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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Bannu District
Bannu District (Pashto: بنو ولسوالۍ, Urdu: ضلع بنوں) is a district in the Bannu Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Its status as a district was formally recorded in 1861 during the British Raj.

This district constitutes one of the 26 districts that collectively form the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It borders North Waziristan to the northwest, Karak to the northeast, Lakki Marwat and Bettani to the southeast, and South Waziristan to the southwest. It is represented in the provincial assembly by four MPAs.

Cloth weaving, sugar mills and the manufacturing of cotton fabrics, machinery and equipment are the major industries in Bannu. It is also known for its weekly Jumma fair. The district forms a basin drained by the Kurram and Gambila (or Tochi) rivers, which originate in the hills of Waziristan. Although Bannu is surrounded by rugged and dry mountains, it is a fertile place, and early English visitors had been known to refer to it as a "paradise" – see the description by Edwardes quoted by Thornton.

Physical features

The district forms a basin drained by the Kurram River, Gambila River and Tochi river which originate in the hills of Waziristan. Extending its reach to the base of the frontier hills, the Bannu Valley unfolds as an asymmetrical oval, spanning 60 miles (97 km) from north to south and 40 miles (64 km) from east to west.

History

See also: Bannu

The history of Bannu goes back to prehistoric times due to its strategic location. Notably, Sheri Khan Tarakai is an ancient settlement site located in the Bannu District. Here, remnants bear witness to the presence of the most ancient village settlement within the Bannu region. This site witnessed occupation from the late fifth century to the early third millennium BC.

The sacred texts of Zend Avesta and Vendidad mentions Varəna, the Avestan predecessor of the name for Bannu, as one of the sixteen most beautiful and perfect lands created by Ahura Mazda. Bannu is the homeland and birthplace of Fereydun.

Malik Dilasa Khan had also fought a successful battle against the sikh empire. in which he killed one of the prominent Sikh Military commander Jai Singh Atariwala in the Battle of Bannu.

British era (1861–1947)

After the British annexation of Punjab, then including parts of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), the valley was administered by Herbert Edwardes. As a result of his administration, the region became a source of strong support, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Although the valley itself was peaceful, it was subject to incursions from the Waziri tribes of the Tochi Valley and the neighbouring hills. The primary export of the region was wheat, Salt and alum were also quarried at Kalabagh.

As of 1911, the Indus had no bridges within the district, but was navigable for local boats throughout its course of 76 mi (122 km).

Hindus and Sikhs of Bannu migrating to India during the partition of 1947.

Bannu Jirga (1947)

Main article: Bannu Resolution

On 21 June 1947 in Bannu, a jirga was held by Pashtun leaders including Bacha Khan, his brother Chief Minister Dr Khan Sahib, the Khudai Khidmatgars, members of the Provincial Assembly, Mirzali Khan (Faqir of Ipi), and other tribal chiefs, just seven weeks before the Partition of India. The jirga declared the Bannu Resolution, which demanded that the Pashtuns be given a choice to have an independent state of Pashtunistan composing all Pashtun territories of British India, instead of being made to join either India or Pakistan. However, the British Raj refused to comply with the demand of this resolution, in response to which the Khudai Khidmatgars boycotted the 1947 North-West Frontier Province referendum for merging the province into Pakistan.

Pashtun National Jirga (2022)

Main article: Pashtun National Jirga

On 11–14 March 2022, the Pashtun National Jirga was held at Mirakhel in Bannu District in order to defend the rights of the Pashtun people in the country. The critical issues which were faced by the Pashtuns were discussed during the jirga in a bid to suggest solutions to them.

Administrative subdivisions

Bannu District is divided into 6 Tehsils and 46 union councils.

