Bahawalpur is a popular city in south Punjab. It has been the cradle of the state of Bahawalpur ruled by the Abbasi Nawabs.

The present city is a modern well-planned city in Pakistan. It is the starting point to all adventures in the desert of Cholistan and in the rivers of Punjab. History of Bahawalpur. The State of Bahawalpur was a princely state of Punjab in what is now Pakistan, stretching along the southern bank of the Sutlej and Indus Rivers, with its capital city at Bahawalpur. The state was counted amongst the Punjab states rather than the neighboring Rajputana states (now Rajasthan) to the southeast.

After two centuries of varying degrees of independence, the state became part of Pakistan in 1947. In 1941, the state had a population of 1,341,209 living in an area of 45,911 km² (17,494 sq mi). It was divided into three districts: Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, and Bahawalnagar.

The founder of the state of Bahawalpur was Nawab Bahawal Khan Abbasi I. The Abbasi family ruled over the State for more than 200 years (1748 to 1954). During the rule of the last Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V, Bahawalpur State was merged with Pakistan in 1954. Bahawalpur was formerly the capital of the state and now is the District and Divisional Headquarters of Bahawalpur Division. It is an important marketing center for the surrounding areas and is located on the crossroads between Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta, and Karachi. Saraiki is the local language of the area.

Urdu, Punjabi, and English are also spoken and understood by most of the people. Postage stamps of Bahawalpur Bahawalpur used the postage stamps of British India until 1945. On 1st January 1945, it issued its own stamps, for official use only, a set of pictorials inscribed entirely in Arabic script. On 1st December 1947, the state issued its first regular stamp, a commemorative stamp for the 200th anniversary of the ruling family, depicting Mohammad Bahawal Khan I, and inscribed "BAHAWALPUR".

A series of 14 values appeared 1st April 1948, depicting various Nawabs and buildings.

A handful of additional commemoratives ended with an October 1949 issue commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union.

After this, the state adopted Pakistani stamps for all uses.