdivisions, the community names (aka townships), electoral constituencies, and the subdivisions ("mukim").

Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (born 10 August 1947) is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998.

Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.

In 1999, he was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption, and in 2000, to another nine years for sodomy. In 2004, the Federal Court reversed the second conviction and he was released. In July 2008, he was arrested over allegations he sodomised one of his male aides, but was acquitted of the charge in January 2012.

On 26 August 2008, Anwar won re-election in the Permatang Pauh by-election and returned to Parliament as leader of the Malaysian opposition. He has stated the need for liberalisation, including an independent judiciary and free media, to combat the endemic corruption that he considers pushes Malaysia close to failed state status.

From 1968 to 1971, as a student, Anwar was the president of a Muslim students organisation, Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM). Around the same time, he was also the president of Persatuan Bahasa Melayu Universiti Malaya (PBMUM). He was one of the protem committee of Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) or Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia which was founded in 1971. He was also elected President of the Malaysian Youth Council or Majlis Belia Malaysia (MBM). In 1974, Anwar was arrested during student protests against rural poverty and hunger. This came as a report surfaced stating that a family died from starvation in a village in Baling, in the state of Kedah, despite the fact that it never happened. He was imprisoned under the Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial, and spent 20 months in the Kamunting Detention Centre.