Dera Ismail Khan District

District sub-division in Pakistan

District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan

Dera Ismail Khan District

ضلع ڈیره اسماعیل خان

District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Top: Hindu-Buddhist ruins at Kafir Kot
Bottom: Lal Marah Tombs

Dera Ismail Khan District (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Country|  Pakistan
Province|  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Division| Dera Ismail Khan
Established| 1849; 175 years ago (1849)
Founded by| British Raj
Headquarters| Dera Ismail Khan
Tehsils of Dera Ismail Khan District|

* Dera Ismail Khan Tehsil
Paharpur Tehsil
Paroa Tehsil
Kulachi Tehsil
Daraband Tehsil
Local Area (Ex. Fr DI Khan) Tehsil

Government

• Type| Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• Deputy Commissioner| Nasrullah Khan
• Constituency| NA-44 Dera Ismail Khan-I
• National Assembly Member| Faisal Amin Khan Gandapur (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf)
Area

• Total

| 9,334 km2 (3,604 sq mi)
Elevation

| 165 m (541 ft)
Population

(2023 Pakistani census)[1]

• Total

| 1,822,916
• Density| 200/km2 (510/sq mi)
Time zone| UTC+05:00 (PKT)
• Summer (DST)| DST is not observed
ZIP Code|

29111

NWD (area) code| 966
ISO 3166 code| PK-KP

Dera Ismail Khan District (Urdu and Saraiki: ضلع ڈیره اسماعیل خان, Pashto: دېره اسماعيل خان ولسوالۍ), often abbreviated as D.I. Khan is a district in the Dera Ismail Khan division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The capital of the district is the town of Dera Ismail Khan. The district has an area of 9,334 km2 (3,604 sq mi) and a population of 1,822,916 as of the 2023 Census.[2] After the Second Anglo-Sikh war in 1849 the district was annexed by the British as part of the Punjab and remained so until 1901 when NWFP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was created.

## Geography

[edit]

The district of Dera Ismail Khan is bounded on the North east by the Bhakkar and Dera Ghazi Khan districts of Punjab. Eastern portions of the district along the Indus river are characterized by fertile alluvial plains, while lands farther from the river consist of clay soil cut by ravines from rainfall. The district is bounded on the southwest by a thin strip of the South Waziristan district, which separates D.I Khan from the Koh-e-Sulaiman mountain in the neighboring Baluchistan province. In the northwest is the Tank District.[3]

D.I Khan is separated from the Marwat plains of the Lakki Marwat district by a spur of clay and sandstone hills that stretch east from the Sulaiman mountains to the Indus river known as the Sheikh Badin Hills.[citation needed]

The highest peak in the range is the limestone Sheik Badin mountain, which is protected by the Sheikh Badin National Park. Near the Indus River is a spur of limestone hills known as the Kafir Kot hills, where the ancient Hindu complex of Kafir Kot is located.[3] DI Khan is also considered the center of Pakistan because of its location between Bhakkar, Mianwali of North Punjab, Zhob of Balochistan and South Waziristan of Pakistan's tribal belt.[citation needed]

## History

[edit]

It is named after Dodai mercenary Ismail Khan, son of Malik Sohrab Dodai of the Langah Sultanate, who laid the foundation of the area.[4]

## Ancient history

[edit]

The Dera Ismail Khan District is littered with ruins from ancient civilizations. Dera Ismail Khan is home to the collection of Hindu ruins from two separate sites 20 miles apart,[3] jointly known as Kafir Kot.

