| Kohistan District | |
|---|---|
| — District — | |
| Location of Kohistan District (highlighted in red) within the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa |
| Capital | |
| Established | |
| Government | |
| • District Coordination Officer/Zila Nazim(Administrator) | Dr Muhammad Azfar Nisar (DMG)[1] |
| • District Naib Nazim | Malik Qadam Khan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7,492 km2 (2,892.7 sq mi) |
| Population (1998) | |
| • Total | 472,570 |
| • Density | 63/km2 (163.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| District Council | 38 |
| Number of Tehsils | 3 |
Kohistan (کوہستان in Persian, meaning "land of mountains") has two distinct meanings in Pakistan. In Persian "koh" means "peak" and "istaan" means "land of". In its usual modern sense Kohistan District is an administrative district within Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province covering an area of 7,492 sq.kilometres; it had a population of 472,570 at the 1998 Census. In a broader historic and geographic sense, Kohistan is used for a region that stretches from the border with Azad Kashmir in the east to Afghanistan's Nuristan province in the west.
Kohistan has a rich local history as a crossroads between Central, South and Southwestern Asia. Predominantly inhabited by Dardic and Pashtun tribes since ancient times, Kohistan has been invaded and contested by Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Kushans, Turks, Afghans, Mughals, and the British.
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Due to lack of written record and lack of written traditions among the people, the origin and descent of the people is shrouded in obscurity. The most widely belief amongst them is that their ancestors came from Arabia to escape the persecution for not accepting of Islam.
Some educated amongst the Kohistan claim themselves the descendants of Alexander’s soldiers recruited from Iran and left in Kohistan while other attribute descent to Aryan.
The Kohistan of the Indus Valley, which is also called Shinkari, "the country of the Shins" by the people themselves is inhabited by what are apparently the remains of a number of tribes of cognate race, whose progenitors once inhabited the valleys skirting the Punjab, and possibly extended to the north and north west have been hitherto confounded under the name of Dards - a name which practically, has no real signification.[2]
Ethnicity and Tribes
On the Swat side the tribes are divided into two groups, Manzar and Money. They were two brothers and sons of Nafria. Tribes of Dubair, Kandia and Ranolia belong to Manzar group. Those of Banked, Jijal, Pattan, Kayal and Seo belong to Money group. The main tribes on the left bank are Koka Manke Khel and Darram Khel. They are of cognate origin and do not convey clear territorial division.
2.Food The main food of the people of Kohistan is Maize and locally grown vegetables, Milk, Cheese etc. in the Valley
3.Occupations Majority of the people are engaged with agriculture. A number of people do business. Most of the people depend upon their share in forest. Ratio of education is very low; however the tendency towards jobs in Government functionaries is increasing day by day.
4.Culture, Customs and Traditions The men are fair, clean limbed with quick eyes and sharp feature. Generally the men support beards. Due to appalling poverty the standard of health is poor; Poverty is visible from the faces of women folk. They prefer to go down areas to pick up work there. A man usually marries two and in some cases three or four women. The people are religious, Molvi are their only natural leaders and spokesmen.
Historical Places 1.Supat Valley
Supat Valley situated on the eastern southern side of Jalkot, which touches Kaghan and Narran valleys of Manshera District, is an important site for tourism. It remains covered with snow from September to April. The valley consists of vast plains and that is why horse race competitions amongst the people are held these. It is also famous for different colorful flowers in spring.
2.Seo Mosque' This Mosque is situated in Village Seo at a distance of 10 km from Dassu Tehsil toward north and its centuries old. Its wooden pillars and beam are decorated by carving pictures and flowers on them.
1.Executive Judiciary and Revenue System
Kohistan District consists of four Teshils viz Dassu, Pattan,Pallas and Kandia. The District Nazim is Chief Executive of the District assisted by Tehsil Nazim Dassu, Pattan and Pallas.
After the devolution of powers to the grass root level, all the devalued departments of the District like Finance, Education, Health, Agriculture etc. are headed by the respective EDOs under over all control and supervision of the District Coordination Officer who is assisted by the Assistant Coordination Officer and three TMOs of the TMAs Dassu, Pattan and Palas. The District Police Officer is the District Head, police department consisting of Police stations Dassu, Komila, Batera, Pattan, Dubair, Palas and Shatial. He is responsible for law and order as well as investigation branch of the police.
