Paktia Province

Paktia پکتیا
Province
Aerial view of a fort in Gardez, the capital of Paktia province
Map of Afghanistan with Paktia highlighted
Coordinates (Capital): 33°36′N 69°30′E / 33.6°N 69.5°E / 33.6; 69.5Coordinates: 33°36′N 69°30′E / 33.6°N 69.5°E / 33.6; 69.5
Country	Afghanistan
Capital	Gardez
Government
• Governor	Juma Khan Hamdard
Area
• Total	6,432 km2 (2,483 sq mi)
Population (2002)[1]
• Total	525,000
• Density	82/km2 (210/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30
ISO 3166 code	AF-PIA
Main languages	Pashto

Paktia (Pashto: پکتيا‎ - Paktyā) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. The province is divided into eleven districts and has a population of roughly 525,000,^[1] which is mostly a tribal society living in rural areas. Pashtun tribes make up the majority of the population but smaller number of Tajiks are also found.^[2] Gardēz is the provincial capital.

History

History of Afghanistan
Timeline
Ancient Indus valley civilization 2200–1800 BC Oxus civilization 2100–1800 BC Aryans 1700–700 BC Medes 728–550 BC Achaemenids 550–330 BC Seleucids 330–150 BC Mauryans 305–180 BC Greco-Bactrians 256–125 BC Indo-Greeks 180–130 BC Indo-Scythians (Sakas) 155–80? BC Indo-Parthians 20 BC – 50? AD Kushans 135 BC – 248 AD Sasanians 230–651 Kidarites 320–465 Hephthalites 410–557
Medieval Kabul Shahi 565–879 Principality of Chaghaniyan 7th–8th centuries Rashidun Caliphate 652–661 Umayyads 661–750 Abbasids 750–821 Tahirids 821–873 Saffarids 863–900 Samanids 875–999 Ghaznavids 963–1187 Ghurids before 879–1215 Seljuqs 1037–1194 Khwarezmids 1215–1231 Ilkhanate 1258–1353 Chagatai Khanate 1225–1370 Khiljis 1290–1320 Karts 1245–1381 Timurids 1370–1506 Arghuns 1479–1522 Mughals 1501–1738 Safavids 1510–1709 Afsharids 1736-1747
Modern Hotaki Empire 1709–1738 Durrani Empire 1747–1826 Emirate of Afghanistan 1826–1919 Kingdom of Afghanistan 1919–1973 Republic of Afghanistan 1973–1978 Democratic Republic of Afghanistan 1978–1992 Islamic State of Afghanistan 1992–2001 Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan 1996–2001 Interim/Transitional Administration 2001–2004 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan since 2004
Book Category Portal

Paktia province under Maurya Empire rule

Bilingual edict (Greek and Aramaic) by Emperor Ashoka, from Kandahar - Afghan National Museum. (Click image for translation).

While the Diadochi were warring amongst themselves, the Mauryan Empire was developing in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. The founder of the empire, Chandragupta Maurya, confronted a Macedonian invasion force led by Seleucus I in 305 BC and following a brief conflict, an agreement was reached as Seleucus ceded Gandhara and Arachosia (centered around ancient Kandahar) and areas south of Bagram (corresponding to the extreme south-east of modern Afghanistan) to the Mauryans. During the 120 years of the Mauryans in southern Afghanistan, Buddhism was introduced and eventually become a major religion alongside Zoroastrianism and local pagan beliefs. The ancient Grand Trunk Road was built linking what is now Kabul to various cities in the Punjab and the Gangetic Plain. Commerce, art, and architecture (seen especially in the construction of stupas) developed during this period. It reached its high point under Emperor Ashoka whose edicts, roads, and rest stops were found throughout the subcontinent. Although the vast majority of them throughout the subcontinent were written in Brāhmī, Afghanistan is notable for the inclusion of 2 Greek and Aramaic ones alongside the court language of the Mauryans, (Brāhmī).

