Attock District
Attock District
اٹک | |
|---|---|
 District location within Punjab Province | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| Capital | Attock |
| No. of tehsils | 6 |
| Government | |
| • Nazim | Maj Tahir Sadiq |
| • Naib nazim | Malik Muhammad Sameem Khan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6,857 km2 (2,648 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2,758 m (9,049 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Languages | Punjabi, Hindko, Pashto, Urdu, English |
| www.attocknews.com www.attockonians.com | |
Attock District (Urdu: ضلع اٹک) is a district in the north-west Punjab Province of Pakistan.
The district was created in April 1904[1] by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.
Attock District is a place of great historic significance. Alexander the Great of Macedonia passed through it as did the first Mughal, Babar, and the various Afghan Sultans before him.
Emperor Akbar the Great, the grandson of Babar, recognizing the strategic importance of this area in 1581 built his famous Attock Fort complex here. The fall of Mughal Empire in 18th century saw the rise of Hindu Maratha state and Sikhs in Punjab and Durrani Afghans to the west. Once again Attock became a battle ground between two contending powers. Maratha Peshwa's brother Raghunathrao won Attock and flagged Hindu dominance over this area in 1758. But in Third battle of Panipat Marathas lost to Ahmead Shah Abdali and lost the control of this region. British finally ended the feud by subjugating both Sikhs and Afghans in the 19th century.[2]
Name
Attock District original name was Attock it changes Campbellpur after the Briton Sir Campbell who founded the city of Campbellpore. The name of the district was changed to Attock as of 1978 again.[3] Attock city is the district headquarters.
Neighbours
Attock District is bordered by the Haripur and Swabi districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to the north, the district of Rawalpindi to the east, the district of Chakwal to the southeast, the district of Mianwali to the southwest, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's districts of Kohat and Nowshera to the west and northwest. The river Indus forms the western boundary of the district.
Kabul River
Attock is the eastern terminus of the Kabul-Attock corridor to the Central Asia through which for centuries have passed the armies and the caravans alike. However unlike the modern highways, this corridor is not a work of engineering marvel but an act of nature as it was naturally carved through the Hindu Kush Mountains by the legendary Kabul River.
The 435 miles long journey of River Kabul starts just west of the Kabul city in Afghanistan and ends at Attock where it ultimately falls into the River Indus.[2]
Resources
Dhullian is a village in Pindigheb Tehsil. This village has important resources namely oil and gas. It has been providing oil since the 1930s. There are all types of soil as mountains, plain areas fertile grounds and it also has a river flowing through it. There is a famous Ghala Mandi located in Dhullian Chowk. Here 90% of the total population area agricultural. This historical village is located at the end of Attock District.
Geography and climate
Attock District has a climate of hot summers and cold winters. The northern part of the district is more humid and is more moderate in climate relative to the southern part of the district due to the higher altitude. Geographically, the district is mainly hills, plateaus and dissected plains. The Indus River flows on the northern and western borders of the district. After Haripur, the Haro River passes through the north of the tehsil of Attock where there is a flood plain with fertile soil. The District's average annual rainfall is 783 mm.
Population
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan the district had a population of 1,274,935 of which 20.45% were urban,[4] The estimated population in 2008 was 1.58 million.
The city also had a significant Muhajir population. In fact, Attock city was dominated by the immigrants from India but gradually their population has dwindled and now they are a minority - mostly living in old quarters of Attock city. During the soviet war in Afghanistan a great number of afghan refugees came to Attock as it is closed to Peshawar, although many of these refugees have moved back to Afghanistan but still there is a considerable percentage of those who chose not to go back and have started their lives in Attock.
Almost 50% of the population of this city near area chachh are of Pashtun) origin, who speak Hindko language. There is also significant villages of predominately Pashto speaking Pashtuns in Attock , who have managed to keep their Pashto language, but are often bilingual in both Hindko and Pashto. The remaining population consists of Bangash, Sayyeds, Gujjars and other non-Pathan tribes.
A large percentage of the population of Chhachh have Pashtun roots and are mostly descendants of the tribes of Durrani, Alizai, Yousafzai, Kakar, Dilazak, Tareen, Tahir Khel (Tahirkheli), Qazikhel, khattak, Tanoli, Sadozai and Barakzai. They arrived in the area around 1000 AD as part of the army of Mahmud of Ghazni and made it their permanent home after defeating the Hindu confederation near Hazro.
Proof of this is that many of the villages & individual quarters of chachh are named after certain Pakhtun personalities & tribes, markedly proving who had founded them. For example Aka Khel, Nasozai, Inayat Khel (the founding and Khan tribe of Ghorghushti village), Utman Khel, Saleem Khan, Ghorghushti, Adalzai, Barazai, etc. Most of these Pashtuns now refer to themselves as Pathans and speak Hindko as their main language, were as the Pashto speaking Pashtuns are still referred to as Pashtuns.
