Orakzai District
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Orakzai District
ضلع اورکزئی اورکزي ولسوالۍ Orakzai Agency اورکزئی ایجنسئ اورکزي ایجنسئ | |
---|---|
Pakhto (99.7%)[1]: 16 | |
Website | orakzai |
Orakzai District (
History
The Orakzai tribe derives its name, Wrak Zoy ("the lost son" ), in a literal sense, from a romantic legend, Sikandar Shah. This ancestral figure, a prince hailing from Iran, was subjected to exile. After a series of adventures, he married and ruled in the region of Tirah.[3][4] The tribal area now forming Orakzai District was previously included in the Frontier Region of Kohat district. This status persisted until the 30th of November, 1973.[citation needed]
The Biland Khel or Boland Khel, a small pocket of about 6.5 square kilometers, is part of this district and is two kilometers off Thall, bordering North Waziristan and Kurram agencies. Responding to a long-standing demand of the Orakzais, the then President of Pakistan announced the creation of Orakzai Agency on 3rd of November, 1973 and was formally inaugurated on 1st of December, 1973. Before it was attained the status of an agency, this area was administered as a Frontier Region of the Kohat district by the Deputy Commissioner of Kohat.
The Orakzai District consists of two sub-divisions: Upper sub-division and Lower sub-division. The Upper sub-division comprises two Tehsils, Upper Tehsil and Ismailzai Tehsil, and the Lower sub-division also has two Tehsils, Lower Tehsil and Central Tehsil. The land of the Orakzai tribes is between 33° -33' to 33° -54' north latitudes and 70° -36' to 71° -22' east longitudes. It is bounded in the north by Khyber District, in the east by FR Kohat, in the south by Kohat and Hangu districts, and in the west by Kurram District. The total area of the district is 1,538 square kilometers.
Certain Orakzai tribes like the Masozai and half the Lashkarzai find themselves in
Then Prime Minister
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Orakzai_District.png/429px-Orakzai_District.png)
The valley is flanked by mountain ranges 6,000 to 7,000 feet (2,100 m) high. Among the seven tribal agencies, Orakzai Agency is the second smallest in area after
Orakzai Agency is a hilly region with a fertile valley. The elevation of the hills varies from over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in the west and to less than 6,650 feet (2,030 m) in east. Generally, the elevation of the plain varies from 5,200 to 5,500 feet (1,700 m) above sea level. Important peaks are Sangla (6325 ft) and Chara Kandaco (5643 ft). The height of Kalaya and Sangla is nearly equal.[citation needed]
Orakzai Agency is characterized by intensely cold winters and mild summers. December, January and February are the coldest months and snow falls in these months. Summers are mild and the maximum temperature does not go above 30 degrees Celsius. Surrounding mountains are covered by dense thick forests, which produce a cooling effect in summer. Due to the geographical position of Orakzai and its thick forest cover, it rains throughout the year. In winter, the precipitation is snowfall over the surrounding mountains and the valley. There is no rain gauge, but rainfall is estimated to be around 36 inches (910 mm) per year.
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1961 | 209,616 | — |
1972 | 283,557 | +2.78% |
1981 | 358,751 | +2.65% |
1998 | 225,441 | −2.70% |
2017 | 254,303 | +0.64% |
Sources:[5] |
At the time of the 2017 census the district had 31,177 households and a population of 254,303. Orakzai had a sex ratio of 993 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 37.43% - 60.63% for males and 15.02% for females. The entire population was rural. 36.45% of the population was under 10 years of age. 176 (0.07%) people in the district were from religious minorities. Pashto was the predominant language, spoken by 99.59% of the population.[6]
Tourism
![]() | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (March 2024) |
Nanawar cave is located in Mani Khel Dara Orakzai Tribal District. It is approx 200 Meters long cave with 2 entrances and is home to thousands of bats & spiders. The cave traces its history back thousands of years with varying opinions and myths: -
•Thousands of years back, lava erupted here and it seems like a bubble trapped in lava which made this cave.
•Second opinion is that it is a limestone cave which ended up on water channel beneath the surface in summer water.
•Other opinion of the historian is that the graves on the ground in the general area are not Muslim graves, and it is believed that this cave was used for meditation in Kanishka times 127 CE.
•The myth that its farther end is unexplored, seems false. It has a farther end with a graduated narrowing/ suffocating effects due to low oxygen.
History of Nanawar Cave compiled by Zakir Ullah Khan.
Administration
Orakzai District is currently subdivided into four Tehsils.[2]
- Pashto: منځني اورکزي تحصیل)
- Pashto: اسماعیلزي تحصیل)
- Pashto: ښکته اورکزي تحصیل)
- Pashto: پورتنۍ اورکزي تحصیل)
Upper Orakzai
Upper Orakzai is a National Assembly constituency in the Orakzai District.[7]
Some of main areas of Upper Orakzai include:
- Ghiljo Bazar
- Sama Bazar
- Ghotak Eisa khel
- Mishti mela
Upper Orakzai is the Sub-Division of Orakzai District. The main office are in Ghiljo Bazar. Upper Orakzai includes four big sections: Ali khel Mola Khel Mamozai Ali Sherzai Eisa khel Ahkhel Shikhan
Lower Orakzai
Lower Orakzai agency is subdivision. Headquarter is in kalaya town named Kalaya Headquarter, a populated area of Orakzai agency. The main sections are Sepoy, Bar Muhammad khel, Mani khel , Feroz khel,utman khel, Bezoti and Stori Khel
Provincial Assembly
Member of Provincial Assembly | Party Affiliation | Constituency | Year |
---|---|---|---|
Syed Ghazi Ghazan Jamal Orakzai | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-94 Orakzai |
2019 |
Education
According to Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017 published by Alif Ailaan, Orakzai District ranks 125th in Pakistan in terms of primary school infrastructure while it ranks 132nd in Pakistan for middle school infrastructure.
In terms of education score, Orakzai District stands at 103rd number in National Ranking. The retention score is 30.03 whereas the gender parity score is 63.14 from the available data.
Lack of government schools and provision of teachers are among the main issues reported by the residents of Orakzai District using the Taleem Do! App.
Culture
Culture of the area is dominantly
Talibanization and Army offensive
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Kalaya is a small village in the centre of Lower Orakzai Agency. Locals consider it the Heart of Orakzai. A small village called Terai situated in lower Orakzai agency is considered to be the original and ancestral home of the Orakzai people.
See also
References
- ^ a b 1998 Census report of Orakzai Agency. Census publication. Vol. 143. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan.
- ^ a b "DISTRICT AND TEHSIL LEVEL POPULATION SUMMARY WITH REGION BREAKUP [PDF]" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. 2018-01-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
- ^ "11 militants killed in Pakistan's Orakzai agency". UPI. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
- ISSN 2708-4590.
- ^ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ "List of Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers of the National Assembly Constituencies". Election Commission of Pakistan. Retrieved 20 February 2008.
- ^ Ali, Zulfiqar (2012-08-06). "South Waziristan operation: Only Sararogha cleared in three years". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-04-25.