North-West Frontier Province

North-West
Frontier Province Capital
• Coordinates
Peshawar
• 34°00′N 71°19′E34,
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 71.32
Population (2008) 20,215,000 (Estimate)
Jump to: navigation, search • Density • 259.6/km²
For the 1959 British film, see
Area 74,521 km²
Northwest Frontier.
Time zone PST (UTC+5)
The North-West Frontier Province
Main language(s) Pashto (official)
(NWFP) (Urdu: śimāl maġribī
Hindko
sarhadī sūba ‫شمال مغربی‬ Khowar
‫ )سرحدی صوب ہ‬is the smallest Punjabi
of the four main provinces of Persian
Pakistan. The NWFP is home to the Urdu (national)[1]
majority Pashtuns (locally referred to Status Province
as Pukhtuns) as well as other smaller
ethnic groups. The province borders • Districts • 24
Afghanistan to the northwest, the • Towns •
Northern Areas to the northeast, Azad
Kashmir to the east, Federally • Union Councils • 986
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to Established 1st July 1970
the west and south, and Pakistani • Governor/Commissione • Owais Ahmed Ghani
Punjab and Islamabad Capital r • Ameer Haider Khan Hoti
Territory to the southeast. The • Chief Minister • Provincial Assembly (124)
principal language is Pashto and the • Legislature (seats)
provincial capital is Peshawar. The
Pakistan Peoples Party, to Website Government of the NWFP
accommodate a demand by the
Awami National Party, proposed the
province be changed to Pakhtunkhwa.[2]

Contents
[show]

[edit] Geography
Mountains in Northern Pakistan.

View of Siran Valley in Mansehra District (2006)

The NWFP is largely located on the Iranian plateau along the peripheral junction between the
Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian plate, and this has led to seismic activity in the past (see
Kashmir Quake)[3]. The famous Khyber Pass links the province to Afghanistan, while the Kohalla
Bridge in Circle Bakote is a major crossing point over the Jhelum river in the east. The province
has an area of (28,773 square miles) or 74,521 km² of Pakistani territory and its districts include
Hazara Division, home to the town of Havelian, the western starting point of the Karakoram
Highway.

The capital and largest city of the province is Peshawar. Peshawar's is divided into various
sections with the Old City being notable for its chai-khanas (or tea houses) and other ancient
structures. Qissa Kahani Bazaar and other parts of Peshawar can remind visitors of an Arabian
Nights tale with its myriad corridors and its multicultural vendors. The Afghan character of the
city was enhanced by the refugees from Afghanistan and the burgeoning population of tribesmen
who have flocked to the city from rural areas in search of employment.

Other main cities include Nowshera, Mardan, Mansehra, Charsadda, Ayubia, Nathia Gali and
Abbottabad. The province's main districts include Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, Bannu, Peshawar,
Abbottabad and Mansehra.
The region varies in topography from dry rocky areas in the south to forests and green plains in
the north. The climate can be extreme with intensely hot summers to freezing cold winters.
Despite these extremes in weather, agriculture remains important and viable in the area. The hilly
terrain of Swat, Kalam, Upper Dir, Naran and Kaghan is renowned for its beauty and attracts a
great many tourists from neighbouring regions and from around the world. Swat-Kalam is also
termed 'a piece of Switzerland' as there are many landscape similarities between it and the
mountainous terrain of Switzerland.

It covers an area of 74,521 km2 (28,773 sq mi). According to the 1998 census, the total
population of N.W.F.P. was approximately 17 million[4] out of whom 52% are males and 48%
females. The density of population is 187 per km² and the intercensal change of population is of
about 30%. Geographically the province could be divided into two zones: the northern one
extending from the ranges of the Hindu Kush to the borders of Peshawar basin; and the southern
one extending from Peshawar to the Derajat basin. The northern zone is cold and snowy in
winters with heavy rainfall and pleasant summers with the exception of Peshawar basin, which is
hot in summer and cold in winter. It has moderate rainfall. The southern zone is arid with hot
summers and relatively cold winters and scantly rainfall. Its climate varies from very cold
(Chitral in the north) to very hot in places like D.I. Khan. The major rivers that criss cross the
province are Kabul River, Swat River, Chitral River, Panjgora River, Bara River, Karam River,
Gomal River and Zob River.

