Shangla District

Infobox Pakistan district
district = Shangla District
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caption = Location of Shangla District (highlighted in yellow) within the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan
region = North-West Frontier Province
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Shangla is a district in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan that contains two Tehsil Alpuri and Puran. Alpuari Town is the headquarter of the district, and two main tehsils/Sub divisions viz: Tehsil Puran and Tehsil Alpuari. There are three sub tehsils i.e. tehsil Besham, tehsil Chakesar, tehsil Martung. Shangla has the lowest Human Development Index in the province and second lowest in the country. [ [http://www.dawn.com/2002/09/23/ebr2.htm Deprivation profile of regions By Syed Shahid Husain] DAWN September 23, 2002 Monday. Retrieved 21 june 2004] [ [http://www.un.org.pk/nhdr/nhdr-pak-2003.pdf Ranking of Districts by Human Development Index 2003] Retrieved on 10 july 2005] Shangla, previously a subdivision of Swat district, was upgraded to the status of a district on July 1, 19951998 District Census Report of Shangla, Population Census Organisation, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000 P. 1] by the then Chief Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao.

History

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 Qlandar-Ajmair [ [http://www.tourism.gov.pk/shangla_nwfp.htm Shangla - Government of Pakistan tourism site] ]

Geography

Shangla hill (Shangla top), separates the district from Swat, and the Shangla Pass 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 kilometres, 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.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 average elevation of the district is 2000 to 3000 meters above sea level. The highest point (3,440 m) is near Kuz Ganrshal in the north of the district.There are beautiful isolated valleys most suitable for seed production of highly demanded cross pollinated vegetable crops. Moreover Shangla has got pretty enough potential for hydel power generation, one such project underway is at Khan Khwar. [ [http://www.dawn.com/2006/02/27/nat15.htm Major dams to bring about green revolution - Dawn Pakistan] ]

Administrative divisions

Under the devolved local government system Shangla is divided into five tehsils, namely

*Alpuri
*Puran
*Besham
*Chakesar
*Martung

There are 28 Union Councils. Alpurai Tehsil (Sub division)consists of 19 Union Councils and Puran Tehsil (Sub-division)consists of 9 Union Councils.

Constituencies

The district is represented in the provincial assembly by two elected MPAs who represent the following constituencies: [ [http://www.panwfp.gov.pk/index.php/members/bydistrict/en/9/62 Constituencies and MPAs - Website of the Provincial Assembly of the NWFP] ]

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. 1998 District Census Report of Shangla, Population Census Organisation, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000 P. 17] The total number of households is 64,391 with an average household size of 8.1.Almost the entire population of Shangla belongs to the Pathan tribe Yousafzai. The Babozai a sub tribe of the Yousafzai live in this area particularly in Puran valley. The People of Shangla are known for their hospitality and great moral values. Almost the entire population is Muslim (99.8%) with very small numbers of Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis.

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. Shangla District 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 were 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: [1998 District Census Report of Shangla, Population Census Organisation, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000 P. 2]

* 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. [1998 District Census Report of Shangla, Population Census Organisation, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000 P. 3]

* 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)

Well-known sites

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. It is said that the region known as Ghorband in the north west of Shangla was 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 the 15th century Shangla witnessed a population shift from neighbouring Afghanistan (Pakhtun tribe Yousafzais) with locals migrating into Hazara.

Politics

Shangla was given District status by the then Chief Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao in 1995, on the demand and campaign of the District Bar Association Shangla and hard work and active support from a known Political Personalities Mr.Pir muhammad khan of Puran, Mutawakil Khan Advocate, Muhammad zahir Shah and other politicle personalities.The then chief minister Aftab Ahmad Khan sherpao upgraded shangla to the Status of district on July 10, 1995 in a public meeting in Alpuri.
* In January 2001, Sayed Iftikhar Hussain Shah the then governor of NWFP decided to revert the District status of Shangla to the previous position of July 1, 1995. For this purpose he visited Shangla to convence the elders and politicians of the area. The lawyers community, all political and social groups of Shangla strongly opposed, resisted and condemned the decision of the governament and two prominent lawyers of Shangla District Bar association were arrested for their opposition movement in this regard. The governament however withdrew the decision.

Notable Politicains

Senator Sher Muhammad Khan, (an ally of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, died in a road accident)

Hamid Iqbal Ex MPA (Son of Late Sher M. Khan)

Fazlullah Khan MPA (Son of Late Ex-Minister Pir Muhamad Khan) Fazlullah Khan is the youngest MPA of Pakistan & memebr of N.W.F.P Assembly.He blonges to Puran PF-88 Shangla.

Zahir Shah Khan MPA He is the memeber of N.W.F.P Assembly.He blong to PF-87 Shangla.

Badiuz Zaman Ex MPA(He was killed in Swat by the Sufi Mohammad Group ofTaliban ) [ [http://khyberwatch.com/nandara/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=471&Itemid=84 MPA Badiuzzaman was killed in Swat 13 years ago] ] .)

Sultan Shaham KhanEx MPA (He was killed at the age of 32 due to tribal enmity in 1987)

Pir Muhammad Khan, (was elected 6 times as member of the provincial assemby in 1988, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2002. He remained Provincial Minster during 1997-1999. He was killed in a terrorist attack at Peshawar in November 2007.)

Eng. Amir Muqam (He was elected as member of the national assembly in 2002 from the religious hardliner party MMA. He then changed his loyalties and joined the ruling party PML(Q) and succeeded to grab post of Federal Minister and President of PML(Q), NWFP in the Musharraf era.).He was elected again as member of the national assembly in 2008 from the PML(Q)party from NA-31 Shangla. Senitor Rehat Hussian (He blonges to Jamat-ul-ulama Islam (F))

References