The region came under the influence of the Nanda empire of the ancient India from 300 BCE. With the rise of Chandragupta Maurya, the region came under the complete control of the Mauryan empire. Afterward, the region was briefly and nominally controlled by the Shunga empire. However, with the decline of the Shungas, the region passed to local Hindu and Buddhist rulers and was interrupted by foreign rulers. Many of these foreign rulers, like the Indo-Parthians, Sakas, and Kushans converted to Hinduism and Buddhism and promoted these Indian religions throughout central and south Asia. The region reached its height under the Buddhist ruler Kanishka. After the fall of the Kushans, the region came under the control of the Gupta empire of the ancient India. During this period, Hindu and Buddhist art and architecture flourished in the area.[5]

With the decline of the imperial Guptas, the Hindu Shahis came to rule the area. The Hindu Shahis built two massive forts in the northern edges of Dera Ismail Khan. The forts were later renamed as "Kafir kots" (forts of the Kuffar (Disbelievers)). These Hindu Shahi forts were known for high towers and steep defensive walls. The Hindus also built many Hindu temples around the area. However, many of them are now in rubble. The Hindu Shahis remained in control of the area until their defeat by the Turkic Muslim army of Ghaznavids.[5]

The district is part of what was historically territory inhabited by the Baloch people during the medieval India, who were invited to settle in the region by Shah Husseyn of the Langah Sultanate of Multan. These Baloch settlers were displaced by or assimilated into later waves of the Pashtun settlement.[3]

## British Era

[edit]

Dera Ismail Khan was created as an administrative unit of the British India, part of the Derajat Division of the North-West Frontier Province (Now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). It was formerly divided into almost two equal portions by the Indus river which intersected it from north to south. To the west of the Indus, the characteristics of the country resembled those of Dera Ghazi Khan. To the east of the present bed of the river, there is a wide track known as the Kachi, exposed to river action. Beyond this, the country rises abruptly, and a barren, almost desert plain stretches eastwards, sparsely cultivated, and inhabited by nomadic tribes.

In 1901, the trans-Indus tract was allotted to the newly formed North-West Frontier Province, the cis-Indus tract remaining in the Punjab jurisdiction. The cis-Indus portions of the Dera Ismail Khan and the Bannu districts now comprise the new Punjab district of Mianwali. Wheat and wool were exported. In 1901, it contained an area of 8,814 km2 (3,403 sq mi) and a population of 252,379. In 1947, it became part of the newly independent State of Pakistan.[6]

In 2016, 191,000 acres in the district were brought under cultivation with completion of the Gomal Zam dam, and a series of irrigation canals partially funded by the United States Government.[7]

## Demography

[edit]

Languages

Saraiki are main ethnic groups in Dera Ismail Khan District in simple majority. Total population of DI Khan District is 1,822,916 consists of Males 956,098 & females 866,667 as of 2023 Pakistani census.

Languages of Dera Ismail Khan District (2023 Pakistani census)

Saraiki (65.76%)

Pashto (31.96%)

Urdu (1.70%)

Balochi (0.04%)

Others (0.51%)

There are 1,198,862 Saraiki, 582,703 Pashto, 31,152 Urdu, 4,765 Punjabi, 863 Sindhi, 791 Balochi, 490 Kashmiri, 2,738 Hindko, 5 Brahui, 18 Shina, 2 Balti, 3 Kalasha & 524 others of total 1,822,916 [8]

Historical populationYear| Pop.| ±% p.a.

|
|

1972 | 430,051| —
1981 | 550,256| +2.78%
1998 | 891,985| +2.88%
2017 | 1,693,594| +3.43%
2023| 1,829,811| +1.30%
Sources:[9]

As of the 2023 census, Dera Ismail Khan district has 270,021 households and a population of 1,829,811. The district has a sex ratio of 110.24 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 46.58%: 58.14% for males and 33.71% for females. 559,401 (30.69% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 374,757 (20.48%) live in urban areas.[1]

### Religion

[edit]