Its snow-capped peaks and lush green valleys of unusual beauty attract tourists from far and wide
while its art and architecture no less known than the historic Khyber Pass. Once the cradle of
Gandhara civilization, the area is now known for its devout Muslims who zealously guard their
religion and culture and the way of life that they have been following for centuries.

[edit] Climate
The climate of North-West Frontier province varies immensely for a region of its size, most of
the many climate types found in Pakistan.

[edit] Chitral District

The north, comprising Chitral District, has a typically continental steppe climate, with average
annual precipitation ranging from 100 mm (4 inches) per year in the far north to 585 mm (23
inches) in Drosh in the south. Most of this precipitation from frontal cloudbands during the
winter and heavy thunderstorms in the spring. Of Chitral's average 420 mm (16.5 inches) of
rainfall per year, 350 mm (13.8 inches) falls from December to May. At high elevations in the
Hindukush, snowfall can be much heavier than this and consequently large glaciers are a
prominent feature of the landscape. Snow also cuts off even Chitral town from the outside world
for most of the year. Temperatures in the valleys vary from 40 °C (105 °F) in July to as low as
-10 °C (15 °F) in January. In the previous few years flood have created problems in Mastuj
tehsil.

[edit] Dir, Swat and Hazara

Further south, in the districts of Dir, Swat and Hazara, the climate becomes more typical of the
Indian subcontinent, although a considerable proportion of the annual precipitation still comes
from frontal cloudbands during the winter months.

The combination of a short but powerful (owing to orography) summer monsoon with frequent
winter cloudbands gives a bimodal rainfall regime in central parts of NWFP. Dir and Hazara
districts are some of the wettest places in Pakistan: annual rainfall at Dir averages 1475 mm (58
inches), of which 400 mm (15.75 inches) falls during the summer monsoon from July to
September and twice that amount during the winter rainy season from December to April. At
Abbottabad further east, the annual rainfall averages about 1195 mm (47 inches), but as much as
635 mm (25 inches) falls during the south-west monsoon. In Swat, rather more sheltered, the
annual rainfall averages around 840 mm (33 inches), with about 430 mm (17 inches) expected
between June and September. A similar climate to that of Dir, though drier, prevails in a small
area around Parachinar in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

In all areas October and November are the driest months with rainfalls generally under 30 mm
(1.2 inches) per month except in the most exposed areas.

Temperatures in this region are somewhat warmer than in Chitral, and even at 1,200 metres
(3,900 ft) in Abbottabad the heat and humidity can be oppressive during the monsoon season. In
winter, most of Swat receives significant snowfall, but in Hazara temperatures usually are around
5 °C (41 °F).

[edit] Southern North-West Frontier Province

This region, south of the Himalaya/Hindukush foothills, has the typically hot and dry climate of
much of Pakistan. Temperatures in summer are quite oppressively hot, and in the south around
Mardan temperatures of 45 °C (113 °F) are not uncommon, whilst in Peshawar 40 °C (104 °F) is
par for the course in summer. In winter, however, this region is both warmer and generally drier
than the rest of NWFP, with temperatures being around 17 °C (62 °F) in Peshawar and over 20
°C (68 °F) in the extreme south of the province. Nights, however, can still be quite cold during
the winter.