Inscriptions made by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, a fragment of Edict 13 in Greek, as well as a full Edict, written in both Greek and Aramaic, have been discovered in Kandahar. It is said to be written in excellent Classical Greek, using sophisticated philosophical terms. In this Edict, Ashoka uses the word Eusebeia ("Piety") as the Greek translation for the ubiquitous "Dharma" of his other Edicts written in Prakrit and were written in the script Brāhmī:

"Ten years (of reign) having been completed, King Piodasses (Ashoka) made known (the doctrine of) Piety (εὐσέβεια, Eusebeia) to men; and from this moment he has made men more pious, and everything thrives throughout the whole world. And the king abstains from (killing) living beings, and other men and those who (are) huntsmen and fishermen of the king have desisted from hunting. And if some (were) intemperate, they have ceased from their intemperance as was in their power; and obedient to their father and mother and to the elders, in opposition to the past also in the future, by so acting on every occasion, they will live better and more happily." (Trans. by G.P. Carratelli^[3])

The last ruler in the region was probably Subhagasena (Sophagasenus of Polybius), who, in all probability, belonged to the Ashvaka (q.v.) background.

Paktia used to be a unified province with Khost and Paktika, these three provinces are now referred to as Loya Paktia, meaning "Greater Paktia". Paktia came to prominence during the 1980s, when a significant portion of Afghanistan's leadership originated from the province. Some of the more notable leaders include: Najibullah Ahmadzai, a former President of Afghanistan, Mohammad Aslam Watanjar, Shahnawaz Tanai, and Sayed Muhammad Gulabzoi.

Recent history

U.S. military base next to Gardez in 2007

Immediately after the fall of the Taliban government, Paktia was one of the most chaotic regions in the country, as a small civil war broke out between rival militia commanders for control of the province, and Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters gave occupying U.S. troops some of their heaviest losses in the cave complexes south of Gardez.^[4]

Paktia was the site of heavy fighting between Taliban insurgents and ISAF-backed Afghan National Security Forces. Paktia was one of the last redoubts of organized Taliban resistance; much of Operation Anaconda took place in Zurmat, one of Paktia's larger districts.

In September 2006, Governor Hakim Taniwal was killed by a Taliban suicide bomber as he left his office in Gardez.^[5] At the time, Taniwal was the highest-ranking post-Taliban official to be killed by insurgent forces in the country.

On February 12, 2010, five civilians including two pregnant women and a teenage girl were killed by U.S. special forces during the Khataba raid. U.S. special forces were later accused of attempting to cover up the incident.^[6][7][8] Head of Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Vice Admiral William McRaven stated that the deaths were a "terrible mistake",^[9] offered an apology, accepted responsibility for the deaths and made a traditional Afghan condolence offering of sheep.^[10]

After some early unrest a long period of relative calm followed, despite the occasional high-profile incident such as the 2006 assassination of the governor, by a suicide bomber. There was a rise in violent incidents when the pullout of Americans troops neared in 2014.

Parts of Paktia are also believed to be a safe haven for militants from the Haqqani network, an anti-government combat organisation involved in the Taliban insurgency.^[11][12]

Politics and governance

Afghan National Army Brig. Gen. Abdul Karim, the commando commander of the 1st Special Operations Brigade, inspects a formation during the brigade's opening ceremony at Forward Operating Base Thunder (August 2013)

The current governor of the province is Juma Khan Hamdard. His predecessor was Rahmatullah Rahmat. The city of Gardez serves as the capital of the province.

All law enforcement activities throughout the province are controlled by the Afghan National Police (ANP) along with the Afghan Local Police (ALP). The border with neighboring Pakistan is monitored by the Afghan Border Police (ABP). A provincial police chief is assigned to lead both the ANP and the ABP. The Police Chief represents the Ministry of the Interior in Kabul. The ANP and ABP are backed by the Afghan Armed Forces, including the NATO-led forces.

The first American Provincial Reconstruction Team base was established in Gardez to supply security and reconstruction, and has funded several successful projects.

Healthcare

The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 30% in 2005 to 36% in 2011.^[13] The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant fell from 9% in 2005 to 3% in 2011.^[13]

Education

The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) fell from 35% in 2005 to 27% in 2011.^[13] The overall net enrolment rate (6–13 years of age) fell from 65% in 2005 to 24% in 2011.^[13]

Geography

Snow-covered mountains in Paktia province

Paktia borders the Pakistani-ruled tribal areas of North Waziristan, Bannu and Kurram Agency. Like most of the traditional Pashtun areas of Afghanistan, the Durand Line that marks the border with Pakistan is "drawn on water", and residents move freely between the two countries. Within Afghanistan, it borders Logar Province, Ghazni Province, Paktika Province, and Khost Province, in counterclockwise order.