Religion in Dera Ismail Khan District Religion  | 1941[10][11]: 22 [a] | 2017[12] | 2023[13]

|
|
|

Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | %
Islam | 205,910  | 84.92%  | 1,690,436  | 99.81%  | 1,816,418  | 99.64%
Hinduism | 33,888  | 13.98%  | 642  | 0.04%  | 717  | 0.04%
Sikhism | 2,000  | 0.82%  | —  | —  | 58  | ~0%
Christianity | 195  | 0.08%  | 2,278  | 0.13%  | 5,645  | 0.31%
Other  | 474  | 0.20%  | 238  | 0.02%  | 78  | 0.01%
Total Population  | 242,467  | 100%  | 1,693,594  | 100%  | 1,822,916[b] | 100%
Religious groups in Dera Ismail Khan District (British North-West Frontier Province era)  Religious
group  | 1881[14] | 1891[15] | 1901[16] | 1911[17] | 1921[18] | 1931[19] | 1941[10][11]: 22

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | %
Islam | 385,244  | 87.23%  | 420,189  | 86.42%  | 218,338  | 86.51%  | 224,992  | 87.85%  | 218,315  | 83.72%  | 235,707  | 86%  | 255,757  | 85.79%
Hinduism | 54,446  | 12.33%  | 62,961  | 12.95%  | 29,434  | 11.66%  | 28,617  | 11.17%  | 39,311  | 15.08%  | 35,822  | 13.07%  | 39,167  | 13.14%
Sikhism | 1,691  | 0.38%  | 2,840  | 0.58%  | 4,362  | 1.73%  | 2,175  | 0.85%  | 1,904  | 0.73%  | 1,878  | 0.69%  | 2,390  | 0.8%
Christianity | 253  | 0.06%  | 204  | 0.04%  | 230  | 0.09%  | 336  | 0.13%  | 1,237  | 0.47%  | 657  | 0.24%  | 810  | 0.27%
Zoroastrianism | 13  | 0%  | 7  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%
Jainism | 2  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 15  | 0.01%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 1  | 0%
Buddhism | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 5  | 0%
Judaism | —  | —  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 1  | 0%
Others  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%  | 0  | 0%
Total population  | 441,649  | 100%  | 486,201  | 100%  | 252,379  | 100%  | 256,120  | 100%  | 260,767  | 100%  | 274,064  | 100%  | 298,131  | 100%
Note1: British North-West Frontier Province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.

Note2: Population decrease noted between 1891 census and 1901 census due to the creation of British North-West Frontier Province, bifurcating from British Punjab province. The trans-Indus tract of Dera Ismail Khan district was allotted to the newly formed North-West Frontier Province, the cis-Indus tract remaining in the Punjab jurisdiction. The cis-Indus portions of the Dera Ismail Khan and the Bannu districts would comprise the new Punjab district of Mianwali.

## Education

[edit]

The Dera Ismail Khan district has many schools and colleges, predominantly in the capital of Dera Ismail Khan.

* University of Agriculture, Dera Ismail Khan
* Gomal University\- Two campuses in Dera Ismail Khan[20]
* St. Helen's High School & College
* Qurtuba University
* Gomal Medical College
* University Wensam College
* Shawn School & College Paharpur
* Punjab College Meraj Campus
* Dar-e-Arqam School, Dera Ismail Khan
* The City School, Dera Ismail Khan
* Government College of Technology, Dera Ismail Khan campus
* The Educators Dikhan campus

Beaconhouse School System

* Overseas Pakistan Foundation School
* Educare School
* Knowledge Home
* Islamabad Schools
* Mufti Mehmood Public School & College

## Politics

[edit]

The district is represented in the National Assembly by two elected MNAs who represent the following constituencies:

Constituency  | MNA  | Party

|
|

NA-24 | Fazal-ur-Rehman[21] | Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (F)
NA-39 | Muhammad Yaqoob Shiekh | PTI

* * *

### Provincial Assembly

[edit]

Member of Provincial Assembly | Party Affiliation | Constituency | Year  | Area

|
|
|
|

Ehtisham Javed | Independent | PK-95 Dera Ismail Khan-I | 2018  | Paharpur/Paniyala
Ahmad Kundi | Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians | PK-96 Dera Ismail Khan-II | 2018  | D.I.Khan North
Faisal Amin Khan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-97 Dera Ismail Khan-III | 2018  | D.I.Khan city
Lutf ur Rahman | Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal | PK-98 Dera Ismail Khan-IV | 2018  | Paroa Tehsil
Aghaz Ikram Ullah Gandapur | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-99 Dera Ismail Khan-V | 2018  | Kulachi, Draban, FR DIK