  1. Bannu Tehsil (Urdu: تحصیل بنوں)(Pashto: بنو تحصیل‎)
  2. Domel Tehsil (Urdu: تحصیل ڈومیل)(Pashto: ډومیل تحصیل‎)
  3. Kakki Tehsil (Urdu: تحصیل ککی)(Pashto: ککي تحصیل‎)
  4. Baka Khel Tehsil (Urdu: تحصیل بکاخیل)(Pashto: بکاخېل تحصیل‎)
  5. Miryan Tehsil (Urdu: تحصیل میریان)(Pashto: میریان تحصیل‎)
  6. Wazir Tehsil

Provincial and National Assembly Seats

The district has 4 Provincial Seats in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly while it has 1 seat in National Assembly.

National Assembly

Election Member Party
2002 Maulana Syed Nasib Ali Shah MMA
2008 Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman MMA
2013 Akram Khan Durrani JUI (F)
2018 Imran Khan PTI
2018 (by-election) Zahid Akram Durrani MMA

Provincial Assembly

Member of Provincial Assembly Party Affiliation Constituency Year
Sher Azam Khan Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Bannu-I 2018
Pakhtoon Yar Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Bannu-II 2018
Shah Muhammad Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Bannu-III 2018
Akram Khan Durrani Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Bannu-IV 2018

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1972 392,468—    
1981 485,240+2.39%
1998 695,260+2.14%
2017 1,210,183+2.96%
2023 1,357,890+1.94%
Sources:

As of the 2023 census, Bannu district has 183,130 households and a population of 1,357,890. The district has a sex ratio of 108.33 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 41.75%: 58.47% for males and 23.84% for females. 445,307 (32.87% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 48,398 (3.56%) live in urban areas. Pashto is the predominant language, spoken by 99.09% of the population.

Religion

Religion in Bannu District
1941 2017 2023
Religion Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Islam 157,097 83.74% 1,208,054 99.82% 1,349,359 99.61%
Hinduism 24,517 13.07% 275 0.02% 279 0.02%
Sikhism 5,285 2.82% — — 22 ~0%
Christianity 467 0.25% 1,494 0.12% 4,844 0.36%
Others 232 0.12% 360 0.04% 170 0.01%
Total Population 187,598 100% 1,210,183 100% 1,354,674 100%
Religious groups in Bannu District (British North-West Frontier Province era)
Religious
group 		1881 1891 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Islam 301,002 90.51% 337,269 90.6% 206,429 89.18% 225,374 90.12% 219,695 89.04% 237,674 87.93% 257,648 87.06%
Hinduism 30,643 9.21% 33,832 9.09% 22,178 9.58% 20,721 8.29% 23,509 9.53% 26,181 9.69% 31,471 10.63%
Sikhism 790 0.24% 1,062 0.29% 2,673 1.15% 3,746 1.5% 3,286 1.33% 5,482 2.03% 6,112 2.07%
Christianity 82 0.02% 58 0.02% 183 0.08% 245 0.1% 244 0.1% 964 0.36% 699 0.24%
Jainism 60 0.02% 55 0.01% 22 0.01% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Zoroastrianism 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Buddhism 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Judaism — — 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Others 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Total population 332,577 100% 372,276 100% 231,485 100% 250,086 100% 246,734 100% 270,301 100% 295,930 100%
Note1: British North-West Frontier Province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.

Note2: Population decrease noted between 1891 census and 1901 census due to the creation of British North-West Frontier Province, bifurcating from British Punjab province. The trans-Indus tract of Bannu district was allotted to the newly formed North-West Frontier Province, the cis-Indus tract remaining in the Punjab jurisdiction. The cis-Indus portions of the Dera Ismail Khan and the Bannu districts would comprise the new Punjab district of Mianwali.

Universities in Bannu

District Bannu has two Universities with one i.e University of Science & Technology, Bannu (USTB), founded in 2005 by Mr. Akram Khan Durrani, the then Chief Minister, has a full degree awarding status and another one as a campus of the University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Peshawar. USTB offers a wide variety of courses in Science, Engineering and Arts subjects at Bachelors, Master and PhD level. These universities host students from District Bannu, the neighboring districts of Lakki Marwat, Karak, Waziristan as well as from all over Pakistan.

