Nowshera District

Nowshera District (Pashto: نوښار ولسوالۍ‎, Urdu: ضِلع نوشہرہ‎) is a district in Peshawar Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.[2] The capital and district headquarter is Nowshera city.

Nowshera District

ضلع نوشہرہ
District
Location of Nowshera District (highlighted in red) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan
Country Pakistan
Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
DistrictNowshera District
HeadquartersNowshera
Union Councils47
Government
 • District NazimLiaquat Khattak
Area
 • District1,748 km2 (675 sq mi)
Population
 • District1,518,540
 • Density870/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
 • Urban
338,650
 • Rural
1,179,890
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)

Overview and history

Nowshera was a tehsil (sub division) of Peshawar until 1988, when it became a district. It is bordered by Peshawar District to the West, Mardan District to the North, Charsadda District to the North West, Swabi District to the North East, Kohat District to the South, Orakzai Agency to the South West & Attock District to the East.

Previously it was known as Nowkhaar Province till it was annexed into British India via the Durand Line Agreement. Prior to its establishment as a separate district in 1990, Nowshera was part of Peshawar District.[3] The district was also part of the Peshawar Division until the reforms of The Government of Pakistan.

Total area of Nowshera is 1,748 km². The population density is 608 persons per square kilometre. The total agricultural area is 52,540 hectares. The main source of income of the region is agriculture.

Demographics

The population of Nowshera district, according to the 2017 census, is 1,518,540[4] while the population, according to the 1998 census, was 874,000.[5][6] The population of the district over the years is shown in the table below.[7]

Census Year Population Rural Area Urban Area
1951 222,527 170,072 52,455
1961 276,937 188,968 87,969
1972 410,718 307,783 102,935
1981 537,638 386,647 647,343
1998 874,373 150,991 227,030
2017 1,518,540 N/A N/A

Languages

The predominant language is Pashto, which according to the 1998 census is spoken natively by 91% of the population.[8] The previous census of 1981 reported that in the then tehsil of Nowshera, Pashto was the language of 88% of households, while Punjabi accounted for 4.3%, Hindko – 4.2%, and Urdu – 2.9%.[9]

Education

Nowshera district is home of many excellent education institutions. The district has a public sector University of Technology, Nowshera[10][11] and private sector Northern University, Nowshera.[12] It also houses the campus of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan[13] in Pabbi town while it has a campus of University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar in Jalozai town.[14] The district also has a public sector medical college: Nowshera Medical College, Nowshera.[15][16]

It is also home to many degree colleges: Government Post Graduate College Nowshera, Government Home Economics College Nowshera, Government College Akbarpura,[17] Government Degree College Pabbi[18] and Government Girls Degree College Pabbi.[19]

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017, Nowshera district is ranked 71 out of 155 districts in Pakistan in the quality of education while for facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked 14 out of 155. It is vast improvement from Rankings of 2016, when the quality of education ranking was 71 out of 151 while facilities and infrastructure, the district was ranked 42 out of 151.[20]

Administration and politics

The district is administratively divided into 3 Tehsils.[21][22]

Union councils

The district is divided into 47 Union Councils. The largest by area is Nizampur & the smallest by area is Pabbi.

Towns and villages

The main towns in Nowshera District are Nowshera city (Capital), Badrashi, Pabbi, Jalozai, Akora Khattak, Jehangira, Risalpur, Khairabad and Nizampur. The main villages are below.

Cantonments

These cantonments were created by the British Raj. There are three cantonments in Nowshera District:

Provincial and National Assembly seats

The district has 5 Provincial Seats in The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

The district has 2 National Assembly Seats in The National Assembly of Pakistan.

The District is currently represented by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf who won all 7 Seats in the recent elections.

Geography

The following are the rivers which flow through the Nowshera District.

Some of the most famous parks are as follows:

  • Kund Park
  • Mangloot Wildlife Park
  • Aza Khel Park
  • Jinnah Park
  • Cherat Chapri Wildlife Park

After the launch of CPEC project, Rashakai village of Nowshera is now an Economic Zone of KPK.[24]

Highways and motorways

Military history
See also: Battle of Nowshera

Military installations
  • Pakistan Air Force Academy Risalpur Cantt
  • Armoured Corps Centre Nowshera Cantt
  • ASC School Nowshera Cantt
  • School of Artillery Nowshera Cantt
  • School of Armour and Mechanized Warfare Nowshera Cantt
  • Special Operations School Chirat Cantt
  • Military College of Engineering (NUST) Risalpur Cantt
  • ASC Center Nowshera Cantt
  • College of Aeronautical Engineering PAF Academy Asghar Khan

Buildings and institutions
Notable buildings
Hospitals/medical facilities

Shrines

Nowshera District is the home of many Sufi shrines.

Shrine of Kastir Gul (Kaka Sahib)

The shrine of 16th century’s most popular Sufi saint Kastir Gul alias Hazrat Kaka Sahib is located in a rugged mountainous area around 12km south of Nowshera district. It is considered as one of the most frequently visited religious heritage sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Born on the first of Ramazan in 1576, Kaka Sahib had received religious education from his Sufi father,Hazrat sheikh syed Bahadur Baba, and few Islamic scholars of his time. He used to practice all four Sufi orders – Naqshbandia, Suharwardia, Chistia and Qadria. Kaka Sahib also fondly called as Ziaree Kaka used to deliver lessons to his devotees.