Judiciary
Before the enforcement of the Nifaz-e-Sharia Ordinance 1994, the area on the right bank of Indus (Swat Kohistan) was ruled by Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) Regulation while the left side administrated by regular law. After the enforcement of the above ordinance in Malakand Division and Kohistan in 1994 and subsequent promulgation of Sharia Nizam-e-Adl regulation issued on 16 January 1999 with slight amendments, the judicial system throughout Kohistan District is managed through Qazi Courts. 1. Zilla Qazi (District & Session Judge) 2. Alla Allaqa Qazi (Senior Civil Judge) 3. Allaqa Qazi (judicial Magistrate)
Revenue Since no settlement has been carried out in the District therefore, revenue transaction is nominal. Tehsildar/Revenue officers and few Patwaries are entrusted the job of loan recoveries granted by Small Development Finance Cooperation (SDFC) and Zari Traqiati Bank of Pakistan (ZTBP). They are also performing the duty of land acquisition and other miscellaneous duties of relief operation, domiciles etc. the District Revenue Officer (Collector) is the head of Revenue Administration.
The District is represented in the National Assembly of Pakistan & provincial assembly by three elected MNA & MPAs who represent the following constituencies:[3]
Kohistan District is divided into 4 Tehsils (subdivisions):
The capital of Kohistan is Dassu.
The name of the District has been derived from the name of the area that is Kohistan, which means the land of mountains. The District lies between 34º 54´ and 35º 52´-north latitudes and 72º43´ and 73º57´ east longitudes. It is bounded on the north and northeast by Ghizer and Diamer Districts of Northern areas, on the southeast by Manshera District on the south by Battragram District and on the west by shangla and Swat Districts
Kohistan is a sparsely populated district of the Hazara division of Pakistan. Located in an area where the Eurasian landplate and Indian subcontinent meet and collide, Kohistan is susceptible to earthquake activity such as the Kashmir earthquake of 2005.
Lush green forests, meadows and streams as well as massive mountains and hills literally make Kohistan resemble the Scottish Highlands of Britain. The Indus River divides Kohistan into two parts with the eastern portion referred to as the Indus Kohistan and the western portion referred to as Swat Kohistan. The Karakoram Highway passes through Kohistan on its way to Gilgit. Most of the cities on the Karakoram Highway in Kohistan are not more than 600m high from sea level.
Kohistan is one of the most isolated and the most deprived district not only in Hazara Division but in the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Swat is situated to its west, Chilas, Darial and Tangir on the northern side and Naran, Kaghan and Alai valley surround Kohistan from the southern and eastern sides. It is located in the heart of the Himalayas from 34.40 to 30.35 degrees latitude and from 75.30 to 50.72 degrees longitude. It is connected with Dir via the Badawi Pass.
The River Indus flows through Kohistan and divides it socially and culturally. Kohistan is one of the least developed districts in the country and its national significance is the Karakurum Highway. This road is the main source of trade, transportation and link between Pakistan and China. The ancient Silk Road has long been a thoroughfare for tourists, traders and conquerors from Central Asia and in the past, business delegations would use this passage to travel up to Europe and Little Asia (Kochak).
Kohistan is where the Hindukush, Karakuram and Himalayan mountain systems meet and serve as a natural boundary for environmental regions in the chains of the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains. This uniqueness of the mountains system also results in rich flora and fauna and therefore gives home to unique species such as the Western Tragopan pheasant and the Snow Leopard.[4]
The weather of the region tends to be relatively mild with rain, snow and cold temperatures in the winter and mildly hot summers. Kohistan comprises mountains and the hilly agricultural regions. The low altitudes (below 900m) in Kohistan get very hot in summer and extremely cold in winter. In the higher regions, weather remains pleasant in summer. Due to the intensive snowfall, travelling to and from the valleys can remain restricted in winter. An avalanche in February 2010 buried a village in the district, killing at least 100 people.
Most Kohistanis rely upon animal husbandry for sustenance and income and tend to use cows, sheep, goats for milk and meat. In addition, the timber industry is on the rise, while many local men travel to find work in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.
The people in Kohistan largely depend on livestock for their livelihood and this is also the reason for their seasonal migration to sub-alpine and alpine pastures of Kohistan and neighbouring valleys and districts. Agriculture development is comparatively poor with only one crop growing in high altitudes and two in the lower areas. Cultivation of crops such as barley and rice has almost been given up.