Southern NWFP experiences little (and very erratic) monsoonal rain, with Peshawar and Dera
Ismail Khan both averaging around 115 mm (4.5 inches) of rain in July and August and almost
nothing in June or September. Moreover, in many years no summer rain of significance occurs.
In winter, rainfall usually peaks in March but Peshawar averages less than 250mm (10 inches)
between December and May and Dera Ismail Khan less than 115 mm (4.5 inches). On certain
mountain slopes such as around Kohat, winter rainfall may predominate, though this is
unpredictable.
Historical populations

[edit] Demographics and society Census Population Urban

The province has an estimated population of roughly 21 1951 4,556,545 11.07%

million that does not include the almost 1.5 million Afghan 1961 5,730,991 13.23%
1972 8,388,551 14.25%
1981 11,061,328 15.05%
1998 17,743,645 16.87%
refugees[5] and their descendants in the province.[6] [7]. The largest ethnic group are the Pashtuns
who form about two-thirds of the population[8].

Pashto is the most pervasive language while Hindko is the second most commonly spoken
indigenous language. Pashto is predominant in western and southern NWFP and is main
language in most cities and towns including Peshawar. Hindkowans are most common in eastern
NWFP, the Hazara Division, and especially in the cities of Abbottabad, Mansehra, and Haripur.
Saraiki and Balochi-speakers live in the southeast of the province mainly in Dera Ismail Khan
District. Bilingualism and trilingualism is common with Pashto and Urdu being the primary other
languages spoken.

In most rural areas of the centre and south various Pashtun tribes can be found including the
Yusufzai, Khattak, Marwat, Afridi, Shinwari, Orakzai, Bangash, Mahsud, Mohmand, Wazir, and
Gandapur as well as numerous other smaller tribes. Further north, the prominent Pashtun tribes
are, Swati, Tareen, Jadoon and Mashwani. There are various non-Pashtun tribes including Awan,
Gujjar and Swati. The Awan are believed to be of Arabic origin and are recognisably different
from the rest of Pashtun and non-Pushtun majority.

The mountainous extreme north includes Chitral District which is home to diverse Dardic ethnic
groups such as the Khowar, Kohistani, Shina, Torwali, Kalasha and Kalami.

In addition, Afghan refugees, although predominantly Pashtun (including the Ghilzai and
Durrani tribes), include hundreds of thousands of Persian-speaking Tajiks and Hazaras as well as
other smaller groups found throughout the province.

Nearly all of the inhabitants of the NWFP are Muslim with a Sunni majority and significant
minority of Shias and Ismailis. Many of the Kalasha of Southern Chitral still retain their ancient
Animist/Shamanist religion.

[edit] History
[edit] Ancient history

Since ancient times the region has been invaded by numerous groups including Persians, Greeks,
Scythians, Kushans, Huns, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, Mughals, Sikhs, and the British. Between
2000 and 1500 BC, the Aryans split off into an Iranian branch, represented by the Pakhtuns who
came to dominate most of the region, an Indo-Aryan branch represented by the Hindkowans who
populated much of the region before the time of the Pakhtuns and various Dardic peoples who
came to populate much of the north. Earlier pre-Aryan inhabitants include the Burusho.

The Vale of Peshawar was home to the Kingdom of Gandhara from around the 6th century BC
and later ancient Peshawar became a capital of the Kushan Empire. The region was visited by
such notable historical figures as Darius II, Alexander the Great, Hiuen Tsang, Fa Hien, Marco
Polo, Mountstuart Elphinstone, and Winston Churchill, among others.
Following the Mauryan conquest of the region, Buddhism became a major faith, at least in urban
centers, as attested by recent archaeological and hermeneutic evidence. Kanishka, a prominent
Kushan ruler was one of the prominent Buddhist kings.