## Cuisine and food

[edit]

Sobat is a traditional dish predominantly prepared in the capital of Dera Ismail Khan.[citation needed] It consists of chicken, onions, garlic, tomatoes, khusk dhania, garam masala, turmeric, and other spices. It is usually eaten as dinner. Sobat is known all over Pakistan, and brings a lot of attention to the district and the city.[citation needed]

## Sports

[edit]

Football is a very popular game in Dera Ismail Khan. Other games including cricket, hockey, badminton, and many more are played as well. Ali Amin Khan has also provided a platform for more involvement in sports in this region. In 2017, he introduced a tennis ball cricket league, named Dera Premier League, and the teams from different geographical regions of Pakistan competed. Season two was held in 2018. DPL became Pakistan's biggest tape ball cricket tournament.[22]

Dera Ismail Khan has a cricket team as well: Dera Ismail Khan cricket team. Some cultural games (kabaddi, mailay and kodi, which is played by three sportsmen called pehlwaan where one runs while two other have to catch him in a big circular ground encircled by spectators) are still popular among native Saraiki people and have been for decades.

## Administration

[edit]

The district is subdivided into six Tehsils which contain a total of 47 Union Councils:[23]

### Tehsils

[edit]

1. D.I. Khan (Urdu: تحصیل ڈیره اسماعیل خان)(Pashto: دېره اسماعيل خان تحصیل)
2. Kulachi (Urdu: تحصیل کلاچی)(Pashto: کلاچي تحصیل)[23]
3. Paharpur (Urdu: تحصیل پہاڑ پور)(Pashto: پهاړ پور تحصیل)[23]
4. Paroa (Urdu: تحصیل پاروا)(Pashto: پاروا تحصیل)
5. Daraban (Urdu: تحصیل دارابان)(Pashto: دارابان تحصیل)
6. Drazanda (Urdu: تحصیل درازندہ)(Pashto: درازنده تحصیل)
* formerly Frontier Region Dera Ismail Khan (Urdu: سرحدی علاقہ ڈیره اسماعیل خان)(Pashto: دېره اسماعيل خان سرحدي سیمه)

After the merger of Tribal areas, Darazinda is now also a tehsil of D.I.Khan.[citation needed]

## See also

[edit]

* Pakistan portal

* Dera Ismail Khan
* Pakistan
* National Assembly of Pakistan
* Tehsil
* Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
* Sport in Pakistan
* President of Pakistan
* Arif Alvi
* Pakistani cuisine

