Buner District ضلع بونیر بونېر ولسوالۍ | |
|---|---|
 Top: Karrakarr Buner Gateway :Tabligh Markaz : Pir Baba Masjid: Torwarsak Mountain:Mahabanrr Tourist Camps | |
| Nickname: Gul Da Namair[1] | |
| Motto: The Land of sufis اولیاء کی سرزمین | |
 Buner District (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Division | Malakand |
| District | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Daggar[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Administration |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Hamid Ali[3] |
| • District Health Officer | Akhtar Nawaz |
| Area | |
| 1,865 km2 (720 sq mi) | |
| Population | |
| 1,016,869 | |
| • Density | 545.2/km2 (1,412/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 0 |
| • Rural | 1,016,869 |
| Demonym | Buneri |
| Literacy | |
| • Literacy rate |
|
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Postal code of Daggar | 19290 |
| Area code | 0939 |
| Number ofTehsils | 6 |
| Number ofUnion Councils | 27[6] |
| Website | buner |
Buner District (Pashto:بونېر ولسوالۍ,Urdu:ضلع بونیر) is adistrict in theMalakand Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Before receiving the status of a district in 1991, it was atehsil inSwat District.[7]
Buner, known for its large marble reserves, is home to the Shrine ofPir Baba, aSufi saint and spiritual guide of the Mughal Emperor Babur.[8] The armies ofAlexander the Great passed through the district, most notably in Karakar, Daggar, and Ambela. The locals later foughtMughal and British armies.[9]
Buner's altitude starts at 1200 ft in the south in Totalai and reaches a maximum height of 9,550 ft at the Dosara Peak in the north. Most of the hills that encircle the Buner District are covered in pine trees. Barandu, Chamla, and Budal are the three principal rivers; the former flows through the center of the district. The majority of people reside in rural areas, where agriculture is their primary source of income. The region's principal crops include sugarcane, tobacco, wheat, and maize.[10]
The marble reserves of Buner make up 68% of the total marble reserves of Pakistan. A total of 450 factories and 316 marble mines currently operate in Buner District, contributing Rs470m in royalty.[11]
The Buner Valley lies betweenSwabi to the South andSwat to the North. It is a valley dotted with villages and divided into four sub-divisions. The Mora Hills and the Ilam range divide it from theSwat Valley, while the Sinawar range from Yusafzai, the Guru mountains from theMardan Valley, and the Duma range from thePuran Valley.[12]
During the 1580s, a significant uprising against theMughal Empire took place amongYusufzai people.[13] In late 1585, Mughal EmperorAkbar sent military forces underZain Khan Koka andBirbal to crush the rebellion. In February 1586, near theKarakar Pass, about 8,000 Mughal soldiers, including Birbal, werekilled by theYusufzai lashkar, led byKalu Khan. This was the greatest disaster faced by theMughal Army during Akbar's reign.[14]
Throughout the 19th century, the inhabitants of Buner stood up twice against theBritish Raj during theAmbela Campaign and theirrebellion in the1897 Frontier Revolt.[15]
In April 2009, theTehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan seized control of Buner after a short battle with the local residents[citation needed] and began imposing strict regulations, which reportedly included the closure of video stores, mandates against trimming beards, and restrictions on women's presence in various public spaces.[16] On 29 April, the Government of Pakistan responded to the Taliban by deploying the army to the region, even employing parachutists delivered via helicopters.[17] By the end of May 2009, almost whole Buner was liberated from the Taliban's grip.[18]
On the morning of August 15th, 2025, a cloudburst occurred in Beshonai village of Buner, causing more than 150 mm of rain in one hour only.[19] This led to flash floods in the district. Other villages affected severely included Pir Baba, Qadar Nagar, and Chagharzi.[20]
The destruction caused by the flash flood was devastating. More than 200 people tragically lost their lives in Buner alone. Entire families were wiped out along with their homes when the Beshonai village was hit by giant rocks that were forced down from a mountain by the intense cloudburst.[21]
In the aftermath of the flood, the KP government released PKR 150 Million to cater to the immediate needs of the situation. Afterwards, the government raised PKR 500 Million for Buner.[22]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 109,147 | — |
| 1961 | 123,217 | +1.22% |
| 1972 | 187,984 | +3.91% |
| 1981 | 265,517 | +3.91% |
| 1998 | 506,048 | +3.87% |
| 2017 | 895,460 | +3.05% |
| 2023 | 1,016,869 | +2.14% |
| Sources:[23] | ||
As of the2023 census, Buner district has 118,665 households and a population of 1,016,869. The district has a sex ratio of 99.90 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 43.75%: 60.61% for males and 27.40% for females. 310,484 (30.54% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. The entire population lives in rural areas.[4]
At the time of the 2023 census, 95.91% of the population spokePashto and 2.07%Hindko as their first language.[24]
The main ethnic groups in Buner district are:
| Religion | 2017[26] | 2023[27] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam | 894,058 | 99.84% | 1,013,575 | 99.70% |
Hinduism | 246 | 0.03% | 141 | 0.01% |
Christianity | 23 | ~0% | 1,872 | 0.18% |
Sikhism | — | — | 1,023 | 0.10% |
| Others | 1,133 | 0.13% | 63 | 0.01% |
| Total Population | 895,460 | 100% | 1,016,674[a] | 100% |
Buner District is subdivided into 6Tehsils:
| Tehsil | Name (Urdu) (Pashto) | Area (km²)[28] | Pop. (2023) | Density (ppl/km²) (2023) | Literacy rate (2023)[29] | Union Councils |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chagharzai Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل چغرزئی)(Pashto:چغرزي تحصیل) | 218 | 125,949 | 577.75 | 38.27% | |
| Daggar Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل ڈگر)(Pashto:ډاګر تحصیل) | 290 | 192,776 | 664.74 | 47.57% | |
| Gadezai Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل سلارزئی گدیزئی)(Pashto:{{script/Arabic|ګدېزي سلارزئي تحصیل) | 472 | 197,466 | 418.36 | 44.22% | |
| Gagra Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل گاگرہ)(Pashto:ګګرا تحصیل) | 217 | 179,087 | 825.29 | 46.22% | |
| Khudu Khel Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل خدو خیل)(Pashto:خدو خېل تحصیل) | 343 | 136,560 | 398.13 | 45.10% | |
| Mandanr Tehsil | (Urdu:تحصیل چملہ)(Pashto:چملا تحصیل) | 325 | 185,031 | 569.33 | 39.47% |
This district is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) inPakistan National Assembly. Its constituency isNA-28.[30]
| Election | Member | Party |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Sher Akbar Khan | PPP (S) |
| 2008 | Istiqbal Khan | ANP |
| 2013 | Sher Akbar Khan | JI |
| 2018 | Sher Akbar Khan | PTI |
| 2024 | Barrister Gohar Ali | IND. |
The district has three constituencies in theProvincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[31] and one in theNational Assembly of Pakistan.
| Member of Provincial Assembly | Party affiliation | Constituency | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riaz Khan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-20 Buner-I | 2024 |
| Syed Fakhr e Jehan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-21 Buner-II | 2024 |
| Abdul Kabir Khan | PTI | PK-22 Buner-III | 2024 |
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Buner".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 798.Sprinkled throughout Kohistan and Upper Hazara, and even extend-ing into Buner are a nomadic-type people known as Gujars.
Administrative divisions ofBuner District | ||
|---|---|---|
| Capital |  | |
| Tehsils | ||
| Union councils | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
34°31′01″N72°29′02″E / 34.5169°N 72.4839°E /34.5169; 72.4839
