# Buner District

Buner District (Pashto: بونېر ولسوالۍ, Urdu: ضلع بونیر) is a district in the Malakand Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Before receiving the status of a district in 1991, it was a tehsil within Swat District.
Buner's elevation starts at 1200 ft in the South in Totalai and reaches a maximum height of 9,550 ft at the Dosara Peak in the North. The majority of the hills that encircle the Buner District are covered in pine trees. Barandu, Chamla, and Budal are the three principal rivers; the former flows through the center of the district. The majority of people reside in rural areas, where agriculture is their primary source of income. The region's principal crops include sugarcane, tobacco, wheat, and maize.
The marble reserves of Buner make up 68% of the total marble reserves of Pakistan. A total of 450 factories and 316 marble mines currently operate in Buner District, contributing Rs470m in royalty.

## History

The Buner Valley lies between Swabi to the South and Swat to the North. It is a valley dotted with villages and divided into four sub-divisions. The Mora Hills and the Ilam range divide it from the Swat Valley, while the Sinawar range from Yusafzai, the Guru mountains from the Mardan Valley, and the Duma range from the Puran Valley.
During the 1580s, a significant uprising against the Mughal Empire took place among Yusufzai people. In late 1585, Mughal Emperor Akbar sent military forces under Zain Khan Koka and Birbal to crush the rebellion. In February 1586, near the Karakar Pass, about 8,000 Mughal soldiers, including Birbal, were killed by the Yusufzai lashkar, led by Kalu Khan. This was the greatest disaster faced by the Mughal Army during Akbar's reign.
Throughout the 19th century, the inhabitants of Buner stood up twice against the British Raj during the Ambela Campaign and their rebellion in the 1897 Frontier Revolt.
In April 2009, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan seized control of Buner after a short battle with the local residents.The TTP then began imposing strict regulations, which reportedly included the closure of video stores, mandates against trimming beards, and restrictions on women's presence in various public spaces. On 29 April, the Government of Pakistan responded to the Taliban by deploying the army to the region, even employing parachutists delivered via helicopters. By the end of May 2009, almost whole Buner was liberated from the Taliban's grip.
* Elum Ghar

## Demographics

As of the 2023 census, Buner district has 118,665 households and a population of 1,016,869. The district has a sex ratio of 99.90 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 43.75%: 60.61% for males and 27.40% for females. 310,484 (30.54% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. The entire population lives in rural areas.
Religion in Buner District :
| Religion | 2017 | 2017 | 2023 | 2023 |
| Religion | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| Islam | 894,058 | 99.84% | 1,013,575 | 99.70% |
| Hinduism | 246 | 0.03% | 141 | 0.01% |
| Christianity | 23 | ~0% | 1,872 | 0.18% |
| Sikhism | — | — | 1,023 | 0.10% |
| Others | 1,133 | 0.13% | 63 | 0.01% |
| Total Population | 895,460 | 100% | 1,016,674 | 100% |
* Pashto (95.91%)
* Hindko (2.07%)
* Others (2.02%)
At the time of the 2023 census, 95.91% of the population spoke Pashto and 2.07% Hindko as their first language.

## Administration
### Buner Tehsils

Buner District is currently subdivided into 6 Tehsils.
* Daggar (Urdu: تحصیل ڈگر)(Pashto: ډاګر تحصیل‎)
* Chagharzai (Urdu: تحصیل چغرزئی)(Pashto: چغرزي تحصیل‎)
* Chamla (Mandanr) (Urdu: تحصیل چملہ)(Pashto: چملا تحصیل‎)
* Khudu Khel (Urdu: تحصیل خدو خیل)(Pashto: خدو خېل تحصیل‎)
* Gagra (Urdu: تحصیل گاگرہ)(Pashto: ګګرا تحصیل‎)
* Salarzi & Gadezai (Urdu: تحصیل سلارزئی گدیزئی)(Pashto: {{script/Arabic|ګدېزي سلارزئي تحصیل )

### National assembly

This district is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) in Pakistan National Assembly. Its constituency is NA-28.
| Election | Member | Party |
| 2002 | Sher Akbar Khan | PPP (S) |
| 2008 | Istiqbal Khan | ANP |
| 2013 | Sher Akbar Khan | JI |
| 2018 | Sher Akbar Khan | PTI |
2024 Barrister Gohar Ali. IND

### Provincial assembly

The district has three constituencies in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in the National Assembly of Pakistan.
| Member of Provincial Assembly | Party Affiliation | Constituency | Year |
| Riaz Khan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-20 Buner-I | 2024 |
| Syed Fakhr e Jehan | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | PK-21 Buner-II | 2024 |
| Abdul Kabir Khan | PTI | PK-22 Buner-III | 2024 |

## Educational establishments

* University of Buner
* Government College Daggar, Buner
* Government Girls Degree College Daggar
* Government Degree College Jowar, Buner
* Government Girls degree college bazargai
* Government Degree college Ghadizai
* Government Degree College Chamla

## Largest villages

* Torwarsak is the most populated town in Buner which had population of about 35,165 in 2018.Torwarsak village in 2020
* Totalai is the second most populated town with population of about 24,562 in 2018.
* Rega is the third most populated town with population of about 23,726 in 2018.
* Ellai is the fourth most populated town with population of about 23,678 in 2018.
* Afghan Refugees camp had a population of about 22,380 in 2023