Upper Dir District

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

title: "Upper Dir District" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["upper-dir-district", "districts-of-khyber-pakhtunkhwa"] description: "District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan" topic_path: "general/upper-dir-district" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Dir_District" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameLower Dir District
native_name{{nq
{{script/Arabicپورتنۍ دیر ولسوالۍ}}
settlement_typeDistrict of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
image_skyline{{Photomontage
size250
photo1aJazz banda dir.jpg
photo2aHindukush Lowaro Top - 10.jpg
image_captionTop: Jahaz Banda in Kumrat valley
Bottom: Lowaro Top
image_map
map_captionDistrict (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_namePakistan
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_name1Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
subdivision_type2Division
subdivision_name2Malakand
established_titleEstablished
established_date1996
seat_typeHeadquarters
seatDir
government_typeDistrict Administration
leader_titleDeputy Commissioner
leader_nameNaveed Akbar (BPS-18 PAS)
leader_title1District Police Officer
leader_name1Syed Muhammad Bilal (BPS-18 PSP)
leader_title2District Health Officer
leader_name2Dr. Ikhtiar Ali
unit_prefMetric
area_total_km23699
population_total1083566
population_footnotes
population_as_of2023
population_density_km2auto
population_urban47842
population_rural1,035,724
demographics1_title1Main language(s)
demographics_type2Literacy
demographics2_footnotes
demographics2_title1Literacy rate
demographics2_info1
timezone1PST
utc_offset1+5
blank_name_sec1District Council
blank1_name_sec1Number of Tehsils
blank1_info_sec16
blank1_name_sec2Main language(s)
blank1_info_sec2Pashto , Gawri
website
demographics1_info1Pashto, Gawri-Kohistani, Khowar, Gujri.
::

| name = Lower Dir District | official_name = | native_name = {{nq|ضلع دیر بالا}} {{script/Arabic|پورتنۍ دیر ولسوالۍ}} | native_name_lang = | settlement_type = District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | image_skyline = {{Photomontage |size = 250 |photo1a = Jazz banda dir.jpg |photo2a = Hindukush Lowaro Top - 10.jpg | imagesize = | image_alt = | image_caption = Top: Jahaz Banda in Kumrat valley Bottom: Lowaro Top | image_map = | mapsize = | map_alt = | map_caption = District (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Pakistan | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | subdivision_type2 = Division | subdivision_name2 = Malakand | established_title = Established | established_date = 1996 | founder = | seat_type = Headquarters | seat = Dir | government_footnotes = | government_type = District Administration | leader_party = | leader_title = Deputy Commissioner | leader_name = Naveed Akbar (BPS-18 PAS) | leader_title1 = District Police Officer | leader_name1 = Syed Muhammad Bilal (BPS-18 PSP) | leader_title2 = District Health Officer | leader_name2 = Dr. Ikhtiar Ali | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 3699 | population_total = 1083566 | population_footnotes = | population_as_of = 2023 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_urban = 47842 | population_rural = 1,035,724 | demographics1_title1 = Main language(s) | demographics_type2 = Literacy | demographics2_footnotes = | demographics2_title1 = Literacy rate | demographics2_info1 = | timezone1 = PST | utc_offset1 = +5 | blank_name_sec1 = District Council | blank_info_sec1 = | blank1_name_sec1 = Number of Tehsils | blank1_info_sec1 = 6 | blank1_name_sec2 = Main language(s) | blank1_info_sec2 = Pashto , Gawri | website = | demographics1_info1 = Pashto, Gawri-Kohistani, Khowar, Gujri. | total_type =

Upper Dir District (, ) is a district located in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The city of Dir is its district headquarter. Geographically, it is located in the northern part of Pakistan. It borders with the Chitral district on the north, Afghanistan on the northwest, the Swat district on the east, and the Lower Dir district on the south. The District shares a 40 kilometer to 50 kilometer-grlong border with Afghanistan.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Kumrat_valley,_Upper_Dir.jpg" caption="Kalkot Kumrat valley, Kakad,{Doag Dair}°Upper Dir"] ::

Dir was home to various popular civilizations. It has been the place where the Aryans, the Buddhists, and the Mughals survived. Dir was also a home to the Gandhara civilization. It was invaded by Alexander the Great.

In the 16th century, Dir was invaded by the Yousafzai tribe of the Pashtuns.