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 1" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
2. ^ "Pakistan Census 2023" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan website.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
3. ^ a b c d Tolbort, T (1871). The District of Dera Ismail Khan, Trans-Indus. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
4. ^ Farooq Miana (20 April 2010). "Baloch tribes of the Saraiki Waseb". Waseb.org website. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
5. ^ a b Ancient Pakistan. Chairman, Department of Archaeology, University of Peshawar. 1971.
6. ^ "Dera Ismail Khan | Pakistan". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
7. ^ "US Government Helping to Bring Water to 191,000 acres in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Pakistan website. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
8. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 11" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
9. ^ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan website.
10. ^ a b India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 10, North-West Frontier Province". p. 22\. JSTOR saoa.crl.28215543. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
11. ^ a b "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME X NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE". Jstor.org. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
12. ^ "Pakistan Census 2017 District-Wise Tables: Dera Ismail Khan". Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
13. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 9" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
14. ^ "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. p. 17\. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057657. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
15. ^ Edward Maclagan, Sir (1891). "The Punjab and its feudatories, part II--Imperial Tables and Supplementary Returns for the British Territory". p. 14\. JSTOR saoa.crl.25318669. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
16. ^ "Census of India 1901. [Vol. 17A]. Imperial tables, I-VIII, X-XV, XVII and XVIII for the Punjab, with the native states under the political control of the Punjab Government, and for the North-west Frontier Province". 1901. p. 34\. JSTOR saoa.crl.25363739. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
17. ^ "Census of India 1911. Vol. 13, North-west Frontier Province : part I, Report; part II, Tables". 1911. p. 306\. JSTOR saoa.crl.25394102. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
18. ^ "Census of India 1921. Vol. 14, North-west Frontier Province : part I, Report; part II, Tables". 1921. p. 344\. JSTOR saoa.crl.25430163. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
19. ^ Mallam, G. L.; Dundas, A. D. F. (1933). "Census of India, 1931, vol. XV. North-west frontier province. Part I-Report. Part II-Tables". Peshawar, Printed by the manager, Government stationery and printing, 1933. p. 373\. JSTOR saoa.crl.25793233. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
20. ^ Yousaf Ali (19 September 2022). "Gomal varsity reopens today as students call off protest". The News International newspaper. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
21. ^ "2013 election result (Dera Ismail Khan District winner Molana Fazal-ur-Rehman on page 21 of 511)" (PDF). Election Commission of Pakistan website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
22. ^ "Factors Affecting Sports Activities: A Case Study of Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan (DIK)". Researchgate.net. 8 October 2020.
23. ^ a b c "Tehsils & Unions in the District of Dera Ismail Khan". National Reconstruction Bureau – Government of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2023.

1. ^ Dera Ismail Khan and Kulachi tehsils of erstwhile Dera Ismail Khan district, which roughly corresponds to the present district excluding the former Frontier Region Dera Ismail Khan tehsil.
2. ^ Different from official population figure since it excludes sensitive areas where religion was not asked

* v
* t
* e

Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Provincial capital: Peshawar

Bannu|

* Bannu
* Lakki Marwat
* North Waziristan

Dera Ismail Khan|

* Dera Ismail Khan
* Tank
* Lower South Waziristan
* Upper South Waziristan

Hazara|

* Abbottabad
* Allai
* Battagram
* Haripur
* Kolai-Palas
* Upper Kohistan
* Lower Kohistan
* Mansehra
* Torghar

Kohat|

* Hangu
* Karak
* Kohat
* Kurram
* Orakzai

Malakand|

* Bajaur
* Buner
* Central Dir
* Lower Chitral
* Lower Dir
* Malakand
* Shangla
* Swat
* Upper Dir
* Upper Chitral

Mardan|

* Mardan
* Swabi

Peshawar|

* Charsadda
* Nowshera
* Peshawar
* Khyber
* Mohmand

Former|

* Chitral
* South Waziristan

* v
* t
* e

Administrative divisions of Dera Ismail Khan District

Capital|

* Dera Ismail Khan

Tehsils|

* D.I. Khan
* Kulachi
* Paharpur
* Paroa
* Daraban
* Drazanda

Union councils|

* Abba Khel
* Band Kurai
* Bigwani Shumali
* Bilot Sharif
* Cheh Kan
* Choudhwan
* Daraban
* Dewala
* Dhap Shumali
* Gara Isa Khan
* Giloti
* Hathala
* Kathgarh
* Kech
* Kiri Shamozai
* Kirri Khaisore
* Kot Jai
* Kotla Syedan
* Kurai
* Lachra
* Lar
* Looni
* Lunda Sharif
* Maddi
* Mahra
* Malana
* Mandhra
* Miran
* Muryali
* Mussa Zai Sharif
* Naivela
* Paharpur
* Paniala
* Paroa
* Ratta Kulachi
* Shore Kot
* Wanda Khan Muhammad
* Yarik
* Zandani

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

32°00′N 70°30′E﻿ / ﻿32.000°N 70.500°E﻿ / 32.000; 70.500
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