Vehari: Cotton Country in Transition

Vehari lies in south Punjab between Multan and Pakpattan, on the plains north of the Sutlej. It is a modern town: the area was transformed in the 20th century when canals fed from the Sutlej, including the Pakpattan Canal, brought irrigation to the dry uplands of the Nili Bar, and settlers followed. After 1947, Muslim refugees from East Punjab settled here as Hindu and Sikh residents left. In 1976 Vehari became the headquarters of a new district carved out of Multan District.

The 2023 Census counted 210,288 people in Vehari city and 3,430,421 in Vehari District. The district's biggest town is in fact Burewala, with 361,664 people, while Mailsi is the third main tehsil town.

For decades the district was one of Pakistan's great cotton producers, lined with ginning factories and cottonseed-oil mills. In recent years farmers have shifted: Dawn reported that the area under cotton fell from about 470,000 acres in 2015–16 to 318,000 acres in 2019–20, while maize more than doubled, and potatoes and livestock grew in importance. The district is also the home of the Neeli (Nili-Ravi) buffalo.