Bahawalpur (Urdu, Saraiki: بہاولپور), located in Punjab, is the twelfth largest city in Pakistan. The city was once the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The city was home to various Nawabs (rulers) and counted as part of the Rajputana states (now Rajasthan, India). The city is known for its famous palaces such as the Noor Mahal, Sadiq Ghar Palace, and Darbar Mahal, as well as the ancient fort of Derawar in the Cholistan Desert bordering India. The city is located near the historical and ancient cities of Uch and Harappa, which were once a stronghold of the Delhi Sultanate and Indus Valley Civilisation. The city is home to one of the few natural safari parks in Pakistan, Lal Suhanra National Park.
In 2007, the city's population was recorded to have risen to 798,509 from 403,408 in 1998.Punjabi and Saraiki are the major languages of local people, while Urdu is well understood and English is the official languages used in various educational and government institutions. Bahawalpur is located south of the Sutlej River and lies in the Cholistan region near the Thar Desert. It is situated 90 km from Multan, 420 km from Lahore, and 270 km from Faisalabad.
Qaiser Abbas (born May 7, 1982, Muridke, Punjab) is a Pakistani cricketer who played in one Test in 2000.He also played for Rajshahi Rangers in the NCL T20 Bangladesh
Imran Khan Niazi (Urdu: عمران خان نیازی; born 25 November 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics. Currently, besides his political activism, Khan is also a philanthropist, cricket commentator, Chancellor of the University of Bradford and Founder and Chairman Board of Governors of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre.
Arguably Pakistan's most successful cricket captain, Khan played for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992 and served as its captain intermittently throughout 1982–1992. After retiring from cricket at the end of the 1987 World Cup, he was called back to join the team in 1988. At 39, Khan led his teammates to Pakistan's first and only World Cup victory in 1992. He has a record of 3807 runs and 362 wickets in Test cricket, making him one of eight world cricketers to have achieved an 'All-rounder's Triple' in Test matches. On 14 July 2010, Khan was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Haroon Rasheed Dar (born March 25, 1953, Karachi) is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 23 Tests and 12 ODIs from 1977 to 1983. He has also remained the manager of the Pakistan Cricket team and has been credited with the discovery of Waqar Younis and Shahid Khan Afridi.
Shahid Masood Khan (Urdu: شاہد مسعود خان) is a Pakistani doctor and works as journalist, columnist, TV show host and political analyst. He is the former President of ARY TV Network, Group Executive Director of Geo TV network and MD/Chairman of Pakistan Television Corporation. Currently, he is working as the Consultant at the Express Media Group and also hosts Shahid Nama on Express News. Previously he hosted the shows Views on News on ARY News and Meray Mutabiq on GEO TV.
Shahid Masood spent most of his childhood in Taif and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His father was a civil engineer, who worked there for 15 years. He attended the Pakistan International School, Riyadh, for seven years. He attended Pakistan international school Riyadh, DJ science college Karachi and Sindh Medical College Karachi.
Shahid Masood came into the spotlight with his program Views On News (launched after 9/11) Asia’s longest-running current affairs TV show. His show carried interviews with prominent people from politics, civil life, literature and culture. Politicians who were interviewed on Views on News included President General Pervez Musharraf, former Pakistani Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz, and Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, MQM leader Altaf Hussain, PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif, former Pakistani general A. A. K. Niazi (of East Pakistan fame), Abdul Rashid Ghazi, former CIA Director James Woolsey, and former ISI chief Hamid Gul. Other people who appeared on the show include Ahmed Faraz, Israr Ahmad, Zakir Naik, Ashfaq Ahmed, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Asif Ali Zardari and Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti along with his most wanted Balouch rebel grandson Bramdagh Bugti. It was Nawab Bugti's last public appearance before he was killed in a military operation by the Pakistan Army.[citation needed]