Some of the Pashto speaking Pashtuns of chach (Attock) belong to the following Pashtun tribes namely Ismail Khel, Tarakhel Khel, Salat Khel, Hisab (Yusuf) Khel, Tur Khel and Babarkarzai. There is also a steady flow of Pashtuns from Afghanistan settling into the area, and are hospitably welcomed by the local Pashtuns.
Chach Pashtuns are revered for their fighting ability in ancient times and more recently for their many advancements in education, culture, and society. It is claimed that Hindko was the original ancient language of Chhachh when it was part of the Gandhara civilisation and was adopted over time by the Pashtun tribes of the area. The remaining population of Chach consists of Mughals, Kashmiris, Jats, Bangash, Rajputs, qureshis, Gujjars, Syeds,(Pakistan)
Main tribes
The Sardar, Khattar,Qanungoh Shaikhs,}, Syed, Paracha, Awans, Pathans, Bangashs, Malik, Gujjars, Rajput, qureshis,and Mughals are the main tribes of Attock District.[5] The main Rajput tribes are the Alpial, Jodhra, Janjua Chauhan and Bhatti. The Chauhan of Khaur, the Alpial of Chakri and Jodhra of Kamlial are important families in the district.
The main Royal Mughals Sardar tribe is MughalGheba.The Sardar of Fateh jang tehsil and Pindigheb tehsil are important in the District.
Pathan/pashtun
The Pashtun, or as they are referred to in this region, as Pashtuns are found principally in the Attock District and belongs to Qais Abdur Rashid(father of all Pashtuns). There are two Pathan settlements in that district, one in the south-west of Pindigheb Tehsil at Makhad and in the Narrara hills , the other in the Hazro Tehsil, chiefly in the Chhachh illaqa.[6] In addition, there are also a few scattered villages, in Rawalpindi District.
According to the 1901 Census of India, these were the main sub-divisions of the Pashtunss in Attock District.[7]
Hindu population before 1947
Attock District had a heterogeneous mix of religious and ethnic populations before 1947. The Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930 records {{cquote|Hindus, who make up 8.5% of the total population are by tribes and in order of numerical importance, Khatris, Aroras, Brahmans and Mohyals[8]
History
According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India:
The history of the District is practically the same as that of Rawalpindi district. Hassan Abdal, the chief relic of the Buddhist period, was one of the towns subordinate to the capital of Taxila, and under the Gakhars, Mughals, and Sikhs the District followed the fortunes of Rawalpindi. The chief historical events recorded are the defeat of Anand Pal near Ohind by Mahmud of Ghazni, the foundation of ATTOCK by Akbar, and its vicissitudes in the Sikh Wars. The District was constituted in 1904,
the tahsils of Attock, Pindi Gheb, and Fatahjang being transferred
from Rawalpindi District, and that of Talagang from Jhelum.[9]
Ancient history
Pāṇini was an ancient Indian scholar who was born between the 7th and 4th centuries BC in Shalatula, a town near to Attock on the Indus river in present day Pakistan. He is regarded by scholars as one of the most innovative people in the whole development of knowledge. He was a Sanskrit grammarian who gave a comprehensive and scientific theory of phonetics, phonology, and morphology.[10]
The Astadhyayi (also known as Astaka) is Panini's major work.Citied from (J J O'Connor and E F Robertson, Panini Biography, 2000) MacTutor History of Mathematics[11]In this work Panini distinguishes between the language of sacred texts and the usual language of communication. Panini gives formal production rules and definitions to describe Sanskrit grammar. Starting with about 1700 basic elements like nouns, verbs, vowels, consonants he put them into classes. The construction of sentences, compound nouns etc. is explained as ordered rules operating on underlying structures in a manner similar to modern theory. In many ways Panini's constructions are similar to the way that a mathematical function is defined today
Attock fort was completed in 1583 under the supervision of Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, a minister of Emperor Akbar. The Mughal caravan sarai outside the fort, which is almost on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, was also built during this period.
- Gandhara
Gandhara (/ɡənˈdɑrə/) was an historic region of ancient India, (which corresponds to areas of north west Pakistan including Attock). Situated astride the middle Indus River, the region had Taxila and Peshawar as its chief cities. It was originally a province of the Persian Empire and was reached (327 BC.) by Alexander the Great. The region passed to Chandragupta, founder of the Maurya empire, in the late 4th century BC., and under Asoka was converted (mid-3d century) to Buddhism. It was part of Bactria from the late 3d century to the 1st century BC. Under the Kushan dynasty (1st century–3rd centuries AD), and especially under Kanishka, Gandhara developed a noted school of sculpture, consisting mainly of images of Buddha and relief's representing scenes from Buddhist texts, but with marked Greco-Roman elements of style. The art form flourished in Gandhara until the 5th century, when the region was conquered by the Huns.
