Shangla District ضلع شانگلہ شنګله ولسوالۍ | |
|---|---|
.JPG)  Top: Shangla Top Bottom: Road nearBesham | |
 Shangla District (red) inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Division | Malakand |
| Headquarters | Alpuri |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Administration |
| • Deputy Commissioner | N/A |
| • District Police Officer | N/A |
| • District Health Officer | N/A |
| Area | |
| 1,586 km2 (612 sq mi) | |
| Population | |
| 891,252 | |
| • Density | 561.9/km2 (1,455/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 0 |
| • Rural | 891,252 |
| Literacy | |
| • Literacy rate |
|
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| District Council | 28 seats |
| Number ofTehsils | 5 |
| Website | shangla |
Shangla District (Pashto:شنګله ولسوالۍ,Urdu:ضلع شانگلہ) is adistrict inMalakand Division ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The district's headquarters are located atAlpuri,[3]. The district was established in 1995, having previously been a subdivision ofSwat District.[4] The total area of the district is 1,586 square kilometers.[4]Shangla comprises five subdivisions,Alpuri,Puran,Chakesar,Martung andBesham tehsils.
The district is bounded in the north byKohistan District, in the east byBattagram District andTorghar District, in the west bySwat District, and in the south byBuner District.[4]
| Tehsil | Name (Urdu) (Pashto) | Area (km²)[5] | Pop. (2023) | Density (ppl/km²) (2023) | Literacy rate (2023)[6] | Union Councils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpuri Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل الپوری)(Pashto:الپوري تحصیل) | 582 | 366,772 | 630.19 | 38.26% | |
| Bisham Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل بشام)(Pashto:بشام تحصیل) | 184 | 121,279 | 659.13 | 34.77% | |
| Chakesar Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل چکیسر)(Pashto:چکېسر تحصیل) | 335 | 128,238 | 382.8 | 26.08% | |
| Martung Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل مارتونگ)(Pashto:مارتونګ تحصیل) | 188 | 103,205 | 548.96 | 24.01% | |
| Makhuzai Tehsil | ... | ... | ... | ... | ||
| Shahpur Tehsil | ... | ... | ... | ... | ||
| Puran Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل پورَن)(Pashto:پورَن تحصیل) | 297 | 171,758 | 578.31 | 35.11% |
Shangla was a sub-division of the Swat district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan until it was granted the status of a separate district in 1995. This was primarily due to the efforts of Haji Badi uz Zaman, a political leader and community figure who was assassinated in 1994, and his son, Afsar ul Mulk.
There are relics of the ancient Greek period at Pirsar,Chakesar and Daut. It is believed thatAlexander the Great camped at Pirsar for a few days.[7][8][9] There are also relics of the Hindu Shahi in Olandar-Ajmair.[10][better source needed][11]
A number ofBuddha sculptures are also found in Shangla district which indicate that Shangla was also a part of the previous Buddhist civilization.[12][13][14]
The district was hit by the2015 Hindu Kush earthquake in which more than 18 people were killed.[15]
Shangla district consists of small valleys and is situated between the hillocks and is surrounded by high mountains full of forests comprisingPindrow Fir,Morinda Spruce,Blue Pine (Kail),Chir Pine andDeodar Cedar trees. The average elevation of the district is 2000 to 3000 meters above sea level.[4] The highest point (3,440 m) is near Kuz Ganrshal in the north of the district.[4] Shangla District is connected to theSwat District by theShangla Pass.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 107,731 | — |
| 1961 | 121,528 | +1.21% |
| 1972 | 179,813 | +3.63% |
| 1981 | 251,546 | +3.80% |
| 1998 | 434,563 | +3.27% |
| 2017 | 759,609 | +2.98% |
| 2023 | 891,252 | +2.70% |
| Sources:[16] | ||
As of the2023 census, Shangla district has 125,540 households and a population of 891,252. The district has a sex ratio of 106.65 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 33.74%: 48.82% for males and 17.82% for females. 307,444 (34.51% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. The entire population lives in rural areas.[1] 2,410 (0.27%) people in the district are from religious minorities, mainly Christians.[17]
Pashto was the predominant language, spoken by 95.40% of the population. 1.03% of the population spokeKohistani languages.[18]
The main tribe of Shangla isYusufzai, that contribute more than half of the district population, the dense and well populated area of Shangla is Alpuri tehsil (Gwarband) that contributes to more than 253000+ of the district population. Shangla is one of the unique districts of Pakistan that contains more than 80% of forest land. The youngest noble laurateMalala Yousafzai's father,Ziauddin Yousafzai, was born in Shangla, however, she herself was born in Mingora, Swat.[19]
In November 2022, the Chief Minister ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa,Mahmood Khan, inaugurated University of Shangla.[20] The university was earlier a campus of University of Swat.[21]
This district is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) inPakistan National Assembly. Its constituency isNA-31.[22]
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | EngrAmir Muqam | MMA | |
| 2008 | EngrAmir Muqam | PML | |
| 2013 | DrIbadullah Khan | PML (N) | |
| 2018 | DrIbadullah Khan | PML (N) | |
2024 Amir muqam pakistan muslim league N
| Member of Provincial Assembly | Party affiliation | Constituency | Year | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sher Muhammad Khan | Pakistan People's Party | PF-71 previously Swat | 1977 | |||||||||
| Haji Badiu zaman khan | Pakistan People's Party | PF-73 Previously Swat | 1988 | |||||||||
| Haji Badiu zaman khan | Pakistan People's Party | PF-73 Previously Swat | 1993 | |||||||||
| Dr.Afsar ul mulk | Pakistan People's Party | PF-73 Previously Swat | 1995 | |||||||||
| Engr.Hamid Iqbal | Pakistan People's Party | PK-87 Shangla-I | 2002 | Abdul Munim | Independent | PK-88 Shangla-II | - | Shaukat Ali Yousafzai | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-23 Shangla-I | 2018 | |
| Faisal Zeb | Awami National Party | PK-24 Shangla-II | 2018 |
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{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Populated places inShangla District | ||
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| Tehsils |  | |
| Cities and towns | ||
| Villages | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
