# Malakand Division

Malakand Division is an administrative division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Malakand is the second-largest division by population while Mingora, its capital, is the third largest city in the province. CNIC code of Malakand Division is 15.

## List of the Districts

| # | District | Headquarter | Area (km²) | Pop. (2023) | Density (ppl/km²) (2023) | Lit. rate (2023) |
| 1 | Bajaur | Khar | 1,290 | 1,287,960 | 998.4 | 26.26% |
| 2 | Buner | Daggar | 1,865 | 1,016,869 | 545.1 | 43.75% |
| 3 | Lower Chitral | Chitral | 6,458 | 320,407 | 49.6 | 66.10% |
| 4 | Lower Dir | Timergara | 1,583 | 1,650,183 | 1,042.4 | 57.36% |
| 5 | Shangla | Alpuri | 1,586 | 891,252 | 562.0 | 33.74% |
| 6 | Malakand | Batkhela | 952 | 826,250 | 868.1 | N/A |
| 7 | Swat | Saidu Sharif | 5,337 | 2,687,384 | 503.6 | 48.13% |
| 8 | Upper Chitral | Booni | 8,392 | 195,528 | 23.3 | 73.83% |
| 9 | Upper Dir | Dir | 3,699 | 1,083,566 | 292.9 | 46.77% |
| 10 | Central Dir District | Wari | 1,483 | N/A | N/A | N/A |

## List of the Tehsils

| # | Tehsil | Area (km²) | Pop. (2023) | Density (ppl/km²) (2023) | Districts |
| 1 | Bar Chamarkand Tehsil | 13 | 3,574 | 104.41 | Bajaur District |
| 2 | Barang Tehsil | 159 | 90,082 | 100.27 | Bajaur District |
| 3 | Khar Bajaur Tehsil | 238 | 301,778 | 102.81 | Bajaur District |
| 4 | Mamund Tehsil | 250 | 358,190 | 103.29 | Bajaur District |
| 5 | Nawagai Tehsil | 216 | 93,850 | 103.2 | Bajaur District |
| 6 | Salarzai Tehsil | 220 | 316,767 | 101.01 | Bajaur District |
| 7 | Utman Khel Tehsil | 194 | 123,719 | 100.66 | Bajaur District |
| 8 | Chagharzai Tehsil | 218 | 125,949 | 577.75 | Buner District |
| 9 | Daggar Tehsil | 290 | 192,776 | 664.74 | Buner District |
| 10 | Gadezai Tehsil | 472 | 197,466 | 418.36 | Buner District |
| 11 | Gagra Tehsil | 217 | 179,087 | 825.29 | Buner District |
| 12 | Khudu Khel Tehsil | 343 | 136,560 | 398.13 | Buner District |
| 13 | Mandanr Tehsil | 325 | 185,031 | 569.33 | Buner District |
| 14 | Chitral Tehsil | 6,127 | 211,374 | 34.5 | Lower Chitral District |
| 15 | Drosh Tehsil | 331 | 109,033 | 329.4 | Lower Chitral District |
| 16 | Adenzai Tehsil | 372 | 378,915 | 1,018.59 | Lower Dir District |
| 17 | Balambat Tehsil | | | | Lower Dir District |
| 18 | Khal Tehsil | | | | Lower Dir District |
| 19 | Lal Qilla Tehsil | 216 | 247,381 | 1,145.28 | Lower Dir District |
| 20 | Munda Tehsil | | | | Lower Dir District |
| 21 | Samar Bagh Tehsil | 419 | 427,714 | 1,020.80 | Lower Dir District |
| 22 | Timergara Tehsil | 576 | 596,173 | 1,035.02 | Lower Dir District |
| 23 | Sam Ranizai Tehsil | 280 | 353,291 | 1,261.75 | Malakand District |
| 24 | Swat Ranizai Tehsil | 672 | 472,959 | 703.81 | Malakand District |
| 25 | Thana Baizai Tehsil | | | | Malakand District |
| 26 | Utman Khel Tehsil | | | | Malakand District |
| 27 | Alpuri Tehsil | 582 | 366,772 | 630.19 | Shangla District |
| 28 | Bisham Tehsil | 184 | 121,279 | 659.13 | Shangla District |
| 29 | Chakesar Tehsil | 335 | 128,238 | 382.8 | Shangla District |
| 30 | Martung Tehsil | 188 | 103,205 | 548.96 | Shangla District |
| 31 | Makhuzai Tehsil | | | | Shangla District |
| 32 | Shahpur Tehsil | | | | Shangla District |
| 33 | Puran Tehsil | 297 | 171,758 | 578.31 | Shangla District |
| 34 | Babuzai Tehsil | 297 | 696,697 | 2,345.78 | Swat District |
| 35 | Barikot Tehsil | 419 | 220,148 | 525.41 | Swat District |
| 36 | Behrain Tehsil | 2,899 | 270,623 | 93.35 | Swat District |
| 37 | Charbagh Tehsil | 161 | 159,358 | 989.8 | Swat District |
| 38 | Kabal Tehsil | 485 | 480,827 | 991.4 | Swat District |
| 39 | Khwaza Khela Tehsil | 392 | 307,300 | 783.93 | Swat District |
| 40 | Matta Tehsil | 684 | 552,431 | 807.65 | Swat District |
| 41 | Buni Tehsil | | | | Upper Chitral District |
| 42 | Mulkhow Tehsil | | | | Upper Chitral District |
| 43 | Torkhow Tehsil | | | | Upper Chitral District |
| 44 | Mastuj Tehsil | 8,392 | 195,528 | 23.3 | Upper Chitral District |
| 45 | Barawal Tehsil | | | | Upper Dir District |
| 46 | Dir Tehsil | 1,012 | 384,667 | 380.11 | Upper Dir District |
| 47 | Kalkot Tehsil | | | | Upper Dir District |
| 48 | Lar Jam Tehsil | 1,039 | 119,396 | 114.91 | Upper Dir District |
| 49 | Sharingal Tehsil | 1,140 | 210,356 | 184.52 | Upper Dir District |
| 50 | Wari Tehsil | 508 | 369,147 | 726.67 | Upper Dir District |