Khatris
.[8]Khatris, who number about 24000 make up the greater portion of the Hindu population.[8]
| Tribe | Attock Tehsil | Pindigheb Tehsil | Fateh Jang Tehsil | Talagang Tehsil | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akhund Khel | 722 | 722 | ||||
| Alizai | 4,415 | 4,415 | ||||
| Babar | 615 | 615 | ||||
| Babi | 581 | 581 | ||||
| Barakzai | 578 | 578 | ||||
| Dilazak | 1,070 | 3 | 43 | 1,116 | ||
| Jamal Khel | 579 | 579 | ||||
| Lodhi | 727 | 1 | 5 | 733 | ||
| Manduri | 864 | 864 | ||||
| Piru Khel (Afridi) | 594 | 594 | ||||
| Saddo Khel | 801 | 801 | ||||
| Sagri Khattak | 4,759 | 4,759 | ||||
| Tareen | 658 | 658 |
Administration
The district of Attock is administratively subdivided into six tehsils, each with an elected Nazim:
| Tehsil | Nazim |
| Attock[12] | Qazi Khalid Mehmood Chotya' |
| Fateh Jang | Sardar Arjamand Zaheer Afzal Khan |
| Hassan Abdal | Haji Shafqat Ali Khan Tahirkheli |
| Jand | Sardar AAmer Khan |
| Pindi Gheb | Malik Liaqat Ali khan |
| Hazro | Raza Khan |
Senators
The district has been represented in the Senate of Pakistan by the following senators:
- Late Ahmad Waheed Akhtar (Pakistan Peoples Party)
- Sardar Mehmood Advocate[13]
- PPP Central Leader Malik Hakmeen Khan[14]
MNAs
- Shiekh Aftab Ahmed (Chief Whip PMLN).
- Perwaiz Elahi (PMLQ).
- Sardar Salim Haider Khan (PPPP).
- Malik Allahyar Khan (PML)1956-2007
Village of Thatta
Village of Thatta and "Tarap" have been two of the most important villages of the District. It is believed to have been founded by Sher Shah Suri, while some believe that these was founded much earlier, in the time of Alexander's invasion. The Khattar family of this village has played a very important role in the progress of the country and the region.[15][16]
Prominent personalities of this village include:
- Sardar Lal Khan, known for his courage and bravery against the Bristish Raj and Sikhs. He fought many wars against them and never accepted their government. He was offered a lot of property, but declined; rather, he lost a lot of his own property as a Freedom Fighter and political activist. Although British colonial rulers did bring some other people against him politically by rewarding them with big jageers, his influence never ended. His sons, Sardar Zakri Khan and Sardar Ghulam Khan, also worked hard in the political movement against British Raj.[15]
- Major General Javed Afzal, Brig Afzal's Son, who served with the British Army.
- Brig. Afzal, political and social figure, Father of Javed Afzal.
Current important personalities include:
- Sardar Saleem Khan, is a grandson of Sardar Lal Khan and son of Sardar Ghulam Khan, a social worker, political activist, and founder of various charity and philanthropic organizations, is currently Chairman of the Social Development Organization, one of the largest NGOs in the District.[15]
- Sardar Abdul Rashid Khan,Advocate, elder brother of Sardar Saleem Khan,and son of Sardar Ghulam Khan has played a very active role in the restoration of Judiciary.He is a distinguished lawyer of district. He is a well-respected and learned person, who commands respect in the whole region, due to his humble and down to earth behaviour.[15]
- Cdr Abdul Qayyum Khan is also an important and widely respected personality. He also belongs to Village of Thatta and grandson of Sardar Lal Khan. He has been playing a very active social and political role since after his retirement from Pakistan Navy on completion of his meritorious service.[15]
- Sardar Manzar Ameer is tehsil Nazim
See also
External links
References
- ^ Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930, Punjab Government, Lahore 1932. Reprinted version: Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore, 1989
- ^ a b http://pakistaniat.com/2007/01/24/kabul-river-pakistan-attock/
- ^ "Official Website". Attock Police. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
- ^ "Pakistan: Population 1901-98". Urban Resource Centre. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
- ^ District Profile: Central Punjab- Attock
- ^ A Gazatteer of Attock District Part A 1929 page 89
- ^ Gazatteer of Attock District 1906 Part B Table 15
- ^ a b c Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930 published by Sang-E-Meel Publications and Page 115
- ^ Attock District - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 6, p. 132-133
- ^ Panini/J J O'Connor and E F Robertson
- ^ www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk - Panini
- ^ "Tehsil Attock". TMA Attock. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
- ^ Senate of Pakistan
- ^ Senate of Pakistan
- ^ a b c d e Book titled Tareekh e Attock, (History Of Attock)
- ^ Annuals of Attock district council