In 1898, Yousafzai Pashtun Muhammad Sharif Khan was declared the Nawab of Dir. He was succeeded by his son Nawab Aurang Zeb Khan in 1904, who ruled until his death in 1925. Subsequently, his son Shah Jehan Khan succeeded him; Shah ruled the state for almost 35 years. At the time of the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Dir was still a princely state, separated from Pakistan. It was no later than 1969 when it was annexed with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Until 1996, Dir was a unit combined district. However, in 1996, the Dir District was divided into Upper and Lower Dir districts.

Demographics

|align=center |percentages=pagr |1972 |251,045 |1981 |362,565 |1998 |575,858 |2017 |947,401 |2023 |1,083,566 |footnote= Sources:

As of the 2023 census, Upper Dir district has 149,536 households and a population of 1,083,566. The district has a sex ratio of 98.36 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 46.77%: 62.76% for males and 31.67% for females. 392,214 (36.24% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 47,842 (4.42%) live in urban areas. 2,415 (0.22%) of the people in the district are from religious minorities, mainly Christians.

|thumb = left |caption = Languages of Upper Dir district (2023) |label1 = Pashto |value1 = 91.02 |color1 = olive |label2 = Kohistani |value2 = 5.11 |color2 = salmon |label3 = Others |value3 = 3.87 |color3 = grey

Pashto is the predominant language, spoken by 91.02% of the population. Kohistani languages are spoken by 5.11% of the population, and 3.87% of the population speak 'Other' languages.

Tribes

The people groups of the district are various Pashtun tribes of Afghan origin among other clans that settled in the region. These include the following tribes:

Administration

Upper Dir District has four Tehsils. ::data[format=table]

TehsilAreaPop.DensityLiteracy rateUnion Councils
Barawal Tehsil............
Dir Tehsil1,012384,667380.1148.26%
Kalkot Tehsil............
Sharingal Tehsil1,140210,356184.5237.15%
::

National Assembly

This district is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) in Pakistan National Assembly. Its constituency is NA-5 (Upper Dir). ::data[format=table]

Member of National AssemblyParty affiliationYear
Molana Asad UllahMuttahida Majlis-e-Amal2002
Najum-din KhanPakistan Peoples Party2008
Sahibzada Sebgat UllahPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf2018
Jamil HaiderPML-N2013
::

Provincial Assembly

In the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are three seats for the Upper Dir district. Its constituency is PK-11, PK-12 and PK-13. ::data[format=table]

Member of Provincial AssemblyParty affiliationConstituencyYear
Gul Ibrahim KhanPakistan Tehreek-e-InsafPK-11 Upper Dir -I2024
Muhammad YaminPakistan Tehreek-e-InsafPK-12 Upper Dir -II2024
Muhammad Anwar KhanPakistan Tehreek-e-InsafPK-13 Upper Dir -III2024
::

Towns

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Landscapes_of_Northern_Pakistan.JPG"] ::

Except for the town of Dir and a number of rapidly growing towns along the main road, the population is rural. The population of Dur is scattered across more than 1,200 villages in the deep narrow valleys of the Panjkora and its tributaries.

Of these, notable villages include:

Division of Dir

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Dir_upper_pakistan_3.JPG"] ::

Popular places

Notable people

  • Dr Zia Ul Haq (born 1980), university Vice Chancellor
  • Abdul Aziz (born 2005),

References

References

  1. "Literacy rate, enrolments, and out-of-school population by sex and rural/urban, CENSUS-2023, KPK".
  2. (2000). "1998 District Census report of Upper Dir". Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan.
  3. "About Malakand Division". The Commissioner Of Malakand, The Government Of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  4. "Population by administrative units 1951-1998". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
  5. "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 1". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
  6. "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 9". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
  7. "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 11". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
  8. (2013). "Talibanistan: negotiating the borders between terror, politics and religion". Oxford University Press.
  9. "District Dir Upper". Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
  10. "Table 1: Area, Population by Sex, Sex Ratio, Population Density, Urban Population, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate, Census-2023, KPK".
  11. "Literacy Rate, Enrolment and out of School Population by Sex and Rural/urban, Census-2023, KPK".
  12. "Election Commission of Pakistan". Election Commission of Pakistan.
  13. (2009-07-01). "Pakistan: North West Frontier Province District, Tehsil and Union code Reference Map - Upper Dir".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

upper-dir-districtdistricts-of-khyber-pakhtunkhwa