Shrine of Sheikh Syed Nadir Shah (Mast Baba)

The shrine of Syed Nadir Shah (Mast Baba) He was the father of Syed Sheikh Bahadur Baba (Abbak Sahib) and grand father of Syed Kasteer Gul (Kaka Sahib). He died on (02 Safar 969 Hijri) 1561-62 AD. The Shrine is located at Khawara village Khatak Territory Nowshera.

Shrine of Sheikh Bahadur Baba (Abbak Sahib)

The shrine of Sheikh Bahadur Baba is named after Sheikh Bahadur Baba. He was born at Khawara Village Khatak territory,on (15 Ramadan 941 Hijri) 1524 AD. After a life of full struggle for the prosperity of Islam and spreading of spiritual light in the region, he died on (14 Shaban 1027 Hijri)1627 Ad. He married once and had four Sons one died as an infant, and the remaining three are Syed Sheikh Afan Sahib and Syed Sheikh Hayat Sahib(Alias Sheikh Attaan Sahib) Syed Sheikh Kasteer Gul (Sheikh Rahamkar,Kaka Sahib). His descendants are known as Abbak Kheil and Kakakheil scattered all over Kpk province. The Shrine is located near(1.5KM) the village of Kana Khel.

Maslak Bahadur Baba

Bahadur Baba was follower of his father Mast Baba's maslak in Chishtiyyah and Suharwardiyah orders.

Bahadur Baba's famous followers

Main Wali Sahib, Main Shadi Sahib, sheikh Afan sahib, Sheikh Syed Kasteer Gul Sahib(Kaka Sahib), Akhund Mian Dad, Akhund Shareef Bali, Sheikh Allah Dad Khatak, Sheikh Nask, Faqeer Malik Meer.

Shrine of Akhund Panju Baba

The shrine of Akhund Pangu Baba is named after Syed Abdul Wahab commonly known as Akhund Panju Baba and Baba Sahib. It is located in Akbarpura town in Pabbi Tehsil of Nowshera. The shrine was attacked by Taliban militants in 2011 killing 11 people.[25][26]

Shrine of Sheikh Baba

The shrine of Sheikh Shahbaz Baba is named after Sheikh Shahbaz Baba commonly known as Sheikh Baba .The shrine is located in Pabbi town near Grand Trunk (GT), Nowshera.[27]

Shrine of Pir Sabaq Baba jee

The shrine of Pir sabaq baba jee named Sheikh Abdus Salam sahib commonly known as Sahib Mubarak is located in ( Pir Sabaq Sharif) 05KM from Nowshera Cantt on left side of Peshawar-Pindi GT road (after crossing Kabul river at Pirsabaq bridge 1.5KM).

Notable people

A list of some of the most prominent people from Nowshera District:

Hajji Raees Khan Hajji Rashid Ullah Khan Khattak

  • Haji Akram Shah President District Flour Dealer Association And President ANP Ziarat Kaka Sahib
  • Fayaz khan Government contractor and khan of badrashi and also one of the largest property owner of badrashi , owns( alam street)

See also

References
  1. "DISTRICT AND TEHSIL LEVEL POPULATION SUMMARY WITH REGION BREAKUP: KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2018-01-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  2. "PDWP approves 32 projects". The Nation. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  3. PCO 1998, p. 1.
  4. "Pakistan Tehsil Wise Census 2017 [PDF]" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  5. PCO 1998, p. 19.
  6. "NOWSHERA DISTRICT AT A GLANCE (PDF)" (PDF). www.pbs.gov.pk. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  7. "AREA & POPULATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS BY RURAL/URBAN: 1951-1998 CENSUSES (PDF)" (PDF). www.pbs.gov.pk. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  8. PCO 1998, p. 24.
  9. PCO 1981, p. 87.
  10. "University of Technology, Nowshera – First Ever Technology University of Pakistan". uotnowshera.edu.pk. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  11. "New horizons: Khattak okays air and technical varsities in Nowshera - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2014-12-07. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  12. "Home Page". www.northern.edu.pk. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  13. "AWKU Mardan Pabbi Campus :: Welcome to AWKUM". www.awkum.edu.pk. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  14. "University of Engineering & Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan". www.uetpeshawar.edu.pk. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  15. "Recognised Medical and Dental Colleges - Pakistan Medical and Dental Association". www.pmdc.org.pk. Archived from the original on 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  16. "Home - Nowshera Medical College (MTI),Nowshera". Nowshera Medical College (MTI),Nowshera. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  17. "Government College AkbarPura". www.admission.hed.gkp.pk. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  18. "Govt Degree College Pabbi". www.admission.hed.gkp.pk. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  19. "Government Girls Degree College Pabbi, Nowshera". www.admission.hed.gkp.pk. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  20. "Rankings – Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017". rankings.alifailaan.pk. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
  21. "Pakistan Tehsil Wise Census 2017 [PDF]" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  22. "DIVISION, DISTRICT AND TEHSIL/CENSUS DISTRICT KHYBER PAKHTOONKHWA PROVINCE (PDF)" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  23. "NOWSHERA: Pabbi declared as tehsil". DAWN.COM. 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  24. "Rashakai Economic Zone".
  25. Newspaper, From the (2017-02-17). "Timeline of attacks on shrines in Pakistan". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  26. "Iftikhar terms terrorists beasts". The Nation. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  27. "Shrines". auqaf.kp.gov.pk. Retrieved 2017-11-21.

Bibliography
  • 1981 District census report of Peshawar. District census Report. 26. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 1983. p. 86.
  • 1998 District census report of Nowshera. Census publication. 55. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 1999.

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