Sialkot is Pakistan’s 12th most populous city and is part of north-east Punjab — one of Pakistan’s most highly industrialized regions. Sialkot is believed to be the site of ancient Sagala, a city razed by Alexander the Great in 326 BCE, and then made capital of the Indo-Greek kingdom by Menander-I in the 2nd century BCE – a time during which the city greatly prospered as a major center for trade and Buddhist thought.

Sialkot has been noted by The Economist for its entrepreneurial spirit, and productive business climate. It is the world’s largest producer of hand-sewed footballs, with local factories manufacturing 40~60 million footballs a year, amounting to roughly 70% of world production. Sialkot is also the world’s largest manufacturer of surgical instruments. During the colonial era British India’s first bagpipe works opened in the city, today there are 20 pipe bands in the city. The 2014 FIFA World Cup footballs were made by Forward Sports, a company based in Sialkot. The relatively small city exported approximately $2 billion worth of goods in 2015, or about 10% of Pakistan’s total exports.

Sialkot is also home to the Sialkot International Airport – Pakistan’s first privately owned public airport