Paktia is a largely mountainous province, with most of the population living in the central valley stretching from Ahmad Khel in the east down through Zormat and into neighboring Paktika province. The eastern part of the province, particularly Chamkani and Dand wa Patan, is a second valley leading into Pakistan.

Jaji (Zazi) and Jani Khel districts are largely mountainous with much smaller inhabited valleys.

The Khost-Gardez Pass area, to the south of Gardez, is mountainous with settlements limited to the main pass and smaller valleys.

As of 2005, Azra district is no longer a part of Paktya. It has been attached to Logar province to the north, to which it is much more closely connected by roadways and people.

Demographics

People of Paktia province

Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan

Districts of Paktia province

As of 2013, the total population of the province is about 525,000,^[1] which is mostly a tribal society. According to the Institute for the Study of War, "The province is predominantly Pashtun, with a small Tajik population."^[2] According to the Naval Postgraduate School, the ethnic groups of the province are as follows: 91% Pashtun and 9% Tajik.^[14]

Districts

Gerda Serai, Lazha Ahmadkhel and Mirzaka are unofficial districts.

Important geographical features

• Shah-i-Kot Valley
• Tera Pass, the mountain pass linking Paktia with Logar province to the north
• Khost-Gardez Pass (K-G Pass), the mountain pass linking Paktia with Khost province to the south
• Gardez, the geographic and cultural center of the province

See also

• Provinces of Afghanistan

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paktia Province.

• Paktya Province by the Naval Postgraduate School
• Paktya Province by the Institute for the Study of War

		Logar Province	Federally Administered Tribal Areas,  Pakistan
	Ghazni Province		Khost Province
	Paktia Province
		Paktika Province

Provinces of Afghanistan Badakhshan Badghis Baghlan Balkh Bamyan Daykundi Farah Faryab Ghazni Ghor Helmand Herat Jowzjan Kabul Kandahar Kapisa Khost Kunar Kunduz Laghman Logar Maidan Wardak Nangarhar Nimruz Nuristan Urozgan Paktia Paktika Panjshir Parwan Samangan Sar-e Pol Takhar Zabul

