Wazīrābād

Wazīrābād, town, northern Punjab province, Pakistan, just east of the Chenāb River. It is an important rail junction, with the Siālkot and Faisalābād (formerly Lyallpur) lines of the Pakistan Western Railway branching off and crossing the Chenāb River at the Alexandra Bridge. Industries include boatbuilding, cutlery, and box manufacture, and the town is a timber, cloth, grain, and sugar market. It was supposedly founded by Wazīr Khān in the 18th century, and in 1809 it was acquired by Ranjit Singh and made the headquarters of his Italian general, Avitabile, who built the new town. Pop. (1998 prelim.) 89,652.