The region of Gandhara has long been known as a major centre of Buddhist art and
“ culture around the beginning of the Christian era. But until recently, the Buddhist
literature of this region was almost entirely lost. Now, within the last decade, a large
corpus of Gandharan manuscripts dating from as early as the 1st century A.D. has
come to light and is being studied and published by scholars at the University of
Washington. These scrolls, written on birch-bark in the Gandharan language and the
Kharosthi script, are the oldest surviving Buddhist literature, which has hitherto
been known to us only from later and modern Buddhist canons. They also institute a
missing link between original South Asian Buddhism and the Buddhism of East
Asia, which was exported primarily from Gandhara along the Silk Roads through
Central Asia and thence to China. [9] ”
Rural areas retained numerous Shamanistic faiths as evident with the Kalash and other groups.
The roots of Pashtunwali or the traditional code of honour followed by the Pashtuns is also
believed to have Pre-Islamic origins. Persian invasions left small pockets of Zoroastrians and,
later, a ruling Hindu elite established itself briefly during the later Shahi period.

[edit] The Shahi era

During the early 1st millennium, prior to the rise of Islam, the NWFP was ruled by the Shahi
kings. The early Shahis were Turkic Buddhist rulers and reigned over the area until 870 CE when
they were overthrown and then later replaced . When the Chinese monk Xuanzang visited the
region early in the 7th century CE, the Kabul valley region was still ruled by affiliates of the
Shahi kings, who is identified as the Shahi Khingal, and whose name has been found in an
inscription found in Gardez.

While the early Shahis were Central Asian and Turko-Tocharian in origin, the later Shahi kings
of Kabul and Gandhara may have had links to some ruling families in neighbouring Kashmir and
the Punjab. The Hindu Shahis are believed to have been a ruling elite of a predominantly
Buddhist, Zoroastrian and Shamanistic population and were thus patrons of numerous faiths, and
various artefacts and coins from their rule have been found that display their multicultural
domain. The last Shahi rulers were eventually wiped out by their cousin tribes led by Mahmud of
Ghaznavi who arrived from Afghanistan.

[edit] Arrival of Islam

Buddhism and Shamanism remained prominent in the region until Muslim Arabs and Turks
conquered the area before the 2nd millennium CE. Over the centuries local Pashtun and Dardic
tribes converted to Islam, while retaining some local traditions (albeit altered by Islam) such as
Pashtunwali or the Pashtun code of honour. The NWFP became part of larger Islamic empires
including the Ghaznavid Empire and the empire of Muhammad of Ghor and was nominally
controlled by the Delhi Sultanate and the Ilkhanate Empire of the Mongols. Muslim technocrats,
bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and sufis flocked from
the rest of the Muslim world to the region.

[edit] Pashtun nationalism

The NWFP was an important borderland that was often contested by the Mughals and Safavids
of Persia. During the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, the NWFP required formidable
military forces to control and the emergence of Pashtun nationalism through the voice of local
warrior poet Khushal Khan Khattak united some of the tribes against the various empires around
the region. The area, as a predominantly Pashtun region, merged, following a loya jirga, with the
Durrani Empire founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747.

[edit] British era

Main article: Durand Line

Afghanistan before the Durand agreement of 1893.

Afghan tribesmen attacking the British-held Shabkadr Fort outside Peshawar in 1897

A series of conflicts known as the Anglo-Afghan wars during the imperialist Great Game
between the United Kingdom and Russia, led to the eventual dismemberment of Afghanistan.
The annexation of the region led to the demarcation of the Durand Line and administration as
part of British South Asia. The Durand line is a term for the poorly marked 1,519-mile
(2,445 km) border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. After fighting in two wars against
Afghans, the British succeeded in 1893 in imposing the Durand line, dividing Afghanistan and
what was then British India. Named for Sir Mortimer Durand, the foreign secretary of the British
colonial government, it was agreed upon by representatives of both governments. While the
Afghan side greatly resented the border and viewed it as a temporary development, the British
viewed it as being a permanent settlement. One of the two representatives of the Afghan
government was the revered Ahmadi Sahibzada Abdul Latif of Khost. The border was drawn
intentionally to cut through the Pakhtun tribes.

