The University of Gujrat is one of the new major public sector universities in Punjab. The university was established under Act IX of 2004 by Government of Punjab, Pakistan on February 23, 2004 to cater for the higher education needs of the population of Central Punjab which includes districts of Gujrat, Sialkot and Gujranwala in addition to city of Wazirabad. These districts are popularly known as the Export Triangle of Pakistan due to various manufacturing industries operating in the area. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817–1898) founder of Aligarh Muslim University had named the region around Gujrat as "Khita-e-Younan", or "territory resembling ancient Greece", in reference to the high number of educational institutes present in the area in the 19th century. The University is promoting research and development culture in the area. A large number of students from Bhimber Azad Kashmir also study in the university. The Main Campus has been named after a local sufi saint Hafiz Muhammad Hayat. Situated prominently in the University of Gujrat campus, the shrine of Hafiz Hayat is an exquisite complex in terms of its architecture, site planning and landscape design.