Kohat

Kohat (Urdu and Template:Langx; Template:Langx) is a city in Pakistan that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. With a population of over 220,000 people, the city is the fourth most populous in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the 35th most populous in Pakistan. Kohat's immediate environs were the site of frequent armed skirmishes between British colonial forces and local tribesmen in the mid to late 19th century. The city is centred on a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. Pashto and the Kohati dialect of Hindko are the main languages spoken in Kohat.

The city of Kohat is also the namesake of and largest city in the Kohat Division, being over four times larger than the second-largest city in the division: Karak.

History

Early history

File:Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur - Foray to Kuhat (Kohat) - Walters W5967A - Full Page.jpg

A miniature painting depicting the 1505 visit of the Mughal Emperor Babur to Kohat.

Little is known of Kohat's early history. According to local lore, Kohat was founded by an ancient Buddhist king by the name of Raja Kohat. Another Buddhist Raja named Adh is believed to have established his domain on the north side of the city. A fort, now in ruins, serves as a marker of their domain. The remains of this fort known as Adh-e-Samut, is possibly named after Buddhist Raja Adh. The fort is still fitted with weaponry from the Buddhist period. The Buddhist kings built roads, which were in use until the end of the Mughal rule.

According to local tradition they arrived here in the time of Daulat Khán son of Bai Khán. This would make their settlement contemporaneous with that of the Baizai Bangashes which seems to have taken place previous to the time of Babar's invasion (A.D. 1505) . I believe, however, that they must have arrived before the settlement of Baizai.

The region had been primarily populated by Orakzai Pashtuns, who were then displaced from the west by the Bangash in the 14th-15th centuries, and Khattaks from the south. The Kohat region was likely firmly dominated by Bangash tribesmen by the early late 15th century following a decisive battle at nearby Alizai, after which Bangash tribes settled in the fertile valleys and assimilated remaining indigenous inhabitants into the larger Bangash tribe, while Orakzai tribes were confined to the nearby hills.

The first historical record of the city comes from the Baburnama autobiography of Mughal emperor Babur. After capturing Peshawar, Babur was reportedly told of vast riches in Kohat. He invaded and plundered Kohat in 1505, only to discover the tales of its wealth were exaggerated. After capturing Kohat, Babur's army marched towards Bangash country, where he defeated a band of tribesmen.

Durrani period

File:Durrani prince tomb in kohat.JPG

A royal Durrani tomb near Kohat

During the Nader Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire in the 1730s and 1740s, Kohat escaped destruction as Emperor Nader Shah's forces followed invasion routes north in the Peshawar Valley. Following the departure of Persian forces, Kohat was absorbed into the Durrani Empire by 1747.

Following the fall of Shah Shuja Durrani in 1810, Kohat was brought under control of the Durrani kingdom based in Peshawar and Kabul, which leased lordship of the city to various chiefs. The first chief of Kohat was Mirza Girani, who was followed in succession until 1818 by Shakur Khan, and Sultan Muhammad. In 1818, Kohat came under the control of Samad Khan following the collapse of Durrani suzerainty, though the city then came under the influence of Pir Muhammad in 1827.

Sikh period

Ranjit Singh's armies marched to Peshawar in 1819. In 1834, Azim Khan was defeated by the Sikhs and the chiefs of Peshawar became tributaries of the Sikh Government. Kohat was captured by Sikh governor Avtar Singh Sandhanwalia in 1839, and became part of Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire, though Pir Muhammad was allowed to continue administering the region around Kohat.

In 1840, the Sikhs abandoned Kohat, and Sultan Mohammed became ruler of Kohat. In 1848 during the Second Anglo-Sikh War, Colonel George Lawrence, the British Resident at Lahore, sought refuge in Kohat, but was instead taken prisoner and handed to Sikh forces in Peshawar under Chattar Singh before being released. In 1849, Kohat and the rest of Punjab was formally annexed by the British.

