Oghi

This article is about the town. For the distilled beverage, see Oghi (distilled beverage).

Oghi
—  Town and union council  —
Oghi Market
Oghi Location in Pakistan
Coordinates: 34°30′N 73°0′E / 34.5°N 73°E / 34.5; 73
Country	Pakistan
Province	Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa
District	Mansehra District
Tehsil
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)

Oghi is a town and union council (an administrative subdivision) of Mansehra District in the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa of Pakistan^[1]. It is located in Oghi Tehsil and lies to the north-west of the district capital Mansehra^[2].

History

During British Rule it was the headquarters of the Agror valley (then part of Hazara District) and served as the headquarters of the Hazara border military police.^[3] This Valley is as green you would expect and surrounded by mountains. There is old fort or "Qila" which was built in 1865 and is currently the head quarter of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) Oghi District.

In British colonial times, Oghi town, in the Agror valley, was the seat of the local chief, the Khan of Agror, of the Swati tribe, descended from one Akhund Saadudin, a mullah who came from the Swat area and settled here. Following the disturbances by The Black Mountain (Tor Ghar) Tribes and campaign of 1888 this chiefdom was formally abolished by the government of British India; and subsequently, the chiefs were given a limited 'Jagir' grant in exile^[4]. In the post-independence era, this family has been represented in Pakistani politics by the late Khan Fakhar uz Zaman Khan, and then his wife present Senator Mrs. Fauzia Fakhar uz Zaman^[5],and their son, Mr. Wajih uz Zaman Khan, Advocate, who is an MP in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa. The town and its environs have been considerably developed by the efforts of these representatives.

Interestingly, Oghi also has the most expensive real estate properties in Pakistan, with the prices of as high as 520 Million Rupees per Kanal (i.e. 1/8th of an acre). One basic reason for this is, that the landlords of the area almost never sell their property and keep it for generations. In addition, many people from this area have migrated to big cities in Pakistan such as Lahore and Karachi as well as several countries abroad, and are running very successful businesses there, investing heavily in land back home.

People and Language

About 58% of the population of the Oghi area is engaged in bucolic occupations, such as agriculture/cultivation, animal husbandry and livestock management and forestry; whereas most of the rest are either working as expatriates in other locations in Pakistan, or abroad; and some are also engaged in local small and medium-scale businesses. The main languages of the region are Hindko (73%) followed by Pashto ( 21%) and Gojri (2%)^[6]. The main races and ethnic groups are the Swati (a non-Pashtun tribe which is however allied to Pashtuns), Awan, Gujar, and a number of lesser populations of Pashtun clans proper, Tanolis and other indigenous people.

Settlements

In addition to the main Oghi town, the major settlements/villages in Oghi tehsil are: Seri, Shamdharra, Malookra, Bailiyaan, Maloga, Bazargaye, Manchora, Rasheedah, Arbora and Dehran followed by the South Eastern towns like Shergarh, Gali Badrial and Qazi Abad which were once part of the old Tanawal area, comprising the former princely states of Amb and Phulra.

References

1. ^ Tehsils & Unions in the District of Mansehra - Government of Pakistan
2. ^ EARTHQUAKE AFFECTED AREA OVERVIEW - United Nations Joint Logistics Centre
3. ^ Oghi - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 19, p. 235.
4. ^ "Hazara District Gazetteer, 1907", Pub by the Government of the NWFP, 1908, pp.203-205
5. ^ http://www.senate.gov.pk
6. ^ Pakistan National Census Report, 2000-2001

Coordinates: 34°30′N 73°00′E / 34.5°N 73°E / 34.5; 73