Divisions and Subdivisions of Pakistan

~Abbottabad~

DilwALa — Sun, 05 May 2013 02:37:46 +0000

Karachi Zoo: Through a different lens

veiled...! — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:33:31 +0000

Karachi Zoo has much more to offer than what people generally think.
Previously known as the 'Mahatma Gandhi Garden', Karachi Zoo was established in the year 1878. Attractions include a variety of birds, reptiles, a natural history museum, and Karachi's oldest Banayan trees. Over the past few years Karachi Zoo has suffered the loss of precious animals, including the recent death of lion cubs. While the administration is trying hard to make up for past negligence, it is also facing the lack of volunteer-ism from the general public.

Photo credits: Abaseen Khan Afghan

Ahmadpur East or Ahmedpur Sharqia

Heer — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:03:51 +0000

Ahmadpur East or Ahmedpur Sharqia (Urdu, Punjabi: تحصیل احمدپور شرقیہ) is one of the five tehsils (administrative subdivisions) of Bahawalpur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan.[1] Ahmad Pur East contains 31 Union Councils of Pakistan
The city is of particular importance because of its area and history. It is also known as Dera Nawab Sahib. There is a palace covering much of the area around the city. The Sadiq Abbas Government college is based here.
The city is situated on the highway 50 km from Bahawalpur. Its historical importance relates to the Nawab of Bahawalpur. The Noor Mahal palace of Nawab Sadiq the fifth is in Bahawalpur.
The Railway Station of Ahmedpur East is called Dera Nawab Sahib, which can be viewed while travelling towards Karachi. There are two bus stands for this city: Abbasia Chowk and Chowk Chacha Basti. The centre of the city, in which there is currently a roundabout, is named after the martyr Muneer Shaheed.

Saraiki Urdu & Punjabi Language is the most spoken language. [
HISTORICAL & FASCINATING PLACE OF PAKISTAN; Ahmedpur East

This section is written like a personal reflection or essay and may require cleanup. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (January 2011)
Ahmedpur Sharqia which also known as Ahmedpur East and Dera Nawab Sahib is a small town but very historical place of Pakistan. The Sadiq Mahal, Derawar Fort and Uch Sharif are very historical sites here and this city have very fascinating past incidents and historical events which allure the people's heart. People from around the world come to see these sites but now this tourism has become very less due to non-awareness of the general public which is increading day by day and due to the backwardness of the city which is also increasing day by day. The main cause of this is its political leadership which is unable to make some developments and this negative aspect of this city is hindering it in the way of its development of TOURISM as well as in all the other fields of life of the people here.
There are very good families namely Malik, Kamboh, Mian and Bhatti which are considered the well known and educated ones in the city. It is the biggest Tehsil (the administrative unit in Pakistan) having millions of people which are very intelligent and energetic but unfortunately the lackness of the opportunities has pushed them back and stopped them to grow and develop their talent like many other small cities of Pakistan. All the educated and intelligent TALENT of the city is leaking due to backwardness and less opportunities.
The city's entering place is Abbasia Chowk for the people coming from Bahawalpur city and is Lorry Adda for the people who are coming from Rahim yar Khan & Khanpur side; the central square of the city is Chowk Muneer Shaheed which is named after the martyer Muneer Shaheed. From Chowk Muneer, three main roads are connecting this central point to other parts of the city. The Abbasia Road leading towards Abbasis chowk; the Lorry Adda road leading towards the square Lorry Adda and the Railway Road leading towards the Railway Station namely Dera Nawab Sahib. One important thing for the people who wants to visit Ahmedpur Sharqia should know that they should stepped down on the railways tation of DERA NAWAB SAHIB ( on the main route of rails - Karachi to Lahore)and they should not find the railways station of Ahmedpur East, otherwise they would not be able to find the railways station of Ahmedpur East in whole of their lives as there is no existence of this station at all !
The city comprises several mohallahs (the different units or colonies of the city) among them, Mohallah Quraishabad, Mohallah Sarwar Shah, Mohallah Shikari, Mohallah Fitani, Abbasia Mohallah and Dera Nawab Sahib (basically Dera Nawab Sahib is the bigger part of the city which also contains different other small units geographically) are very familiar in the city. The city has one Tehsil Hospital and several other private clinics and hospitals in all other areas of the city. It has Two Degree Colleges and other diploma institutes in Governmental administration and several private colleges which are increasing day by day due to the growing population of the city. It has many governmental High Schools and several private schools which are now being run under the control and supervission of PEF.
Being a inhabitant of this city I feel that I should express one thing here, that this city needs some Industrial units to be established like Ashraf Sugar Mills (a mill near the city of Bahawalpur) in order to cope with the increasing unemployment. As due to lack of any industrial units its many intelligent & educated persons are ****** to leave their beloved city and to live in other metropolitans of the country like Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad. The city standard of living is decreasing due to unemployment and poverty of the city; it doesn't mean that people of Ahmedpur East don't have money, proportionally the rich is becoming richer and the poor is becoming poorer due to inflation. The situation here should be called Stagflation and not Inflation. The present alarming conditions of the city is demanding some big industrial units to be established to cope with all of these economical problems.