British period

File:Tehsil gate.jpg

Kohat Tehsil gate in 1919

File:Ktrailway.jpg

Railway station in 1900

Following British victory over the Sikhs in 1848, Kohat came under British rule and was annexed in March 1849. Lieutenant Pollack was appointed as Kohat's first Assistant Commissioner. British authorities in Peshawar commenced construction of the Kohat Pass road in 1849, and completed it by 1850 despite violent opposition from local tribes. The pass was closed temporarily in 1853 after a quarrel arose among nearby tribes. The road which connected Kohat to Rawalpindi via Khushalgarh was of little trouble compared to the Kohat Pass road.

Kohat remained largely peaceful during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, and local Pashtun soldiers largely ignored calls for rebellion. The British established a Hill Station at Cherat, just north of Kohat, in the 1860s. Kohat Pass road was closed on and off by British authorities for several more years on account of quarrels among local tribes, including in 1865 when it was closed for more than one and a half years. Armed skirmishes between British forces and Pashtun tribesmen continued on and off between the 1860s and 1870s. Kohat Cantonment was established by the British in 1874. Routes between Kohat and Bannu and Thall were frequently blockaded by Wazir tribesmen by 1880 that resulted in large clashes between the British and Wazirs. In the Tirah campaign of 1897–98 Kohat was the starting point of Sir William Lockhart's expedition against the Afridis and Mohmands.

In 1924, Kohat was the scene of widespread communal rioting that resulted in a 21-day fast by Mohandas Gandhi, known popularly as Mahatma Gandhi, as a plea for unity. During the 1947 Kashmir War, Pashtun tribesmen from around the region convened in Kohat before departing for Kashmir in hopes of capturing the territory for Pakistan.

Modern period

Kohat suffered several attacks during the War in North-West Pakistan and war on terror between 2008 and 2014. 35 people were killed in a suicide bombing in 2009, while twin bombings in April 2010 killed 41. 20 more were killed in a suicide bombing in September 2010, while the Kohat Tunnel was attacked by the Pakistani Taliban in January 2011, resulting in the deaths of 5 people. 2 more were killed in a bomb attack in July 2013. In February 2014, 12 were killed in a roadside blast near the city, while 6 more were killed in an attack on a van in October 2014. After a few years' lull in violence, 5 policemen were killed outside of Kohat following an anti-terror operation in May 2017.

Geography

Topography

File:Kohat Velly.jpg

Kohat Valley

Kohat city is located at an altitude of . Kohat Pass lies to the north. It is situated on the left bank of the Toi river at a point where after running nearly due east for , it turns to the south. The total area of the district is

Climate

Kohat has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh).

File:Tanda-001.jpg

Tanda lake in monsoon

Dam

Kohat has a dam called Tanda Dam located on Tanda Lake, which is a protected site under the Ramsar Convention. Completed in 1967, it was included as a Ramsar site on July 23, 1976.

Parks

Tanda Wildlife Park

Tanda Wildlife Park is located near Kohat city. The total area of the park is 2800 acres (11 km²), consisting of Tanda reservoir and its catchments in Kohat. This is the largest wildlife park of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Its wonderfully rich and varied landscape supports a range of mammals and birds, both migratory and indigenous, as well as a few reptiles. Kohat is famous for guava.

The park is bounded by three different villages, Bar, Kaghazi, and Tanda Banda. The park is approachable by Hangu-kaghazi gravel road, shahpur-Bar road which is 18 km from Kohat.

The local people do not have any right of grazing, lopping or firewood collection as the ownership lies with the provincial government. The park area falls in the natural habitat of urial and chinkara, and also provides suitable habitat to hog deer. The urial is associated with scrub forest of Olea species and Accassia species. Urial were once abundant in the area but due to continuous habitat destruction these were disappeared from the area in the near past. The natural habitat of urial and chinkara lies in close proximity of human habitation.

Kotal Pheasantry

Kotal Pheasantry is established in Kotal wildlife park in district Kohat over an area of 1 kanal, with an objective to propagate and provide breeding environment to exotic/indigenous wildlife species like silver pheasant, golden pheasant, reeves pheasant, pea-cock etc. About 20-30 visitors including students and general public visit the pheasantry for education and recreation purposes per day. There are four species of pheasants in the pheasantry including ring necked pheasant, silver pheasant, peacock pheasant and white pheasant.

Demographics

Population

Kohat is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century.

