Shangla District
From Wikinfo
Shangla is a district in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan that contains two TehsilAlpuri& Puran. Alpuari Town is the district headquarters of Distt Shangla. and Two main tehsils/Sub divisions.Tehsil Puran & Tehsil Alpuari Three subtehsils : tehsil Besham, tehsil Chakesar, tehsil Martung.Tehsil Hq of Puran is situated in Aloch. Shangla has the lowest Human Development Index in the province. Shangla, previously a subdivision of Swat district, was upgraded to the status of a district on July 1, 1995[1] by the then Chief Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao.
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History
There are remains from the ancient Greek period at Pirsar, Chakaisar and Daut it is believed that Alexander the Great camped at Pirsar for a few days. There are also remains from the Hindu Shahi in Qlandar-Ajmair[2]
Geography
Shangla hill (Shangla top), which separates the district from Swat, is the only way of communication between the two districts.
The district is bounded on the east by PATA district of Batagram and Kala Dhaka (Black Mountain of Hazara) along which the Indus River flows for about 75 kilometers, on the west by district Swat, on the south by district Buner and tribal area of Kala Dhaka and on the north by district Kohistan.
The total area of the district is 1,586 square kilometres.[1]Shangla district, consists of small valleys, 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 general elevation of the district is 2000 to 3000 meters above sea level.[1] The highest point (3,440 m) is near Kuz Ganrshal in the north of the district.[1]There are beautiful isolated valleys most suitable for seed production of highly demanded cross pollinated vegetable crops. Moreover Shangla has got a tremendous potential for hydel power generation, one such projects is underway at Shang on Khan Khwar.
Administrative divisions
Under the devolved local government system Shangla is divided into five tehsils, namely
There are 28 Union Councils. Alpurai Tehsil (Sub division)consists of 19 Union Councils and Puran Tehsil (Sub-division)consists of 9 Union Councils.
Population
According to the 1998 census, the district had a population of 435,563 with an average annual growth rate of 3.3% and population density of 274 persons per square kilometre. [3] The total number of households is 64,391 with an average household size of 8.1. almost the entire population of shangla contain a pathan tribe yousafzai.Babozai a sub tribe of yousafzai live in this area particularly in Puran valley.they are specialy khnown for thier hospitility.
Almost the entire population is Muslim (99.8%) with very small numbers of Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis.[3]
Demographics
Most of the local inhabitants are agriculturists. Though the agricultural area of the district is fertile but the agricultural holdings are very small as compared to the number of owners. The total cultivated area of the district is 423.6 km² (104,674 acres) out of which only 30.75 km² (7,598 acres) is irrigated and the remaining 392.85 km² (97,075 acres) is non-irrigated. District Shangla is full of natural resources, having a vast scope for investment and development.
It was severely hit during the October 8, 2005 earthquake and many people are left homeless, without attracting any major sympathy from the international community.
Flora
A number of medicinal plants are found in the area including the following:[4]
- Tarkha (Artemizia species)
- Unab (Zizyphus Sativa)
- Althea (Althaca Officinalis)
- Banafsha (Viola serpens)
- Mushki Bala (Valeriana species)
- Musli Sufed (Aspargus species)
Fauna
The district is home to a variety of fauna including deer, bears, pheasants and leopards.[5]
- Markhur (Capre falconeri)
- Himalayan ibex (Capre ibex sibirica)
- Urial (Ovis orientalis)
- Himalyan black bear (Selenaretos thibetanus)
- Brown bear (Ursus arctos)
- Bear (Lepus nigricollis)
- Leopard (Panthera pardus)
- Snow leopard (Panthera Uncia)
- Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes)
- Rhesus Monkey (Maaca mulatta)
- Blue rock pigeon (Columba livia)
- Spotted dove (Streptopelia chinensis)
- Little brown dove (s. senegalensis)
- Chakor (Alectoris chukar)
- Himalayan snow cock (Tetracollus himalayensis)
- Red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus)
- Monal pheasant (Lphororus impejanus)
- Koklas pheasant (Pucrasis macrolopha)
- Satyr tragopan (Tragopan satyra)
- Hoopoe (Lupupa epops)
- White breasted kingfisher (Halcyon smyrensis)
- Indian robin (Saxicoloides fullicota)
Places to see
Shangla is also a historical place in South Asia: home to several Buddhist hermits, as well as a small but thriving Hindu community in the Chakesar region. The region used to be known as Ghorband and is mentioned historically as a place visited by Alexander the Great's Army in 326 B.C. where it fought a battle with the locals at the mount Pir Sar. Later on in Fifteen Century AD Shangla witnessed a population shift from neighbouring Afghanistan (Pakhtun tribe Yousafzais) with locals migrating into Hazara.
POLITICS
Shangla is a district rich in politics.it produced and produces great personality whose have name in politics. Senator Sher Mohammad khan (left hand of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto).He was killed unfortunately.His Son Hamid Iqbal is now MPA from PF-87 Shangla. His brother and Ex.MPA of shangla Mr.Badir Zaman was also killed in Swat by taliban(Sufi Mohammad Group).His name will always take with great respect.He was very brave and well person. Ex.MPA Sultan Sham was killed in the age of 32 years he was the First MPA from PF-88 Shangla. He was also noble,Honest & brave person. His brother Zahir Shah was elected MPA from PF-87 Shangla. Nearly Ex.minister and MPA from PF-88 Shangla of MMA Mr.Pir Mohammad Khan was also killed in a suicide bomb attack in Hayat abad Peshwar.really he was a great person.He done much for his area.Pir Muhammad Khan Selected as MPA Five(5)times.He was Mininster For Revenue, Excise, Auqaf & Religius Affairs in the Nawaz sharif Govt.Now a days president of PML"Q" and Fedrel Minister for political affairs also belongs to Tehsil Puran Distt shangla. Senitor Rehat Hussian of MMA belong to Shapure Shangla. Actually great political leaders of Shangla has been killed unfortunately.
(Faiz Puran Shangla)
References
- ^ a b c d 1998 District Census Report of Shangla, Population Census Organisation, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000 P. 1
- ^ Shangla - Government of Pakistan tourism site
- ^ a b 1998 District Census Report of Shangla, Population Census Organisation, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000 P. 17
- ^ 1998 District Census Report of Shangla, Population Census Organisation, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000 P. 2
- ^ 1998 District Census Report of Shangla, Population Census Organisation, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000 P. 3
| Administrative Divisions of North-West Frontier Province | 
| |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Peshawar | |
| Districts | Abbottabad | Bannu | Batagram | Buner | Charsadda | Chitral | Dera Ismail Khan | Hangu | Haripur | Karak | Kohat | Kohistan | Lakki Marwat | Lower Dir | Malakand | Mansehra | Mardan | Nowshera | Peshawar | Shangla District | Swabi | Swat | Tank | Upper Dir | |
(Faizullah Khan Puran Shangla)
Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Shangla District" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangla_District, used under the GNU Free Documentation License.
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