Hajira.....Azad Kashmir

Heer — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 07:58:26 +0000

Hajira.....Azad Kashmir

Village Near Hajira

Hajira is a Tasil of Poonch district. Hajira is a valley and it is delimited by gorgeous green hills and beautiful villages. It is very graceful and attractive city. Total Population of Hajira and enclosed villages is almost Eighty Thousand (80,000). It is most nearest city from Indian occupied Kashmir. Poonch city (District of this city) is also occupied by India and only 5 KM far from this city.
These are the Geo Coordinates of this city : 33° 46' 0" North, 73° 54' 0" East.
Map link of Hajira is: http://www.maplandia.com/pakistan/ja.../punch/hajira/
Populace of Hajira face lot of evils in past because it is presence on border and Indian cross border aggression and attacks directly affect the people of Hajira and its attached population. Now because of Indo – Pak agreement, cross border attacks from India has been stopped and Hajira become a safe city. 2005 Earthquake also demolished 25 % part of this city but after the reconstruction and rehabilitation process, everything has come to be normal.
The climate of Hajira Valley is comparability not too cold but the ambiance of all surrounded areas is typical Kashmiri. Normally in Kashmir due to low temperature most of the cities close in night time but because weather is in Hajira is not too cold, almost all hotels restaurants are open in night time.
Hostility of public of Hajira is very exemplary. Latency rate of this city is almost sixty (60 %). Almost Seventy (70 %) way of earning of Hajira populace is foreign employment, Ten (10 %) are doing government services and rest are doing business. At least one person almost from each family is doing his job in foreign countries especially in Middle East, Europe, UK and .
Seven union councils (Sarari, Bango, Phagwati, Gammer, Akhorban, Dawarandi and union council nar) attached with this city. The main villages are attached with this valley are: Narian, Kathiyara, Manjoura, Pothi Chapriyan, Uod Phagwati, Dwarandi, Gangil tar, Davi gali etc.

Hunza Valley: Princely State of Pakistan - Gilgit-Baltistan

Prince Armaan — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 19:10:38 +0000

Hunza Valley: Princely State of Pakistan - Gilgit-Baltistan

The Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley in Gilgit in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The Hunza valley is situated to the north of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around 2,500 metres. The territory of Hunza is about 7,900 square kilometres.

Karimabad is the main town, which is also a very popular tourist destination because of the spectacular scenery of the surrounding mountains like Ultar Sar, Rakaposhi, Bojahagur Duanasir II, Ghenta Peak, Hunza Peak, Diran Peak and Bublimating (Ladyfinger Peak), all 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) or higher.

NWFP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa..Social issues

Heer — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 04:41:03 +0000

NWFP)Khyber Pakhtunkhwa..Social issues

Social issues

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has the second lowest Human Development out of all of Pakistan's provinces, at 0.607. Furthermore, it also continues to have an image problem. Even within Pakistan it is regarded as a "radical state" due to the rise of Islamist parties to power in the province and purported support for the remnants of the Taliban who are believed by some to be hiding in the province.
The Awami National Party sought to rename the province "Pakhtunkhwa", which translates to "Lang of Pakhtuns" in the Pashto language. This has been opposed by some of the non-Pashtuns, and especially from Parties Like Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). The PML-N derives its support in the province from primarily non-Pashtun Hazara regions. In 2010, it was announced that the province would finally have a name and this lead to a wave of protests in the Hazara region. On April 15, 2010, the province was officially named as "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa" when Pakistan's Senate approved it with 80 Senators in favor of the name while only 12 opposed it.
The MMA, who until the elections of 2008, had a majority in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, proposed Afghania as a compromise name.
After the 2008 general election, the Awami National Party formed a coalition provincial government with the Pakistan Peoples Party, and supported the Pakistan Peoples Party federal government and in other provinces.
The strongholds of the Awami National Party are in the Pashtun areas of Pakistan, particularly in the Peshawar valley, while Karachi in Sindh has one of the largest Pashtun populations in the world with around 7 million by some estimates. In the 2008 election, the ANP won two Sindh assembly seats in Karachi. The Awami National Party has been instrumental in fighting the Taliban.

