Jhelum has sent soldiers to the army for generations, and many of its families have relatives in Britain, Europe and the Gulf. From the outside it can look comfortable. Look closer and you find elderly parents living alone in half-empty villages, widows whose pension is not enough, and labourers in the Salt Range earning a few hundred rupees a day. Those are often the people searching for an NGO in Jhelum.
PHWO, short for Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization, relies on volunteers; it will hear from any district and never sends a bill. It does not have an office, camp or local worker in Jhelum, Dina, Sohawa or Pind Dadan Khan. Its only head office is in Larkana, Sindh, and families here contact it online, through Message PHWO in a free PHWO account, or by email to info@phwo.org .
What the 2023 Census says about Jhelum
Jhelum District had 1,382,308 people in 2023, spread over four tehsils: Jhelum, Dina, Pind Dadan Khan and Sohawa. About 39% live in towns, a high share for Punjab. The most striking figure is that the rural population actually shrank, from 868,106 in 2017 to 840,990 in 2023, while the urban population grew fast. In Jhelum tehsil alone, villages lost people at more than 4% a year. Families are moving into the city, to Rawalpindi and abroad.
Punjabi is the mother tongue of about 91% of residents, with Urdu spoken at home by roughly 7%.
Local pressures: empty villages and the Salt Range
When young people leave, those who stay behind are often old, sick or caring for children alone. A remittance can stop without warning, and a pension may not cover medicine. In the Pind Dadan Khan area, around the Khewra salt mine and the Salt Range, work in mines, quarries and cement plants is hard and pays by the day. Barani (rain-fed) farms in Sohawa and the hills depend on the monsoon, and a dry year means a poor harvest.
None of this makes headlines, but it is exactly the kind of quiet hardship a welfare request can describe.
Financial help in Jhelum: how to apply
The Request help form lists the options: monthly ration, treatment costs, fees, rent, clearing a loan, a laptop for a student, or losses from a calamity. With it goes a live photo of yourself and your own short explanation.
If you are applying for an elderly parent, you can fill in the form for them; just explain who you are. Everything you send is checked, then assessed. Help is arranged only when a verified need can be met, and no timeline or outcome is promised.
Free legal aid for Jhelum court cases
The district and sessions courts sit in Jhelum city, with civil and family courts at the tehsil headquarters. Appeals go to the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench. Cases that reach PHWO from districts like this often involve inherited land where some heirs live abroad, maintenance for a wife whose husband has moved overseas, or custody of children.
Describe your case on the free legal aid page. You do not need an FIR. Custody fights and hearings due very soon in the Jhelum courts jump the queue. Whether an advocate can act for you rests on who has time, so no one can promise it.
Public help available in Jhelum
- District Headquarters Hospital Jhelum, and tehsil hospitals in Dina, Sohawa and Pind Dadan Khan.
- Rescue 1122 for accidents, fires and emergencies on the G.T. Road.
- Police 15; women can call the helpline 1043.
- The BISP office in your tehsil, for Kafaalat.
- District Zakat Committee Jhelum.
- District Bar Association Jhelum.
Jhelum's diaspora: donating and fundraising from abroad
Jhelumis settled in Britain, Europe or the Gulf can help relatives’ neighbours at home directly, with no go-between. Cash or goods go through Donate, and all Zakat or Sadaqah arriving that way is used for qualifying families. Pounds, euros or dirhams, the Zakat calculator helps you find your due; Sponsor a case ties your gift to one household that has been checked.
You can also volunteer as a fundraiser overseas. What PHWO lacks most are Pakistani advocates and people willing to raise money, in Jhelum or overseas. Sign-up is on the volunteer page, and the work is acknowledged with a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter. Retired officers and teachers in Jhelum who have time to give are welcome too.
Rishta Desk for Jhelum and overseas families
Many Jhelum families search for a rishta that bridges Pakistan and abroad. The Rishta Desk is free for families in Pakistan and abroad and serves every faith; each profile is checked with a live selfie and reviewed by PHWO staff. Parents and children decide together; a match is never assured.
Public services in Jhelum you can also use
- District Headquarters Hospital JhelumPublic hospital
- Rescue 1122Emergency service
- District Administration JhelumDeputy Commissioner's office
- Zakat and Ushr Department PunjabDistrict Zakat Committee
- Lahore High CourtAppeals (Rawalpindi Bench)
These are public or independent services, listed to help you. They are not part of PHWO.
Frequently asked questions
My parents live alone in a village near Sohawa. Can I apply on their behalf?
Yes. Fill in the request form for them, explain your relationship, and include a live photo of them. It is verified and assessed like any request.
Does PHWO have an office in Jhelum or Dina?
No. Its only office is in Larkana, Sindh. Contact it by messaging PHWO from a free PHWO account, at info@phwo.org or through the website.
I live in England but my family is from Jhelum. Can I give Zakat through PHWO?
Yes. Overseas payments are accepted on the Donate page, and all of your Zakat reaches qualifying families.
My husband went abroad and stopped sending maintenance. Can I get free legal aid?
You can ask. Explain the situation on the legal aid form. If an advocate has room, they will study it; nobody can promise they will represent you.
I work at a quarry near Pind Dadan Khan and was injured. What can I request?
You can ask for help with medical costs or ration while you cannot work. Attach your medical papers.
A soldier's widow in our village cannot manage on her pension. Is she eligible to ask?
Anyone facing real hardship may send a request; there is no list of excluded groups. She should explain her monthly income and expenses, add a live photo of her, and mention any children or dependants. Volunteers will verify and assess the request, and support depends on whether a verified need can be met.