Malakand District

Malakand
ضلع ملاکنڈ
ملاکنډ ولسوالۍ
Top: View from top of Malakand Pass
Bottom: River Swat near Jalawanan
Malakand District (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Malakand District (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Country Pakistan
Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
DivisionMalakand
HeadquartersBatkhela
Government
 • TypeDistrict Administration
 • Deputy CommissionerShahid Khan Mohmand
 • District Police OfficerN/A
 • District Health OfficerN/A
Area
 • Total952 km2 (368 sq mi)
Population
 • Total826,250
 • Density870/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
 • Urban
73,590 (8.90%)
 • Rural
753,260
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Number of Tehsils2
Websitemalakand.kp.gov.pk

Malakand District (Pashto: ملاکنډ ولسوالۍ, Urdu: ضلع ملاکنڈ) is a district in the Malakand Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Until 1970, it was a part of the Malakand Protected Area of the erstwhile Provincially Administered Tribal Area(PATA) of Pakistan. In 1970, the district became part of the Malakand Division.[citation needed]

Malakand District lies at a strategically important position as it acts as a gateway to the Bajaur, Lower Dir, Swat and Bunair districts.[citation needed] It is surrounded by mountains that were covered with the varieties of trees, though they have a barren appearance nowadays. The Malakand Pass which connects Mardan to Swat and Dir is located near a region of Malakand called Dargai, a site where the local Pushtun tribes fought two fierce battles with the Imperial British Army in 1895 and 1897 (Siege of Malakand).[2][3]

The Swat River flows downwards through the district towards the Charsadda District where it falls into the Kabul River. Malakand District is bounded in the north by the Lower Dir District, in the east by the Swat District, in the west by Mohmand and Bajaur districts and in the southeast and southwest by the Mardan and Charsadda districts respectively. The area of Malakand protected area is 952 km2.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2023 census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "ODM of the United Kingdom: India Medal 1895-1902".
  3. ^ "1897: Action This Day - the Churchill Centre". Archived from the original on 2007-05-29.