Kashmir And India's Secularism

Heer — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 07:44:33 +0000

As Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said at the United Nations, "Forcible annexation of Jammu and Kashmir by India is not a guarantee of Indian secularism, democracy or territorial integrity."

Communal peace is not a new concern in India. Did it not exist when India committed itself to the holding of a plebiscite in Kashmir? How can the security of India Muslims be made dependent on the occupation of Kashmir by force, if blackmail is not be countenanced? Secularism should be a function of India's own history, the composition of its population, its diversified cultural heritage, as well as its international contacts. If India's Mughal heritage and its living reminders such as the Red Fort in Delhi and the Tag Mahal in Agra do not constitute the symbol, and if the presence in it of the world's largest religious minority does not provide substance of India's composite personality, and if they are unable to avert recurrent religious pogroms, how will the forcible occupation of a Muslim majority area such as Kashmir achieve the goal? The total number of Kashmiri Muslims in Indian-occupied Kashmir is around 7.5 million, while the total Muslim population in the Indian Union is 120 million. How can the captivity of the less than five percent in a defined areas assure the safety of the remaining 95 percent scattered all over the country?
There were years when because of a state of relative quiescence it was assumed by some that the Muslims of Kashmir were reconciled to their place in India or were at least taking part in Indian political life. Did attacks on Indian Muslims cease during those periods in the rest of India? They did not; on the contrary, they persisted as before. Nor has the savage repression of the Kashmiri Muslims since 1989, characterised by cold-blooded killings, rape, arson, arbitrary arrests, torture and maiming of human beings satisfied the hate-mongering elements and lessened their frenzy against the larger body of Indian Muslims. The destruction of the 15th century Babri Mosque in 1991 is an example. If the proven and well-demonstrated loyalty of Indian Muslims since independence does not guarantee their security and well-being in India, how will the coerced allegiance of the Kashmiri Muslims do that? India is the only state in the world that demands a price from others for the safety of its own citizens. And with a posture of self-righteousness, to boot.

Leh City

Heer — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:36:05 +0000

Leh City

Flying into Leh, the cold desert land, over the magnificent Himalayas is a beautiful and scary experience at once. Leh Palace illuminated by huge halogen lamps looks like a bewitching castle on a hilltop set ablaze in the dark nights of the Leh. Drive in the city is as exciting as the wonders it has in its lap with the long isolated winding road that opens up into a sheer expanse of arid flatness in burnt sienna. There is blinding sun at the top and perhaps at the first impression, a visitor is not likely to appreciate the blessings of the land fully.

Bon and Buddhism rule the lifestyle and culture of the people here. The Chortens (Stupas) and enchanting Gompas (Monasteries) adorn the city with their presence. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful and there is an ominous beauty in the stark surroundings of Ladakh. The Hinayana Buddhist way of life lends a benevolent spirit to the very air of the region.

Location:

In Ladakh that covers western J&K, India.
Significance:
Capital of Ladakh
STD Code
01982
Best Season
June-November

Climate
The days are dry and warm with cool winds blowing. The highest temperature is 25°C in summers and 10°C in winters while the nights are cool with temperatures ranging between 14°C and 8°C. There is heavy rainfall in winters. Recently, there has been increasing incidents of sporadic rainfall throughout the year.

How To Reach

By Air:

Leh is connected by the regular domestic flights to and from Delhi. However, as the weather is unpredictable, a 2 to 3 hrs hold-up is normal, especially on the early morning departures.
By Train:
The nearest railway station is in Kalka from where has to take a bus or taxi to Manali via Shimla. There are regular Tata Sumo and bus services in Manali to and from Leh.
By Road:
Long, winding but well maintained roads are the next best option to a flight for Leh. The two popular routes to Leh are from Srinagar via Kargil on the Srinagar-Leh Highway and from Manali via Sarchu and Dharchu on the Manali-Leh Highway. These routes are only open from June to October.

