Sikhs formed 28%. The district was part of the Lahore Division of Punjab. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Sahiwal. Demographics At the time of the 2017 census the district had a population of 2,513,011, of which 1,276,646 were males and 1,236,119 females. Rural population is 1,997,327 while the urban population is 515,684. The literacy rate was 61.14%. Religion As per the 2017 census, Muslims were the predominant religious community with 97.51% of the population while Christians were 2.36% of the population. Language At the time of the 2017 census, 98.03% of the population spoke Punjabi and 1.17% Urdu as their first language. Location Sahiwal Division is in the southeast of Punjab. From Multan Division it lies between 30 and 40 north latitude and 73-06 longitude. It is above sea level. It forms a parallelogram lying NE-SW along the River Ravi. It is 100 km from east to west and 45 km from the north-western boundary of the Division of Sahiwal, Division Faisalabad, District Toba Tek Singh. The dry River Khushak Bias separates it from the District Pakpattan. Okara District is east of the division. District Khanewal and District Vehari form boundaries with the division. On the southern side is Pakpattan District, where there is a shrine of the Sufi Fareed Shaker Gunj. Administration Sahiwal District consists of 531 villages in two subdivisions. It is on the main bypass, 3 kilometers from the main city. Sahiwal Division has an area of 301 km2. Sahiwal Division contains subtowns like Qadirabad, Yousafwala, Iqbal Nagar, Kassowal, Noorshah, Harappa and Ghaziabad. There are transport connections via Highway Services and Pakistan Railways to all over Pakistan. District Administration Officers Sahiwal dairy cattle breed The Sahiwal cattle breed is the best dairy breed of zebu or humped cattle (Bos Indicus), followed by the very similar Red Sindhi and Butana breeds. It originated in the dry Punjab region which lies along the Indo-Pakistani border and was once kept in large herds by herdsmen called "Jaanglees." With the introduction of irrigation to the region their numbers dripped, and farmers used them as draft and dairy animals. The Division Sahiwal has one of the best dairy breeds in India and Pakistan. It is tick-resistant, heat-tolerant and resistant to internal and external parasites. Cows average 2270 kilograms of milk while suckling a