Sar-e Pol Province

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Sar-e Pol
سرپل
Province
Map of Afghanistan with Sar-e Pol highlighted
Districts of Sar-e Pol
Coordinates (Capital): 35°36′N 66°18′E / 35.6°N 66.3°E / 35.6; 66.3Coordinates: 35°36′N 66°18′E / 35.6°N 66.3°E / 35.6; 66.3
Country Afghanistan
Capital Sar-e Pol
Area
 • Total 16,360 km2 (6,320 sq mi)
Population (2012)[1]
 • Total 532,000
 • Density 33/km2 (84/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+4:30
ISO 3166 code AF-SAR
Main languages Dari
Uzbeki
Pashto

Sar-e Pol, also spelled Sari Pul (Persian: سرپل‎), is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It borders Jowzjan and Balkh to the west and north, and Samangan to the east.[2] The province is divided into 7 districts and contains 896 villages. It has a population of about 532,000,[1] which is a multi-ethnic and mostly rural society. The province was created in 1988, with the support of northern Afghan politician Sayed Nasim Mihanparast,[3] and its capital is the city of Sar-e Pol.

History

Further information: History of Afghanistan

Between the early 16th century and the mid-18th century, the territory was ruled by the Khanate of Bukhara. It was given to Ahmad Shah Durrani by Murad Beg of Bukhara after a treaty was signed in or about 1750, and became part of the Durrani Empire. It was ruled by the Durranis followed by the Barakzai dynasty. The area was untouched by the British during the three Anglo-Afghan wars that were fought in the 19th and 20th centuries. It remained peaceful for about one hundred years until the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan.

Recent history

During the Afghan Civil War, the area was controlled by forces loyal to Abdul Rashid Dostum. It was captured by the Taliban in 1998. Aminullah Amin, the first senior member of the Taliban to be captured, was the former governor of the province.[4][5]

Swedish-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), which has been based in Mazar-e Sharif since about 2005 and responsible for four provinces including Sar-e Pol, established an office and some troops in the province. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANFS) began expanding in the last decade and slowly took over security from International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The Afghanistan-Turkmenistan border is maintained by the Afghan Border Police (ABP) while law and order for the rest of the province is provided by the NATO-trained Afghan National Police (ANP).

In 2009, the provincial Police Chief stated that weapons had been collected from many people and three districts, namely, Sangcharak, Gosfandi, and Sozama Qala areas termed as the peaceful districts of the province. In operations against militants, the police chief said they had arrested a prominent Taliban commander Mullah Nader along with 11 other people during the recent operations. He said scores of kilograms of hashish and opium had also been seized from people during the operations.[2][6]

The biggest threat to travelers in Sar-i-Pul remains highway bandits and thieves, corrupt militiamen and police, and road hazards. The Taliban have small cadres operating throughout the province but rely on larger support networks in neighboring provinces.[2]

Politics and governance

Further information: Politics of Afghanistan and List of governors of Sar-e Pol

The current governor of Sar-e Pol is Abdul Jabbar Haqbin. Also Sayed Anwar Rahmati, Aziza Jalis, Sayed Anwar Sadat, Mohammad Hossein Fahimi, Sayed Mohammad Hossein Sharifi Balkhabi, Haji Khair Mohammad Imaq are the current Wolesi Jirga member of Sar-e Pol Province.[7]

The following political parties have support in the province:[2]

Geography and demography

Further information: Geography of Afghanistan and Demography of Afghanistan
Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan

Sar-e Pol is a mountainous province especially in its southern part. It covers an area of 16,360 km. Three quarters (75%) of the province is mountainous or semi mountainous terrain while one-seventh (14%) of the area is made up of flat land.

The province is divided into 7 districts, containing 896 of villages. Sar-e Pol has a total population of 532,000.[1] The provincial capital is also named Sar-e Pol, which has a population of about 115,463 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups in the province include: Tajik, Uzbek, Pashtun, Hazara, Arab and others. The languages spoken in and around the province are Dari, Uzbeki, Pashto, and Hazaragi. All the inhabitants practice Islam, majority of which are Sunnis while the Shi'as make up the minority.