However, it is a long and tiring journey of two days, the only comforts being the spectacular sights of the mountain country, alluring blue rivers and the passes over 13,000 ft that takes us to our destination. The respective night halts on the two routes are Kargil and Sarchu. There are regular bus and Tata Sumo services to Leh. Leh Bus Stand is barely a kilometer from the city itself.

What to wear
In summers, light cotton clothes are advisable while you will need heavy woolen clothes in winters. Wind-sheeters or raincoats as a safety against rainfall or snowfall and good waterproof shoes are needed while trekking. A warm sleeping bag will be an added advantage.

Shopping Attractions:
Kashmiris displaying their beautiful carpets and rugs adorned with a mixture of Kashmiri and Persian motifs dominate the shopping areas. There are a number of German bakeries in Leh to cater to European tastes. Special Tibetan refugee markets are the other dominant shopping centers in Leh. The turquoise from Tibet, the rubies from Burma and the Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan along with the native Thangka paintings make up a shopping buff's day. T-shirts with 'Free Tibet' printed in them and painted masks and jewellery made from semi-precious stones or fake stones are other attractions.

Metalware is the Tibetan specialty as is the quartz that comes all the way from South India, which seems a little strange. Silverware, cymbals with special religious motifs that are used during meditation, decorative copper and brass trumpets, sonorous bowls made of nine metals like cymbals, chunky shell bangles worn by Ladakhi women and exquisite unpolished turquoise and silver jewelry are some of the highlights of the place.

Prime Attractions:

Leh Palace
Set on a small hill, Leh Palace towers above the town. It once the thriving royal residence of the ruling Namgyals and is said to have served as the model for the Potala, its more illustrious cousin in Lhasa and one-time residence of the Dalai Lama. A millennium-old, seven-storeyed structure in mud and stone, it is mesmerizing to wander through the crumbling remnants of royalty and watch the brilliant Thangkas on its soot-stained walls.

Stok Palace
Located in a tiny village on the outskirts of Leh, this palace has been the Ladakhi royal family's residence for the last 150 years since the Dogra armies invaded the Leh Palace. One may have a chance encounter with the royals here too. It houses a museum, which is said to have the best collection of exquisite Thangka paintings in the whole of Ladakh. The other things housed here are crown jewels, dresses, coins, peraks encrusted with turquoise and lapis lazuli as well as religious objects.

The Gompa Run
Gompas or traditional Buddhist monasteries and chortens or the smaller, whitewashed stupas form the ever-present features of the stark expanse of Ladakh. The two popular Gompa routes are: -

· The Leh-Manali Highway covering Shey, Thiksey and Hemis, and
· The Srinagar-Leh Highway covering Spituk, Basgo and Alchi. One may also cover Ridzong and Lamayuru on this route.

People of Kashmir

Heer — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:34:06 +0000

People of Kashmir

According to historians, the ancestors of Kashmiris are early immigrants from India proper. With the spread of Buddhism, many scholars came to Kashmir from far-off lands for research and study. The contact of Kashmiris with the Roman, Greek and Persian civilizations resulted into a fusion of cultures. Most of the people claim their descent from the Indo-Aryan stock but one can easily find people belonging to diverse and different races inhabiting Kashmir with distinct looks, dresses, food habits, customs, speech and traditions.

Kashmiris have made remarkable contributions to the arts of story-telling and mystical poetry, the Shaiva philosophy, grammar and the sciences. The artistic and cultural genius of the people of Kashmir is evident in their folk songs and dances as well as the various arts and crafts that are world-renowned. Known for their charming beauty, most of the people in the valley are very fair complexioned, with light brown to dark hair, blue or grey to black almond eyes, rosy cheeks behind Indian tan, chiseled features and fine physique. Superstitious by nature, Kashmiris are generally non-aggressive and temperate in nature and are God-fearing. Regarded as non-martial in character, they are considered extremely warm, friendly, and hospitable.

Kashmiri Pandits live a simple and frugal life. Individualistic and largely intellectual, they avoid manual labor and cling to professional and administrative jobs. Due to the terrorist activities lately, many of them have been uprooted from their homeland but the government has been trying to relocate them here. The Kashmiri Pandits do not have castes like Hindus in the rest of India.

