Lower Dir District
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Lower Dir District
ضلع دیر زیریں ښکته دير ولسوالۍ | |
|---|---|
  Top: Katora Lake Bottom: Timergara, the district headquarters | |
 Lower Dir District (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Coordinates: 34°51′N 71°51′E / 34.850°N 71.850°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Division | Malakand |
| Headquarters | Timergara |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Administration |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Muhammad Fawad (BPS-20 PCS) |
| • District Police Officer | Ikramullah Khan (BPS-18 PSP) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,583 km2 (611 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,436,082 |
| • Density | 910/km2 (2,300/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 40,314 |
| • Rural | 1,395,768 |
| Time zone | PST |
| Number of Tehsils | 5 |
| Website | dirlower |
Lower Dir District (Pashto: ښکته دير ولسوالۍ, Urdu: ضلع دیر زیریں) is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.[2] Timergara is the district's headquarters and largest city.[2] The Lower Dir district was formed in 1996, when Dir District was divided into Upper Dir and Lower Dir districts.[2] On 22 January 2023, both Lower Dir and Upper Dir districts were further bifurcated to create a new Central Dir District.[3] Lower Dir is famous for its beautiful snow-capped mountains, valleys, and pleasant weather.[citation needed] The primary industry in Lower Dir is tourism, which is now rapidly growing.[citation needed]
Lower Dir district borders with Swat District to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Upper Dir to the north and Malakand and Bajaur District to the south.
History[edit]
At the time of independence of Pakistan, Dir was a princely state ruled by Nawab Shah Jehan Khan. Dir was merged with Pakistan in 1969, declared a district in 1970, and split into Upper and Lower Dir in 1996.[2]
Education[edit]
- The University of Malakand is a public university located in Chakdara.
- The University of Dir is a newly established university located in Timergara.
Demographics[edit]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 277,481 | — |
| 1981 | 404,844 | +4.29% |
| 1998 | 717,649 | +3.42% |
| 2017 | 1,436,082 | +3.72% |
| Sources:[4] | ||
At the time of the 2017 census, the district had 153,788 households and a population of 1,436,082. Lower Dir had a sex ratio of 1023 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 61.83% - 74.45% for males and 49.45% for females. 40,314 (2.81%) lived in urban areas. 33.42% of the population was under 10 years of age. 471 (0.03%) people in the district were from religious minorities. Pashto was the predominant language, spoken by 99.30% of the population.[5]
Administration[edit]
National Assembly[edit]
NA-6 (Lower Dir-I) and NA-7 (Lower Dir-II) are constituencies of the National Assembly of Pakistan from Lower Dir district. These areas were formerly part of NA-34 (Lower Dir) constituency from 1977 to 2018. The delimitation in 2018 split Lower Dir into two separate constituencies, NA-6 (Lower Dir-I) and NA-7 (Lower Dir-II).
NA-34 constituency (2002-2018)[edit]
| Member of National Assembly | Party Affiliation | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Qazi Hussain Ahmad | Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal | 2002 |
| Maulana Ahmad Ghafoor Ghawas | Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal | 2003 |
| Malak Azmat Khan | Pakistan Peoples Party | 2008 |
| Shahib Zada Muhammad Yaqub | Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan | 2013 |
Since 2018: NA-6 (Lower Dir-I) and NA-7 (Lower Dir-II)[edit]
| Member of National Assembly | Party Affiliation | Constituency | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mehboob Shah | PTI | NA-6 (Lower Dir-I) | 2018 |
| Muhammad Bashir Khan | PTI | NA-7 (Lower Dir-II) | 2018 |
Provincial Assembly[edit]
| Member of Provincial Assembly | Party Affiliation | Constituency | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Azam Khan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-13 (Lower Dir-I) | 2018 |
| Humayun Khan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-14 (Lower Dir-II) | 2018 |
| Shafi ullah | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-15 (Lower Dir-III) | 2018 |
| Bahdur Khan | Awami National Party | PK-16 (Lower Dir-IV) | 2018 |
| Liaqat Ali Khan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-17 (Lower Dir-V) | 2018 |
Sudivisions[edit]
- Adenzai Tehsil
- Balambat Tehsil
- Khall Tehsil
- Lal Qilla Tehsil
- Munda Tehsil
- Samar Bagh Tehsil
- Timergara Tehsil
Notable people[edit]
- Nawabzada Shahabuddin Khan, Former Ruler of Lower Dir[6][7]
- Siraj ul Haq, politician
- Muhammad Bashir Khan, politician
- Naseem Shah, cricketer
- Zahid Khan, Ex-Senator
- Abaseen Yousafzai, Pashto poet
Gallery[edit]
-
Maidan Valley, Lower Dir -
Lajbouk, Lower Dir -
Chakdara, Lower Dir -
Kalpani Top, Lower Dir
See also[edit]
- Constituency NA-6 (Lower Dir-I)
- Constituency NA-7 (Lower Dir-II)
- Education in Lower Dir District
- Upper Dir District
References[edit]
- ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ a b c d "About District". Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Deputy Commissioner Dir Lower.
- ^ "KP gets another district". Dunya News. 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ "Tribe seeks ban on sale, purchase of shared land". www.thenews.com.pk.
- ^ High Court, Peshawar (17 November 2016). "Judgment Sheet In The Peshawar High Court - The Government Of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & Others Vs. Nawabzada Muhammad Shahabuddin Through Lrs & Others" (PDF). Retrieved 18 January 2024.
https://senate.gov.pk/en/profile.php?uid=804
External links[edit]
- Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Government website section on Lower Dir
- Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa news website section on Lower Dir
Administrative divisions of Lower Dir District | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tehsils | Union Councils |  |
| Adenzai | ||
| Balambat | ||
| Lal Qilla | ||
| Munda | ||
| Samar Bagh | ||
| Timergara | ||