Lower Dir District
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Lower Dir District
ضلع دیرِ زیریں | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Headquarters | Timergara |
| Area | |
• District | 1,582 km2 (611 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• District | 1,435,917 |
| • Density | 910/km2 (2,400/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 40,373 |
| • Rural | 1,395,544 |
| Time zone | PST |
| Main language | Pashto (99.4)[2]: 27 |
| Website | http://dirlower.com/ |
Lower Dir District (Template:Lang-ps, Template:Lang-ur) is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Timergara city is the district headquarter and largest city, while the other large cities are Chakdara, Munda, Samar Bagh, Khall and Kumbar.
At the time of independence, Dir was a princely state ruled by Nawab Shah Jehan Khan. It was merged with Pakistan in 1969 and later on declared a
district in 1970. The district was formed in 1996, when the district of Dir was divided into Upper Dir and Lower Dir. The District borders with Swat District on its East, Afghanistan on its West, Upper Dir and Chitral on its North & north-west respectively and Malakand and Bajaur Agency on its South.
Administration
The district is administratively subdivided into seven tehsils, Adenzai, Timergara, Balambat, Khall, Munda, Samar Bagh and Lal Qila Maidan, which contain a total of 41 Union Councils.[3] In Lower Dir, there are 7 tehsils:
| Tehsil | Union councils |
|---|---|
| Adenzai |
Asbanr, Badwan, Chakdara, Khadagzai, Tazagram, Khanpur, Kotigram, Ouch |
| Balambat |
Balambat, Hayaserai, Lajbook, Munjai, Koto, Rabat , Odigram |
| Khall |
Khall-I, Khall-II, Toormang-I, Toormang-II, Sultankhel (Payeen Dara) |
| Lal Qilla |
Bishgram, Lal Qilla, Gall Maidan, Kotkai (Maidan), Zaimdara, |
| Munda |
Khazana, Mia Kalai, Munda, |
| Samarbagh |
Darangai, Kambat, Mayar, Maskini, Sadbar Kali, Samar Bagh |
| Timergara |
Bagh Dush Khel,Saddo, Bandagai, Khungai, Malak Abad Ghara, Noora Khel, Shahi Khel Ziarat Talash, Timergara (Urban) |
National Assembly
This district is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) in Pakistan National Assembly. Its constituency is NA-34.[4]
| Member of National Assembly | Party Affiliation | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Qazi Hussain Ahmad | Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal | 2002 |
| Maulana Ahmad Ghafoor Ghawas | Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal | 2003 |
| Malak Azmat Khan | Pakistan Peoples Party | 2008 |
| Shahib Zada Muhammad Yaqub | Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan | 2013 |
Qazi Hussain Ahmad won the general elections in 2002 but he left the seat as he had also won from his native constituency. Therefore, in January 2003 bye-elections were held.
Muhammad Bashir Khan From Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is the current MNA who won the elections in 2018 with majority.
Provincial Assembly
The district is represented by four elected MPAs in the provincial assembly who represent the following constituencies, after shifting of three union councils from the Upper Dir to Lower Dir, the provincial constituency of upper Dir, PF-93 now consists of UCs Khall, Toor Mang and Akha Gram of Lower Dir :[5]
- PK-13 (Lower Dir-I)
- PK-14 (Lower Dir-II)
- PK-15 (Lower Dir-III)
- PK-16 (Lower Dir-IV)
- PK-17 (Lower Dir-V)
Notable people
- Siraj ul Haq, Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan
- Muhammad Bashir Khan, MNA NA-7 (Lower Dir-II) of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf
- Noorena Shams, professional squash player
- Naseem Shah, fast bowler
See also
- Nagotal
- Constituency NA-6 (Lower Dir-I)
- Constituency NA-7 (Lower Dir-II)
- Education in Lower Dir District
- Upper Dir District
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ 1998 District Census report of Lower Dir. Census publication. Vol. 31. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 1999.
- ^ "Tehsils & Unions in the District of Lower Dir – Government of Pakistan". nrb.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-11-10. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Constituencies and MPAs – Website of the Provincial Assembly of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Archived 2008-04-28 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Government website section on Lower Dir
- Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa news website section on Lower Dir
Administrative divisions of Lower Dir District | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tehsils | Union Councils |  |
| Adenzai | ||
| Balambat | ||
| Lal Qilla | ||
| Munda | ||
| Samar Bagh | ||
| Timergara | ||