Kashmiri Muslims are generally more active, energetic and dynamic in nature and are considered unrivalled craftsmen, known for their time-honored intricate and beautiful designs that they produce on papier-mâché, wood, silver and gold. Shrews businessmen, they also indulge themselves in agriculture, sheep rearing, cattle rearing and other cottage industries. Ninety percent of the population in the valley professes Islam of both Sunni and Shia sects.

Kashmiri women generally have such love of jewellery that their headgear, ears, necks and arms glisten with ornaments. The typical ornament that Hindu women wear is the Dejharoo, a pair of gold pendants, hanging on a silk thread or gold chain which passes through holes in the ears pieced at the top end of the lobes. The Dejharoo symbolizes that the Kashmiri Pandit woman is married. Muslim women wear bunches of earrings, the weight of which is supported by a thick silver chain along with several bracelets and necklaces. The whole ensemble lends a most artistic effect to the appearance of Kashmiri women.

Rice and meat is the staple diet of the Kashmiris and Kashmiris pride over Karam Sag (a kind of leafy green vegetable), nadru (lotus stalk) and turnips that are considered precious enough to be presented as token gifts. The culinary art of Kashmir, especially, the cooking of lamb dishes in various ways, is very famous. The tea that the Kashmiris drink is called Kahva, which is a concoction of green tea leaves brewed in the samovar and enriched with pounded almonds, cardamom seeds, and cinnamon stalks overdosed with sugar and served without milk. The other kind of tea is Shir chai, which is salted and milked, pink in color and is topped with lots of cream.

Kashmiri Muslims used to wear the pheran, a long loose gown hanging down below the knees, a white turban tied on a skull cap, a close-fitting shalwar and lace less shoes called gurgabi. A white piece of material is hung on their shoulders like a stole. Hindu men wear churidar pyjama instead of shalwar. The less affluent Muslims wear skullcaps, which looks cute and does not carry any shawl. Unlike a Hindu woman's pheran, which gives her a Roman look, the Muslim woman's pheran is beautifully embroidered in front. Whereas a Muslim woman's pheran is knee-length, loose and embroidered in front and on the edges, a Hindu woman's pheran touches her feet. For the sake of smartness and ease it is tied at the waist with folded material called lhungi. The long loose sleeves are fashionably decorated with brocade.

With this type of Hindu costume goes the headdress called taranga, which is tied to a hanging bonnet and tapers down to the heels from behind. The folds of the taranga are made of brightly pressed lines fastened to a pointed red-colored and brocaded skull cap with a few gold pins at the sides. Over the head and ears are pieces of muslin embroidered in gold thread. Muslim woman's headgear, the Kasaba, looks very different from the Taranga. It is red in color, tied turban-like and held tight by an abundance of silver pins and trinkets. It has an overhanging pin-scarf, which falls gracefully over the shoulders. A work-a-day shalwar goes with it. Unmarried Muslim girls wear skullcaps, embroidered with gold thread and embellished with silver pendants, trinkets and amulets. With the passage of years, an appreciable change has come about in the dress of the Kashmiri women. Saris, shalwar-kameez, churidars and jeans are becoming popular, yet none of these belong to them as much as the good old pheran.

Gujjars are the hill people of Kashmir, which are mostly herdsmen by occupation. Said to be Rajputs migrated from Rajasthan and adopted the Muslim faith, they are tall and well built, with a prominently Jewish cast of features. Their dialect, Gujari is now identified as a form of a Rajasthani. Their nutritious diet consists of maize bread, whey, jungle roots and fruits. The dress of a Gujjar woman of the hills in the valley consists of as ample shalwar and full-skirted tunic with loose sleeves. Very much similar to that worn by the Turkish village women, a thick veil on their head falls back to their shoulders. They knit their hair in multiple plaits, which hang in front and cover half of their moon-shaped faces.

Un Resolutions On Kashmir 6 September 1965

Heer — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:32:43 +0000

UN Resolutions on Kashmir 6 September 1965

Resolution 210 (1965) Adopted by the Security Council at its 1238th Meeting on 6 September, 1965.