## History

Until 1970 the area was known as the Malakand Agency. In 1970, Malakand Division was formed from the princely states of Chitral, Dir and Swat (incorporated into West Pakistan in 1969) and an area around the Malakand Fort known as the Malakand Protected Area. The capital of Malakand Division is Saidu Sharif, with the largest city being Mingora (Swat) . In late 2018, former Chitral District was bifurcated into Upper Chitral District, from Mastuj Tehsil, and Lower Chitral District, from Chitral Tehsil.

## District in Malakand Division

{{Malakand Division is comprising 09 districts i.e. Swat, Shangla, Buner, Malakand, Dir Upper & Lower, Chitral Upper & Lower and Bajaur Tribal District with a total area of 32007Kms having population of 8.7 million. Formerly, the districts were princely states of Swat, Dir, Chitral and Malakand Protected Area (Malakand Agency). The States were merged in Pakistan by the Government of Pakistan in 1969 and were declared as Malakand Division. The area consists of snow-capped mountains, singing rivers, fruits laden orchards, flower decked slops and green meadows which attract tourists both at national as well as international level. It lies in the north of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa touching Karakuram Highway at Besham, Afghan border with Dir & Chitral and the strategic Wakhan strip is bordering Chitral. The mentioning of this area is found in the ancient Greek accounts & by other historians. It was a center of Aryan and later on rich Ghandhara civilizations before the Muslim rulers. Alexander the Great, king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia passed through this route to India in 327 B.C, attacking the biggest cities of the area, Massaga (Chakdara), Bazira (Barikot) & Ora (Odigram) and faced tough resistance. However, he could not survive for longer. This area also witnessed the invasion of Sakas(nomadic Iranian people), Kushans (syncretic empire) & white Huns (a race of largely nomadic peoples who were a part of the Hunnic tribes of Central Asia), this region also remained under the influence of Ashoka of Maurian dynasty. The flourishing of Buddhism had genesis in the reign of Ashoka as he adopted Buddhism in the later part of his life. The area then had more than 1400 monasteries and 18000 monks in different parts and was a prominent center of Ghandhara civilization.