Districts

Districts of Sar-e Pol Province
District Capital Population[8] Area Number of villages and ethnic groups
Balkhab Tarkhoj 44,041 2,974 km2 126 villages. Tajik, Hazara and Sadat.[9]
Gosfandi 39,721 1,092.14 km2 57 villages. Uzbak, Tajik, Hazara, Pashtun and Arab.[10]
Kohistanat 72,037 6,094 km2 139 villages. Uzbak 5%, Hazara 5%, Tajik 90%.[11]
Sangcharak Tukzar 87,670 1,089 km2 167 villages. Tajik 60%, Uzbak 30%, Hazara 8% and

Pashtun 2%.[12]

Sar-e Pol Sar-e Pol 115,463 2,037 km2 261 villages. Uzbak 60%, Pashtun 10%, Hazara

20% and Tajik 10%.[13]

Sayyad 48,800 1,252 km2 79 villages. Tajik 60%, Uzbak 15%, Arab 10%,

Pashtun 7% and Hazara 8%.[14]

Sozma Qala 35,993 522 km2 67 villages. Uzbak 40%, Pashtun 30%, Tajik

20%, Hazara 10%.[15]

Economy

Further information: Economy of Afghanistan

Mining and agriculture are the main industries of the province. The Government of Afghanistan signed a deal with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the development of oil blocks in the Amu Darya basin, a project expected to earn billions of dollars over two decades; the deal covers drilling and a refinery in the northern provinces of Sar-e Pol and Faryab and is the first international oil production agreement entered into by the Afghan government for several decades.[16] Production of the Afghan oil began in October 2012, which is expected to increase to 1 million barrels per year in 2013.[17]

Communications in and around the province are provided by Afghan Wireless, Roshan, Etisalat, and MTN Group.

Gallery

  • Provincial councilors of Afghanistan

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Settled Population of Sar-e-pul province by Civil Division , Urban, Rural and Sex-2012-13". Government of Afghanistan: Central Statistics Office of Afghanistan. Retrieved 2012-10-22. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Naval Postgraduate School, Program for Culture and Conflict Studies, Afghanistan, Sar-e Pol Province
  3. ↑ Neamatollah Nojumi (2002). The rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan: mass mobilization, civil war, and the future of the region. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 80–. ISBN 978-0-312-29584-4. Retrieved 30 March 2011. 
  4. ↑ "Pakistan holds senior Taleban official". BBC News. 20 December 2001. Retrieved 2008-02-20. 
  5. ↑ "FINANCIAL SANCTIONS: AL-QAIDA AND TALIBAN -- AMENDMENTS MADE BY UN SANCTIONS COMMITTEE TO UN CONSOLIDATED LIST MAINTAINED UNDER RESOLUTION 1390 (2002) ON 18 JULY AND 27 JULY 2007" (PDF). Bank of England. August 3, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-20. 
  6. ↑ Zabeehullah Ihsas, "Armed groups a challenge in Sar-i-Pul", Pajhwok Afghan News, March 28, 2010
  7. ↑ Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan, Afghanistan 2010 Wolesi Jirga Election Final Certified Results
  8. ↑ "Sar-e-Pul Province". Government of Afghanistan and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. Retrieved 2012-10-22. 
  9. ↑ Balkhab District
  10. ↑ Gosfandy District
  11. ↑ Kohistanat District
  12. ↑ Sang Charak District
  13. ↑ Center District
  14. ↑ Sayed District
  15. ↑ Sozma Qala District
  16. ↑ Harooni, Mirwais (2011-12-28). "REFILE-Afghanistan signs major oil deal with China's CNPC". Reuters. Retrieved 2012-01-01. 
  17. ↑ China's CNPC begins oil production in Afghanistan, by Hamid Shalizi. October 21, 2012.

External links

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