The British, who had captured most of rest of South Asia without significant problems, faced a
number of difficulties here. The first war with the Pashtuns resulted in a devastating defeat, with
just one soldier coming back alive (out of a total of 14,800 people). Unable to enforce their writ
in the region, they changed tactics and played a game of divide and rule, installing puppet
Pashtun rulers and dividing the Pashtuns through artificially created regions and ruling indirectly
so as to reduce the chance of confrontation. Despite this, occasional Pashtun attacks did take
place, including the Siege of Malakand, well documented by Winston Churchill who was a war
correspondent at the time.

The province was formed on November 9, 1901 as a Chief Commissioner province. The Chief
Commissioner was the chief executive of the province. He ran the administration with the help of
his principal advisers and civil servants better known as judicial and revenue commissioners.

The formal inauguration of the province took place five and half months later on April 26, 1902
on the occasion of the historical "Darbar" in Shahi Bagh in Peshawar held by Lord Curzon. The
province of NWFP then comprised only five districts. They were Peshawar, Hazara District,
Kohat, Bannu, and Dera Ismail Khan. The Malakand, which consisted of three princely states of
Dir, Swat, Chitral was included in it. The NWFP also included the four tribal administered
agencies, Khyber, Khurram, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan (now seven). The first chief
commissioner of the NWFP was Harold Deane, a strong administrator, he was followed by Ross-
Keppel in 1908, whose contribution as a political officer was widely known amongst the
tribal/frontier people.

The NWFP was raised to a full-fledged Governor province in 1935. The decision was actually
made in the Round Table Conference held in 1931. It was agreed upon in the conference that the
NWFP would be raised to a governor province with its own Legislative Council. Therefore, on
January 25, 1932, the Viceroy inaugurated NWFP Legislative Council. The first provincial
elections were held in 1937 and independent candidate and noted landlord Sahibzada Abdul
Qayyum Khan was elected as the provinces first Chief Minister.

[edit] After independence

During the early 20th century the so-called Red Shirts led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan agitated
through non-violence for the rights of Pakhtun areas. Following independence, the NWFP voted
to join Pakistan in a referendum in 1947. However, Afghanistan's loya jirga of 1949 declared the
Durand Line invalid, which led to border tensions with Pakistan. During the 1950s, Afghanistan
supported a secessionist movement that failed to gain substantial support amongst the tribes of
the NWFP. After President Ayub Khan eliminated Pakistan's provinces, President Yahya Khan, in
1969, abolished this "one unit" scheme and added Swat, Dir, Chitral and Kohistan to the new
borders.

The Pashtunistan issue kept Pakistan and Afghanistan at odds for decades until the Soviet
Invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Following the invasion over five million Afghan refugees
poured into Pakistan, most residing in the NWFP (as of 2007 nearly 3 million remain). During
the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the NWFP served as a major base for supplying the
Mujahideen who fought the Soviets during the 1980s.

The NWFP remained heavily influenced by events in Afghanistan and the civil war led to the rise
of the Taliban, which had emerged in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan as a
formidable political force that nearly took-over all of Afghanistan. Following the terrorist attacks
of September 11, 2001, the NWFP became a frontline region again as part of the global War on
Terror.

[edit] Government
The Provincial Assembly of the North-West Frontier Province is unicameral and consists of 124
seats of which 2% are reserved for non-Muslims and 17% for women only.

[edit] Districts

District map of NWFP and FATA.

There are 24 districts in NWFP.

• Abbottabad • Lakki Marwat

• Bannu • Dir Lower
• Batagram • Malakand
• Buner • Mansehra
• Charsadda • Mardan
• Chitral • Nowshera
• Dera Ismail Khan • Peshawar
• Hangu • Shangla
• Haripur • Swabi
• Karak • Swat
• Kohat • Tank

• Kohistan • Dir Upper

[edit] Important cities

PTDC Motel at Malam Jabba Ski Resort, Swat, NWFP, Pakistan

View of Village Dedal, Batgram District

• Abbottabad • Latamber
• Bannu • Landi Kotal
• Batagram • Malakand
 • Daggar • Mansehra
• Charsadda • Mardan
• Chitral • Nowshera
• Dera Ismail Khan • Peshawar
• Dir • Shangla
• Jamrud • Swabi
• Hangu • Swat
• Haripur
• Havelian • Tank
• Kohat

