Shangla District
Shangla District (Pashto: شنګله ولسوالۍ, Urdu: ضلع شانگلہ) is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The district's headquarter is located at Alpuri,[2] while the largest city and commercial center is Besham.[citation needed] The district was established in 1995, having previously been a subdivision of Swat District.[3] The total area of the district is 1,586 square kilometers.[3] Shangla comprises three subdivisions, Alpuri, Puran and Besham tehsils.
Shangla District ضلع شانگلہ شنګله ولسوالۍ | |
|---|---|
Top: Shangla Top Bottom: Road near Besham | |
Location of Shangla district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Division | Malakand |
| Headquarters | Alpuri |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Administration |
| • Deputy Commissioner | N/A |
| • District Police Officer | N/A |
| • District Health Officer | N/A |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,586 km2 (612 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 759,609 |
| • Density | 480/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| District Council | 28 seats |
| Number of Tehsils | 5 |
| Website | shangla |
Location edit
The district is bounded in the north by Kohistan District, in the east by Battagram District and Torghar District, in the west by Swat District, and in the south by Buner District.[3]
Administrative Divisions edit
History edit
Shangla was a sub-division of the Swat district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan until it was granted the status of a separate district in 1995, primarily owing to the efforts of Haji Badiu Zaman, a political leader and community figure, assassinated in 1994, and his son, Afsar ul Mulk.
There are relics of the ancient Greek period at Pirsar, Chakesar and Daut. it is believed that Alexander the Great camped at Pirsar for a few days. There are also relics of the Hindu Shahi in Olandar-Ajmair.[4][better source needed] [5]
A number of Buddha sculptures also are also found in district Shangla which indicate that Shangla was also the previous part of Buddhist civilization.
The district was hit by the 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake in which more than 18 people were killed.[6]
Geography edit
Shangla district consists of small valleys and is situated between the hillocks and surrounded by high mountains full of forests comprising Pindrow Fir, Morinda Spruce, Blue Pine (Kail), Chir Pine and Deodar Cedar trees. The average elevation of the district is 2000 to 3000 meters above sea level.[3] The highest point (3,440 m) is near Kuz Ganrshal in the north of the district.[3]
Demographics edit
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 107,731 | — |
| 1961 | 121,528 | +1.21% |
| 1972 | 179,813 | +3.63% |
| 1981 | 251,546 | +3.80% |
| 1998 | 434,563 | +3.27% |
| 2017 | 759,609 | +2.98% |
| Sources:[7] | ||
At the time of the 2017 census the district had 88,386 households and a population of 759,609. Shangla had a sex ratio of 967 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 33.13% - 51.67% for males and 14.50% for females. The entire population was rural. 35.81% of the population was under 10 years of age. 230 (0.03%) people in the district were from religious minorities.[1]
Pashto was the predominant language, spoken by 96.76% of the population. 2.69% of the population spoke languages classified as 'Others', mainly Kohistani languages.[1]
The main tribe of Shangla is Yusufzai, that contribute more than half of the district population, the dense and well populated area of Shangla is Alpuri tehsil (Gwarband) that contribute more than 253000+ of district population, Shangla is one of the unique districts of Pakistan that contains more than 80% of forest land. The youngest noble laurate Malala Yousafzai's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was born in Shangla, however, she herself was born in Mingora, Swat.[8]
Education edit
In November 2022, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan, inaugurated University of Shangla.[9] The university was earlier a campus of University of Swat.[10]
National and provincial assembly edit
This district is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) in Pakistan National Assembly. Its constituency is NA-31.[11]
Since 2002: NA-10 (Shangla) edit
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Engr Amir Muqam | MMA | |
| 2008 | Engr Amir Muqam | PML | |
| 2013 | Dr Ibadullah Khan | PML (N) | |
| 2018 | Dr Ibadullah Khan | PML (N) | |
Provincial Assembly edit
| Member of Provincial Assembly | Party Affiliation | Constituency | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sher Muhammad Khan | Pakistan People's Party | PF-71 previously Swat | 1977 |
| Haji Badiu zaman khan | Pakistan People's Party | PF-73 Previously Swat | 1988 |
| Haji Badiu zaman khan | Pakistan People's Party | PF-73 Previously Swat | 1993 |
| Dr.Afsar ul mulk | Pakistan People's Party | PF-73 Previously Swat | 1995 |
| Engr.Hamid Iqbal | Pakistan People's Party | PK-87 Shangla-I | 2002 |
| Shaukat Ali Yousafzai | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-23 Shangla-I | 2018 |
| Faisal Zeb | Awami National Party | PK-24 Shangla-II | 2018 |
References edit
- ^ a b c "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ PCO 1998, p. 8.
- ^ a b c d e PCO 1998, p. 1.
- ^ Shangla – Government of Pakistan tourism site
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Earthquake death toll rises to 363 in Pakistan - SAMAA".
- ^ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ "Malala Fund".
- ^ "CM inaugurates university in Shangla". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ "Shangla Campus (Alpuri) – UNIVERSITY OF SWAT". Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2015-11-10. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
Bibliography edit
- 1998 District Census report of Shangla. Census publication. Vol. 106. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 2000.