Chichawatni is a mid-sized agricultural town in Punjab, about 45 km south of Sahiwal on the Grand Trunk Road. It sits roughly 20 km from the ancient Indus Valley site of Harappa, making it a plausible base for anyone heading to that archaeological site. Most travellers pass through rather than stop, but the town has a few things worth knowing about.
The local economy runs on wheat, cotton and sugar cane. The area is also known for its buffalo trade — one of the larger cattle markets in Pakistan operates here, particularly active around religious holidays. On the outskirts, the Chichawatni Forest covers around 9,000 acres, making it the second-largest planted forest in Pakistan after Changa Manga. It's a quiet place for a walk or a drive away from the dust of the GT Road.
Crescent Textile's ghee mills here were historically among the first vanaspati (vegetable ghee) factories in Asia. The town also has a connection to Esther John, a Pakistani Christian woman who became a martyr and is now commemorated in Westminster Abbey. The railway station connects the town to the main Karachi–Peshawar line.