• Kulachi

[edit] Economy
After suffering for decades due to the fallout of Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, today they are
again being targeted for totally a reverse situation. Agriculture remains important and the main
cash crops include wheat, maize, rice, sugar beets, as well as various fruits are grown in the
province. Some manufacturing and high tech investments in Peshawar has helped improve job
prospects for many locals, while trade in the province involves nearly every product known to
man, as the bazaars in the province are renowned throughout Pakistan. Unemployment has been
reduced due to establishment of industrial zones.

Numerous workshops throughout the province support the manufacture of small arms and
weapons of various types. The province accounts for at least 78% of the marble production in
Pakistan [10].

[edit] Education
The trend towards higher education is rapidly increasing in the province and the NWFP is home
to Pakistan's foremost engineering university (Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute), which is located in
Topi, a town in Swabi district. The University of Peshawar is also a notable institution of higher
learning. The Frontier Post is perhaps the province's best-known newspaper and addresses many
of the various issues facing the local population.

This is a chart of the education market of North-West Frontier Province estimated by the
government in 1998. Also see [1]

Qualification Urban Rural Total Enrolment Ratio(%)

— 2,994,084 14,749,561 17,743,645 —

Below Primary 413,782 3,252,278 3,666,060 100.00

Primary 741,035 4,646,111 5,387,146 79.33

Middle 613,188 2,911,563 3,524,751 48.97

Matriculation 647,919 2,573,798 3,221,717 29.11

Intermediate 272,761 728,628 1,001,389 10.95

BA, BSc… degrees 20,359 42,773 63,132 5.31

MA, MSc… degrees 183,237 353,989 537,226 4.95

Diploma, Certificate… 82,037 165,195 247,232 1.92

Other qualifications 19,766 75,226 94,992 0.53

[edit] Major universities & colleges

Islamia College, Peshawar

Front view of the Islamia College, Peshawar

• Agricultural University (Peshawar)

• Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad
• Cadet College Razmak
• Cadet college Kohat
• College of Aeronautical Engineering
• College of Flying Training
• Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi
• Gomal University
• Hazara University
• Islamia College
• Khyber Medical College Peshawar
• Kohat University of Science & Technology
• Military College of Engineering
• National Institute of Transportation
• National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences
• Pakistan Air Force Academy
• Pakistan Military Academy
• University of Engineering and Technology (Peshawar)
• University of Malakand
• University of Peshawar
• University of Science & Technology Bannu

[edit] Folk music

Pashto folk music is popular in NWFP and has a rich tradition going back hundreds of years. The
main instruments are the Rubab, mangey and harmonium.

Khowar folk music is popular in Chitral and northern Swat. The tunes of Khowar music are very
different from those of Pashto and the main instrument is the Chitrali Sitar.

A form of band music composed of clarinets (surnai) and drums is popular in Chitral. It is played
at polo matches and dances. The same form of band music is also played in the neighbouring
Northern Areas.
[edit] Social issues
The NWFP continues to have an image problem. Even within Pakistan it is regarded as a "radical
state" due to the rise of Islamist parties to power in the province and purported support for the
remnants of the Taliban who are believed by some to be hiding in the province. The plagues of
sectarianism, terrorism and insurrection have not been a problem in the North-West Frontier and
the local economy has met with significant gains in spite of hosting millions of Afghan refugees,
many of who have been integrated into the local society.

Pashtuns within the NWFP have sought to rename the province Pakhtunkhwa, which translates
to "Next to Pakhtuns" in Pashto. This has been opposed by the non-Pashtuns. The Muttahida
Majlis-e-Amal, who until the elections of 2008, had a majority in the NWFP government,
proposed Afghania as a compromise name. [11]