See also

References

  1. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 1" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  2. ^ "Bannu District". Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 6, page 392. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  3. ^ S.S. Thorbourne (1883). Bannu; or our Afghan Frontier. London: Trűbner & Co. ISBN 1314135279.
  4. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bannu". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 355.
  5. ^ Petrie, C.A., Thomas, K.D. & Morris, J.C. 2010. Chronology of Sheri Khan Tarakai, in Petrie, C.A. (ed.). Sheri Khan Tarakai and early village life in the borderlands of north-west Pakistan, Bannu Archaeological Project Monographs – Volume 1, Oxbow Books, Oxford: 343–352.
  6. ^ Michael Witzel, "The Home of the Aryans" people.fas.harvard.edu.
  7. ^ Gherardo Gnoli. Zoroaster's Time and Homeland: a study on the origins of Mazdeism.Published by Istituto Universitario Orientale (1980), ASIN: B0018NEFO0.
  8. ^ Rashid, Haroon (2008). History of the Pathans: The Ghurghushti, Beitani and Matti tribes of Pathans. Haroon Rashid. p. 436.
  9. ^ Chopra, Gulshan Lall (1940). Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab. Government Printing. p. 200.
  10. ^ Ali Shah, Sayyid Vaqar (1993). Marwat, Fazal-ur-Rahim Khan (ed.). Afghanistan and the Frontier. University of Michigan: Emjay Books International. p. 256. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  11. ^ H Johnson, Thomas; Zellen, Barry (2014). Culture, Conflict, and Counterinsurgency. Stanford University Press. p. 154. ISBN 9780804789219. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Nationalist parties convene jirga on Pakhtun issues". The News International. 12 March 2022.
  13. ^ "په بنو کې درې ورځنۍ "پښتون قامي جرګه" روانه ده". Radio Mashaal (in Pashto).
  14. ^ "Pakistan Tehsil Wise Census 2017 [PDF] (official)" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  15. ^ Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1 July 2009). "Pakistan: North West Frontier Province District, Tehsil and Union Code Reference Map" (PDF). United Nations Pakistan unportal.un.org.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2013.
  16. ^ "By Seat | KP Assembly". www.pakp.gov.pk. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  17. ^ "The Election Commission :: Untitled Page". 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ^ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  19. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 11" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  20. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME X NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE". Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  21. ^ "Pakistan Census 2017 District-Wise Tables: Hangu". Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  22. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 9" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  23. ^ "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. p. 17. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057657. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  24. ^ "The Punjab and its feudatories, part II--Imperial Tables and Supplementary Returns for the British Territory". 1891. p. 14. JSTOR saoa.crl.25318669. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  25. ^ "Census of India 1901. [Vol. 17A]. Imperial tables, I-VIII, X-XV, XVII and XVIII for the Punjab, with the native states under the political control of the Punjab Government, and for the North-west Frontier Province". 1901. p. 34. JSTOR saoa.crl.25363739. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Census of India 1911. Vol. 13, North-west Frontier Province : part I, Report; part II, Tables". 1911. p. 306. JSTOR saoa.crl.25394102. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Census of India 1921. Vol. 14, North-west Frontier Province : part I, Report; part II, Tables". 1921. p. 344. JSTOR saoa.crl.25430163. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  28. ^ Mallam, G. L.; Dundas, A. D. F. (1933). "Census of India, 1931, vol. XV. North-west frontier province. Part I-Report. Part II-Tables". Peshawar, Printed by the manager, Government stationery and printing, 1933. p. 373. JSTOR saoa.crl.25793233. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  29. ^ "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 10, North-West Frontier Province". 1941. p. 22. JSTOR saoa.crl.28215543. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  30. ^ mskd. "University of Science & Technology, Bannu". University of Science & Technology, Bannu. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  1. ^ Bannu tehsil of erstwhile Bannu district, which roughly corresponds to the present district without the former Frontier Region of Bannu. District and tehsil borders have shifted since 1941.
  2. ^ Different from official population figure since it excludes sensitive areas where religion was not asked

33°03′38″N 70°33′08″E / 33.06048°N 70.552176°E / 33.06048; 70.552176

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