People usually keep buffaloes, cows, sheep, goats and bullocks. Milk of these animals is not usually sold, but by-products of milk such as butter, are. Other by-products such as wool and skin are utilized for house-consumption and are also sold in the market.
Cash income is rare and people resort to the sale of timber, such as Deodar, Pine, Spruce, Acacia and Oak. Sale of medicinal herbs is also common though there is no check, which impact the seasonal removal of these plants has on the overall population of the species or on the health of the ecosystem.
Besides this, people are also involved in the sale of fuel-wood, farm products such as walnuts and walnut bark (vernacular: dindasa). Honey is also sold in local and provincial markets. In winter season, the local men go to urban areas in search of work.
Kohistan's population is estimated to be over 500,000 and is spread across the various towns and villages. Kohistan is predominantly home to various Dardic peoples including the Shina, Kohistani, Torwalis. Pashtun community dominates the west of the district and can also be found in all the cities. The people mainly speak Indo-Iranian languages and share various similar cultural traits including the religion of Islam with the majority adhering to the Sunni sect while large minorities of Shia Muslims are also to be found throughout the area.
According to the Census of 1981, the population of the district of Kohistan was 465,237; by 1998 this grew to 472,570. The average literacy rate is around two percent, but the actual literacy rate based on field data shows that this rate is three times more.
The geographic location, lush green valleys adorned with rich flora and fauna were the biggest attractions for external invaders. It was also the only passage between China and South East Asia; the area remained under constant attacks by Tibetans, Sikhs, and Hindus. This constant invasion resulted in one of the most distinctive societies and cultures in the region, "The Rebellion Culture". This is the main characteristic of Kohistan, and its people are still following the same culture.
The literacy rate of the District among the population aged 10 years and above is 11.1% the literacy ratio in male is 17.23% compared to 2.95% female. The proportion of working or employed population to population of 10 years and above is 26.47% which is 70.53% of the total labor force out of the total employed population 71.60% are self employed 10.68% working as employees and 17.32% are unpaid family helper.
Kohistan's literacy rate is amongst the lowest in Pakistan and hovers around 20%.[5] It has the lowest Human Development Index of all districts in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But education is slowly expanding due to government efforts. After the arrival of Pakistan's Army for relief operations following the earthquake of October 2005, the educational system received a sudden boost-up, and most of the schools are working. The Army's commanding Officer of the area, Lt. Col. Sibghat Ullah, took responsibility for one school in Pattan (The Army Garrison School [Pattan]) which has become a role model for the complete district.
In total there are four Army supported schools established in Kohistan, which include the Army School for Girls, Shalkanabad (Palas); the Army School for boys, Keyal; and the Community Model School for girls at Pattan.
After the departure of the Pakistan Army from the area, the standard of the schools could not be maintained by the local authorities, and thus the standards declined.
In 2006 the National commission for Human Development NCHD re-trained the Education Department for exercising the Base line survey of 0-9 YEARS.The teachers at their locations carried out the survey in entire Kohistan and after data analysis the target of 5–7 years for enrollment under the Universal primary education -UPE was achieved. NCHD paly also its role in the Adult literacy program with a target age group of 11–45 years by community support.The Than UPE team headed by Shahzad Humayun DPME NCHD( 2006–07) orchestrated all the support with the help of DCO AND District nazim to support the Education department for maximum enrollment. NCHD strives for the UPE which is the second major goal of MDGs for improving the human development index.More over Feeder schools were established to enroll children previously deprived from enrollment due to long distance from schools. It should be added that the community is highly positive for facilitation.
Education Facilities in Kohistan
Total Education Facacilities 1. Govt; Degree Colleg 01 2. Higher Secondary Schools Boys 01 3. Higher Secondary Schools Girls 01 4. High School for Boys 14 5. High School for Girls 01 6. Middle Schools for Boys 72 7. Middle Schools for Girls 05 8. Primary Schools for Boys 479 9. Primary Schools for Girls 238 10. Community Model Primary School Girls 04 11. Mosque/ Maktab Schools (Boys) 315 ______________________________________________ Total 1130
Source: Noorul Hadi M&E Officer ERRA DRU Kohistan
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