Districts of Afghanistan by province Badakhshan Arghanj Khwa Argo Baharak Darayim Maimay Nusay Fayzabad Ishkashim Jurm Khash Khwahan Kishim Kohistan Kuf Ab Kuran Wa Munjan Raghistan Shahri Buzurg Shighnan Shekay Shuhada Tagab Tishkan Wakhan Wurduj Yaftali Sufla Yamgan Yawan Zebak Badghis Ab Kamari Ghormach Jawand Muqur Murghab Qadis Qala i Naw Baghlan Andarab Baghlan Baghlani Jadid Burka Dahana i Ghuri Dih Salah Dushi Farang Wa Gharu Guzargahi Nur Khinjan Khost Wa Fereng Khwaja Hijran Nahrin Puli Hisar Puli Khumri Tala Wa Barfak Balkh Balkh Charbolak Charkint Chimtal Dawlatabad Dihdadi Kaldar Kholm Kishindih Marmul Mazar-e Sharif Nahri Shahi Sholgara Shortepa Zari Bamyan Bamyan Kahmard Panjab Sayghan Shibar Waras Yakawlang Daykundi Gizab Ishtarlay Kajran Khadir Kiti Miramor Nili Sangtakht Shahristan Farah Anar Dara Bakwa Bala Buluk Farah Gulistan Khaki Safed Lash Wa Juwayn Pur Chaman Pusht Rod Qala i Kah Shib Koh Faryab Almar Andkhoy Bilchiragh Dawlat Abad Gurziwan Khani Chahar Bagh Khwaja Sabz Posh Kohistan Maymana Pashtun Kot Qaramqol Qaysar Qurghan Shirin Tagab Ghazni Ab Band Ajristan Andar Bahrami Shahid Dih Yak Gelan Ghazni Giro Jaghori Khogyani Khwaja Umari Malistan Muqur Nawa Nawur Qarabagh Jaghatu Rashidan Waghaz Zana Khan Ghor Chaghcharan Charsada Dawlat Yar Du Layna Lal Wa Sarjangal Pasaband Saghar Shahrak Taywara Tulak Helmand Baghran Dishu Garmsir Kajaki Khanashin Lashkar Gah Musa Qala Nad Ali Nahri Saraj Nawa-I-Barakzayi Nawzad Sangin Washir Herat Adraskan Chishti Sharif Farsi Ghoryan Gulran Guzara Herat Injil Karukh Kohsan Kushk Kushki Kuhna Obe Pashtun Zarghun Shindand Zinda Jan Jowzjan Aqcha Darzab Fayzabad Khamyab Khaniqa Khwaja Du Koh Mardyan Mingajik Qarqin Qush Tepa Shibirghan Kabul Bagrami Chahar Asyab Deh Sabz Farza Guldara Istalif Kabul Kalakan Khaki Jabbar Mir Bacha Kot Mussahi Paghman Qarabagh Shakardara Surobi Kandahar Arghandab Arghistan Daman Ghorak Kandahar Khakrez Maruf Maywand Miyanishin Nesh Panjwayi Reg Shah Wali Kot Shorabak Spin Boldak Zhari Kapisa Alasay Hesa Awal Kohistan Hesa Duwum Kohistan Koh Band Mahmud Raqi Nijrab Tagab Khost Bak Gurbuz Zazi Maidan Khost (Matun) Mandozayi Musakhel Nadir Shah Kot Qalandar Sabari Shamal Spera Tani Tirazayi Kunar Asadabad Bar Kunar Chapa Dara Chawkay Dangam Dara-I-Pech Ghaziabad Khas Kunar Marawara Narang Aw Badil Nari Nurgal Shaigal Aw Shiltan Sirkanay Wata Pur Kunduz Ali Abad Archi Chahar Dara Imam Sahib Khan Abad Kunduz Qalay-I-Zal Laghman Alingar Alishing Dawlat Shah Mihtarlam Qarghayi Logar Azra Baraki Barak Charkh Kharwar Khoshi Mohammad Agha Pul-i-Alam Nangarhar Achin Bati Kot Bihsud Chaparhar Dara-I-Nur Dih Bala Dur Baba Goshta Hisarak Jalalabad Kama Khogyani Kot Kuz Kunar Lal Pur Momand Dara Nazyan Pachir Aw Agam Rodat Sherzad Shinwar Surkh Rod Nimruz Chahar Burjak Chakhansur Kang Khash Rod Zaranj Nuristan Bargi Matal Du Ab Kamdesh Mandol Nurgaram Paroon Wama Waygal Paktia Ahmadabad Tsamkani Dand Aw Patan Gardez Zazi Janikhel Lazha Ahmadkhel Sayid Karam Shwak Wuza Zadran Zurmat Paktika Barmal Dila Gayan Gomal Janikhel Mata Khan Nika Omna Sar Hawza Surobi Sharana Terwa Urgun Waza Khwa Wor Mamay Yahyakhel Yusufkhel Zarghun Shar Ziruk Panjshir Anaba Bazarak Darah Khenj Paryan Rokha Shotul Parwan Bagram Chaharikar Ghorband Jabul Saraj Kohi Safi Salang Sayed Khel Shekh Ali Shinwari Surkhi Parsa Samangan Aybak Dara-I-Sufi Balla Dara-I-Sufi Payan Feroz Nakhchir Hazarati Sultan Khuram Wa Sarbagh Ruyi Du Ab Sar-e Pol Balkhab Gosfandi Kohistanat Sancharak Sari Pul Sayyad Sozma Qala Takhar Baharak Bangi Chah Ab Chal Darqad Dashti Qala Farkhar Hazar Sumuch Ishkamish Kalafgan Khwaja Baha Wuddin Khwaja Ghar Namak Ab Rustaq Taluqan Warsaj Yangi Qala Urozgan Chora Deh Rawud Khas Urozgan Shahidi Hassas Tarinkot Wardak Chaki Wardak Day Mirdad Hisa-I-Awali Bihsud Jalrez Markazi Bihsud Maidan Shar Nirkh Saydabad Zabul Argahandab Atghar Dey Chopan Kakar Mizan Naw Bahar Qalat Shahjoy Shamulzayi Shinkay Tarnak Aw Jaldak