Short answers, pulled from the story.
Gujranwala likely began as a small village in the middle of the sixteenth century before expanding rapidly. Recent scholarship suggests the village may have been known as Serai Gujran, meaning inn of Gujjars, located near what is now Khiyali Gate.
Charat Singh, ruler of the Sukerchakia Misl, made Gujranwala the capital of his misl in 1763 after establishing himself in a fort he built between 1756 and 1758. Maharaja Ranjit Singh maintained Gujranwala as his capital initially after rising to power in 1792 until the seat moved to Lahore in 1801.
Brandreth, Khiyali, and Lahori Gates were completed in 1869 atop the site of older Sikh-era gates. A new clocktower known as Ghanta Ghar was built in central Gujranwala to mark the city's center in 1906, while the North-Western Railway connected the city with other cities in British India by rail in 1881.
By March 1948, over 300,000 refugees had been resettled in Gujranwala District after large swathes of Hindu and Sikh localities were attacked or destroyed. Many refugees settled in former non-Muslim localities like Gobindgarh, Baghbanpura, and Nanakpura, while suburban districts such as Satellite Town emerged in 1950.
Gujranwala serves as a major hub for manufacturing sanitary fittings, auto parts, and electric fans alongside being the third largest center for iron and steel manufacturing in Pakistan. The city's industries employ up to 500,000 people and contribute between 5% and 9% to Pakistan's national GDP through textiles, apparel, rice, plastic, cutlery, and agricultural tools.