Kharian is a city of District Gujrat in Pakistan, situated at Grand Trunk Road, 20 miles from Gujrat and 10 miles from Jhelum. It is a sub-division (tehsil) of Gujrat. Kharian is famous all over Pakistan for two reasons; being a large army base (cantonment) and its people abroad especially in Norway and Denmark.

According to 1998 statistics its estimated population is 80,000 that comprises of majority of outsiders enjoying economic fruits of its well to do status. By providing business and job opportunities, this small city is indirectly playing its tiny part in Pakistan's economy. About 30/40 years ago, when Kharian was just a small town, there were two classes of its inhabitants; land owners who also practiced agriculture (zamindars) and common people performing everyday professions i.e. cobblers, hairdressers and carpenters locally called kammees (derived from workers).

During 1960's the zamindars started immigrating to Europe in search of better living standards followed by kammees in 1970's, majority of who embarked to Europe and Arab countries. This resulted in narrowing a big economic gulf between these two classes and in abandoning kammees' professions thus leaving a skills vacuum. People from villages around Kharian at some extent, for a short term, filled this vacuum but the news of the available opportunities (also demand for goods and services of large army population in cantonment) spread far away areas of Pakistan and people not only started settling in Kharian but also brought their relatives and friends. Nowadays its diverse population routes back to as far as northern areas of Pakistan who are active citizens of Kharian. The current population of the city reflects this strongly and its majority runs their own businesses or works for these.

Obviously increase in population resulted in increasing the area of the city. At one time there were small numbers of community areas called mohallas, which included Mohallah Banni, Mohallah GT Road, Main Bazaar, Mohallah Thhathhee, Mohallah Sattar Pura, Mohallah Nia Arra, Mohallah Parbat, Guliana Road and Butcher Khana. Nowadays surrounding small villages like Thhupala, Biddar, Pindi Haqeeqa and Dillo are part of Kharian.

This city, for political reasons, never developed any industry rather its agriculture is dying down fast. Kharian, out of necessity, developed from a town to a city by itself not owing its development to very influential native people including an ex-president of Pakistan. So far so, during this president's rule these influential people ignored the ruined state of very busy Guliana Road for several years. It is worth mentioning that at the time shopkeepers satirically wrote President Road (Saddar Road) on their shop signs against the address. These factors and practice of nepotism resulted in outsiders being major players in Kharian's politics.