Religion

Religious groups in Kohat City (1881−2017)Template:Efn

Religious group	1881		1901		1911		1921		1931		1941		2017
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam File:Star and Crescent.svg	13,752		19,818		15,930		18,898		24,388		32,111		224,520
Hinduism File:Om.svgTemplate:Efn	2,798		7,833		4,850		5,796		6,709		8,250		978
Sikhism File:Khanda.svg	1,562		2,832		1,693		2,139		2,152		3,562		—	—
Jainism File:Jain Prateek Chihna.svg	0		0		0		0		0		—	—	—	—
Christianity File:Christian cross.svg	—	—	279		168		1,020		1,101		445		2,942
Judaism File:Star of David.svg	—	—	0		13		0		0		0		—	—
Zoroastrianism File:Faravahar.svg	—	—	0		0		0		0		0		—	—
Buddhism File:Dharma Wheel (2).svg	—	—	0		0		0		0		—	—	—	—
Ahmadiyya File:Liwa-e-Ahmadiyya 1-2.svg	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	51
Others	67		0		0		0		0		609		64
Total population	18,179		30,762		22,654		27,853		34,350		44,977		228,555

Transportation

Rail

Construction of the Kohat Tehsil railway station and railway line was started in 1897, and was completed in 1902. The Kohat Cantonment railway station serves as the terminus for the Khushalgarh–Kohat–Thal Railway - which ceased onward narrow gauge (762 mm or 2 ft 6 in) railway service to Thall in 1991. Kohat is the terminus railway station of Kohat-Jand railway line and has daily train service to Rawalpindi.

The Kohat Rail Service, suspended in 2013 due to unforeseen circumstances, caused immense hardship for the local population. Undeterred, President Saleem Altaf Advocate spearheaded a peaceful movement through Karwaan-E-Amal Kohat. Following a resilient 4-year struggle, the Kohat Rail Service was triumphantly restored in 2017. Today, millions of people in Kohat reap the benefits of this vital transportation link.

Air

The nearest airport served by commercial services is Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar. Kohat Airbase (Template:Comma separated entries) is a Pakistan Air Force base that began as a runway built by the British. PIA once used the airport using de Havilland Twin Otter, though Kohat is no longer served by commercial services.

Road

Kohat is a major node on the N-55 Indus Highway that connects Peshawar to Karachi, and the N-80 highway that connects Kohat to Islamabad. The Kohat Tunnel was completed in 2004, and connects the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Peshawar. Constructed with Japanese assistance, the tunnel drastically reduced travel times across the Kohat Pass.

Media

• Radio Pakistan Kohat
• Kohat Press Club

In popular culture

Kohat plays a central role in the eighth season of U.S. political thriller Homeland particularly in the episodes Threnody(s), In Full Flight and Designated Driver.

Education

Universities

• University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar Kohat Campus
• Kohat University of Science & Technology
• Preston University in Kohat

Colleges

• Khyber Medical College Peshawar Campus
• Cadet College Kohat
• Garrison Cadet College Kohat
• Government degree college kohat

Historical military significance

Kohat Cantonment was established in the British Era, and it is one of the eight cantonments falling in the Peshawar region. Kohat is also the headquarters of Pakistan's Inter Services Selection Board (ISSB), which selects commissioned officers for the Pakistan armed forces of Pakistan including the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Notable people

• Afzal Bangash, politician and co-founder and president of the Mazdoor Kisan Party
• Iftikhar Hussain Shah, former Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
• Malik Saad, Pakistani police officer
• Shahid Afridi, Pakistani international cricketer and former captain of Pakistan national cricket team.
• Rohan Mustafa, Pakistani-born United Arab Emirates cricketer.
• Rashid Mansoor, Pakistani cricketer

See also

• List of cities in Pakistan by population
• List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population
• Kohat Division
  • Hangu District
    • Doaba
    • Hangu
    • Tall
  • Karak District
    • Karak
  • Kohat District
    • Lachi
    • Shakardara
  • Kurram District
    • Parachinar
    • Sadda
  • Orakzai District
• Pashto
• Hindko
  • Kohati
• 1924 Kohat riots
• Jhandi railway station

External links

• Sarhad Tourism Corporation, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
• Refworld | Pakistan: Shia IDPs fearful of being targeted
• Members National Assembly
• Members Provincial Assembly