Upper Dir District
Template:Short description Template:Use Pakistani English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Main otherScript error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Main other
Upper Dir District (Template:Langx, Template:Langx) is a district located in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The city of Dir is its district headquarter. Geographically, it is located in the northern part of Pakistan. It borders with the Chitral district on the north, Afghanistan on the northwest, the Swat district on the east, and the Lower Dir district on the south. It shares 40 to 50 kilometers border with Afghanistan.
History
Dir was home to various popular civilizations. It has been the place where the Aryans, the Buddhists, and the Mughals survived. It was also a home to the Gandhara civilization. It was invaded by Alexander The Great.
In the sixteenth century, it was invaded by the Yousafzai tribe of the Pashtuns.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In 1898, Yousafzai Pashtun Muhammad Sharif Khan was declared the Nawab of Dir. He was succeeded by his son Nawab Aurang Zeb Khan in 1904, who ruled until his death in 1925. Subsequently, his son Shah Jehan Khan succeeded him and ruled the state for almost 35 years.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". At the time of the independence of Pakistan, in 1947, Dir was still a princely state, separated from Pakistan. It was no later than 1969, when it was annexed with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.[1] Till 1996, Dir was a unit combined district. But in 1996, the Dir District was divided into Upper and Lower Dir districts.
Demographics
Template:Historical populations
As of the 2023 census, Upper Dir district has 149,536 households and a population of 1,083,566. The district has a sex ratio of 98.36 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 46.77%: 62.76% for males and 31.67% for females. 392,214 (36.24% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 47,842 (4.42%) live in urban areas.[2] 2,415 (0.22%) of the people in the district are from religious minorities, mainly Christians.[3]
Pashto is the predominant language, spoken by 91.02% of the population. Kohistani languages are spoken by 5.11% of the population, and 3.87% of the population speak 'Other' languages.[4]
Tribes
The people groups of the district are various Pashtun tribes of Afghan origin among other clans that settled in the region. These include the following tribes[5]
Administration
Upper Dir District has four Tehsils.[6]
| Tehsil | Area
(km2)[7] |
Pop.
(2023) |
Density
(ppl/km2) (2023) |
Literacy rate
(2023)[8] |
Union Councils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barawal Tehsil | ... | ... | ... | ... | |
| Dir Tehsil | 1,012 | 384,667 | 380.11 | 48.26% | |
| Kalkot Tehsil | ... | ... | ... | ... | |
| Sharingal Tehsil | 1,140 | 210,356 | 184.52 | 37.15% | |
| Larjam Tehsil | ... | ... | ... | ... |
National Assembly
This district is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) in Pakistan National Assembly. Its constituency is NA-5 (Upper Dir).[9]
| Member of National Assembly | Party Affiliation | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Molana Asad Ullah | Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal | 2002 |
| Najum-din Khan | Pakistan Peoples Party | 2008 |
| Sahibzada Sebgat Ullah | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | 2018 |
Provincial Assembly
In the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are three seats for the Upper Dir district. Its constituency is PK-11, PK-12 and PK-13.
| Member of Provincial Assembly | Party Affiliation | Constituency | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gul Ibrahim Khan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-11 Upper Dir -I | 2024 |
| Muhammad Yamin | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-12 Upper Dir -II | 2024 |
| Muhammad Anwar Khan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-13 Upper Dir -III | 2024 |
Towns
Except for the town of Dir and a number of rapidly growing towns along the main road, the population is rural, scattered in more than 1200 villages in the deep narrow valleys of the Panjkora and its tributaries.
Of these, notable villages are Template:Div col
- Khas Dir
- Panakot
- Roghano Darra-Jelar
- Usheri
- Sundrawal
- Hattan
- Barawal Bandai
- Qashqaray
- Qulandai
- Benr
- Nusrat
- Ben Shahi
- Sunai
- Surbat
- Kair
- Pataw (Patao)
- Kalkot
- Patrak
- Sheringal
- Doog Dara
- Barawal
- Chumra
- Gandigar
- Katan
- Doryal
- Toormang
- Darorra
- Ganori
- Shalkani
- Wari
- Kakad
- Chaper
- Chukiatan
Division of Dir
Popular places[10] Template:Div col
- Qashqaray
- Panakot
- Kumrat Valley
- Kalkot
- Sheringal
- Bibyawar, Malakabad
- Doog Dara
- Ushirai Dara
- Shahi Koto
- ((Doryal kozkaly))
- Nehag Dara
- Barawal
- Ganori
- Gandigar
- Nowra
- Lowari Top
- Seratai
- sawni
- Doryall
- Guli Bagh Karo
- kakad
- Roghano Darra
- Wari City
Notable people
- Dr Zia Ul Haq (born 1980), university Vice Chancellor
See also
Script error: No such module "Portal".
- Dir (city)
- Dir (princely state)
- Lower Dir District
- Chitral District
- Swat District
- Districts of Pakistan
- Divisions of Pakistan
References
Template:Sister project Template:Reflist
Template:Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Template:Upper Dir-Union-Councils Template:Authority control
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".