District Vehari was an agricultural area containing forests during Indus Valley Civilization. In Vedi period, it had characteristics of “Aryan” stream. Various rulers belonging to various nations invaded different parts of Punjab and established their government. In 331 B.C., Achaemenid conquered this area. Later on, Alexander came down upon this land with great army. Different dynasties ruled over Punjab including Vehari. Among the ruling dynasties, Moria Dynasty, Indo-Greek Dynasty, Koschan Dynasty, Gupta Dynasty, White Huns, Kaschano, Hantalites, Turks and Hindus are the most prominent ones.
When Sultan Mehmood of Ghazna came to power in India, Vehari also came under his rule. Later on, Vehari came under the rule of Mughal Empire and ‘Salateen-e-Delhi’.
In 1925, the construction of Pakpattan Canal under Neeli Bar plan developed the area of Vehari. The river Satluj mainly irrigated this land. There is a famous myth that water of Satluj is blue. So this area was named as Neeli Bar. When Muhammad Bin Qasim conquered Multan, this area was under the rule of Raja Dahir. In 1591, the Mughal King Akbar conjoined the areas of Multan, Kehror, Jhang, Shorkot and Vehari and made the province of Multan. In this regime, Joiya family ruled over Fatehpur which is located on the right bank of the river Satluj. The archaeological remains can be seen even today. Moin-ud-Din was made governor of Multan in 1748. Later on, Meer Muno was appointed Subedar of Multan. Under an agreement, he gave eastern part of Multan including Vehari to Kora Mull who took over this area and established his occupation and control he also assumed the title of Maharaja for him.
Pre-Partition Before 1947
The Kambojas, Daradas, Kaikayas, Madras, Pauravas, Yaudheyas, Malavas and Kurus invaded, settled and ruled ancient Punjab region. After overrunning the Achaemenid Empire in 331 B.C., Alexander marched into present-day Punjab region with an army of 50,000. The Vehari was ruled by Maurya Empire, Indo-Greek kingdom, Kushan Empire, Gupta Empire, White Huns, Kushano-Hephthalites and the Turk and Hindu Shahi kingdoms.
In 997 C.E., Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin. In 1005, he conquered the Shahis in Kabul followed by the conquests in the region of the Punjab and the Mughal Empire ruled the region.
Post-Partition After 1947
The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Vehari District.
The main castes in Vehari are Jatt, Dhudhi-Rajput, Joiya-Rajput, Sheikh, Bhatti-Rajput, Baloch, Khokhars, Daha, Gujjar, Arian, Sial, Awan, and Langrial.
In May 2002, Vehari District was the scene of a shootout between members of the Sunni militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and local Shia villagers. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) members had come to a local village to stage an attack on a prominent local Shias but were met with local armed resistance. In this shootout, all four LeJ members were killed, including their leader Riaz Basra.
Current Status
Vehari is one of the prominent districts of the Punjab. The district was created in 1976 out of the three tehsils of Multan District (Vehari, Burewala and Mailsi). The name Vehari means low lying settlement by a flood water channel. The district lies along the right bank of the river Sutlej which forms its southern boundary. Vehari District is the result of construction of the Pakpattan Canal from Sulemanki Head Works on the Sutlej and the Neeli Bar Colony project in 1925. The ancient history of the district is indistinct. The populated areas in ancient times were restricted to the banks of the river Sutlej where seasonal inundation permitted some cultivation. The rest of the area was a vast sandy scrap-land at best affording pastures itinerant herdsmen. The riparian tract formed the state of Fatehpur during the time of Akbar the Great. This was ruled by Fateh Khan of Joiya family who founded and gave his name to the town of Fatehpur. Fatehpur is still in existence about 15 kilometres to the south of Mailsi and is the oldest town of Mailsi subdivision. It has some remains of archaeological value.
District Vehari has three tehsils in its territory:
- Vehari
- Burewala
- Mailsi
The city of Vehari has constituent campuses of University of Education, Lahore, COMSATS University, and two post-graduate colleges for men and women. COMSATS University, Vehari Campus is offering MS and BS programs since 2009. Virtual University Campus is working at Vehari since 2001. The city contains many higher secondary schools and private colleges. Education University is a government-funded and operated campus with more than four faculties and many departments. COMSATS University, Vehari Campus is a public sector university funded by Ministry of Science and Technology. Pakistan's leading universities; University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, University of Education Lahore and Allama Iqbal Open University have their sub-campuses in Vehari.