Dir (princely state)

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State of Dir
Flag of State of Dir Emblem of Pakistan

This article is part of the series:
Historical regions of Pakistan

Map of Pakistan with State of Dir highlighted
Capital
Dir
Area
5,282 km²
Main language(s) Persian

Pashto (colloquial)

Established 1863
Abolished 28th July 1969
Historic regions of Pakistan
Original Provinces



One-Unit Provinces

Former States
Other subdivisions
Government of NWFP


This article details the historical State of Dir. For other uses of Dir, see Dir

The State of Dir was a small former princely state located in the modern North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan. The state ceased to exist in 1969 when it was incorporated into Pakistan. The area once occupied by the state (5,282 km²) now forms two districts of Pakistan - Upper Dir and Lower Dir. The two districts were part of Malakand Division until divisions were abolished as an administrative tier.

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[edit] Geography

Most of the state lay in the valley of the Panjkora river which rises in the Hindu Kush mountains and joins the Swat River near Chakdara. Apart from small areas in the south-west, Dir is a rugged mountainous country with peaks rising to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) in the north-east and to 3,000 metres (10,000 ft) along the watersheds with Swat to the east and Afghanistan to the west.

[edit] History

The Partition of India in 1947 led to the mountain states of the Frontier becoming part of Pakistan, although they retained considerable autonomy until their abolition in 1969. The State of Dir was incorporated into the North-West Frontier Province.

[edit] Demographics

At Partition there was a Muslim majority in Dir with small minorities of Hindus and Sikhs who left for India during partition.

The main language of the State of Dir was Pashto.

The population of Lower Dir district total 37 Union Councils is 797852 according to the 1998 census report, the projected population of the Dir Lower is 1037091 in 2005 with the same growth between 1981 &1998 census i.e. 3.42% per annum. The projected male population of Dir lower in 2005 is 514072 and the female is 523020.

[edit] Government

The rulers of Dir originally held the title of Khan but from June 1897 onwards were styled Nawab Khan Bahadur. The royal status of the rulers was abolished in 1972 at the same time as most other princes of Pakistan.

Tenure Rulers of Dir
Unknown dates Ghulam Khan Baba
Unknown dates Zafar Khan
Unknown dates Qasim Khan
1863 - 1874 Ghazzan Khan
1874 - 1884 Rahmatullah Khan
1884 - 1890 Muhammad Sharif Khan (1st time)
1890 - 1896 Muhammad Umara Khan
1896 - December 1904 Muhammad Sharif Khan (2nd time)
December 1904 - February 1925 Muhammad Aurangzeb Badshah Khan
February 1925 - 9th November 1960 Muhammad Shahjahan Khan
9th November 1960 - 28th July 1969 Muhammad Shah Khosru Khan
28th July 1969 State of Dir dissolved


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