The Security Council,

Noting the report by the Secretary-General on developments in the situation in Kashmir since the adoption of the Security Council cease-fire resolution on 4 September 1965 [S/RES/209 (1965)] being document S/6661 dated 6 September 1965,

Noting with deep concern the extension of the fighting which adds immeasurably to the seriousness of the situation,

Calls upon the parties to cease hostilities in the entire area of conflict immediately, and promptly withdraw all armed personnel back to the positions held by them before 5 August 1965;
Requests the Secretary-General to exert every possible effort to give effect to this resolution and the resolution of 4 September 1965, to take all measures possible to strengthen the UNMOGIP, and to keep the Council promptly and currently informed on the implementation of the resolutions and on the situation in the area;
Decides to keep this issue under urgent and continuous review so that the Council may determine what further steps may be necessary to secure peace and security in the area.
*The Security Council unanimously adopted this Resolution on 6-9-1965.

Members of the Council: **Bolivia, China, France, **Ivory Coast, **Jordan, **Malaysia, **Netherlands, U.S.S.R., U.K., U.S.A. and **Uruguay.

**Non Permanent Members of the Security Council.

Kohat District

Heer — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:22:12 +0000

Kohat District
(Pashto: کوهاټ,Urdu: کوھاٹ)

Location;

A major town of the North-West Frontier Province . It is a division and districts headquarter, The town is 37 m. south of Peshawar by the Dara Adam Khel( Kohat Pass ), along which a military road was opened in 1901. The famous and dangerous bounteous road over the Kotal post is now bypassed by most beautiful Kohat Tunnel, Kohat is linked to Islamabad and is 160 miles west and now a comfortable highway links Kohat to Bannu and Waziristan and to Zoab Baluchistan and on other side Indus High links to Multan and Karachi and Sindh. On the west road leads to Hangu, Thal and Kurram Agency.

STATISTIC;

Area : 2,545 km2 (982.6 sq mi)
Location: 33° - 04’ and 33° - 34’ north latitudes and 70° - 29’ and 72° - 01' east longitudes
Population: 562,644
Kohat district is divided into two Tehsils.
• Kohat
• Lachi (Lachi is one of the largest village of Kohat. (Situated on the southern border with Karak district)

Introduction;
Kohat is surrounded by a chain of mountains, holding a beautiful cantonment. It is one of the oldest cantonments of Pakistan and also the old district of Sub-continent. Kohat is described in the old history of Buddhism. This district has boundaries with Aurakazai Agency, district Hangu, district Kurak, district Nowshera and Punjab.

The town centers around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. Kohat is also known for its Sufi Saints. There are a number of tombs of famous Sufi Saints in the area, like Haji Bahadar Ali Abdullah Shah alias Haji Bahadar Sahib, Shrine of Saint Bona Baba, Janan Baba shrine, Shrine of Peer Ghamkole Sharif and Shrine of Hazrat Banoor Baba.

The District of Kohat has an area of 2973 sq. m. It consists chiefly of a bare and intricate mountain region east of the Indus, deeply scored with river valleys and ravines, but enclosing a few scattered patches of cultivated lowland. Important historical places include Darra, Khushal Garh, Kohat town, Lachi, Shakardarra, Gumbat and Tanda Dam.

Kohat is blessed with many natural resources. The orchards of Kohat Guava are popular in the whole country as it is the major fruit of the area and Kohat is famous for its quality and taste. This fruit gives very high returns to the farmers. Other fruits are apricot, mulberry, citrus etc. Other resources included honey, gypsum, arms and ammunition, kohati chappal and Mazari products.

Cadet College Kohat, a boarding military college is also located in the outskirts of Kohat spread over an area of about 144 acres.
According to data from Pakistan's last census in 1998, the district's population stands around 562,640 with an annual growth rate of 3.25%. The predominant language is Pushto, which is spoken by 77.54 percent of the total population, while Hindku is mostly spoken and understood in Kohat city and adjacent areas.
History

The early history of the district is limited to the vaguest traditions. It is said that in the Buddhist times, two Rajas named Adh and Kohat settled along with the northern border of the district. The remnants of the Buddhist day is a road cut off the mountain side, on the western skirts of the Jawaki hills near Kotal Post which leads by an even gradient towards the crest.

The first historical mention of Kohat is to be found in the memoirs of Babur (who later created the Mughal Empire), who visited Kohat in 1505. Babar in his memoirs calls the inhabitants of the area Afghan.
After Babar the history of Kohat revolves around two major tribes namely Bangash and Khattak. These people appear to have settled in the district, during 14th am 15th centuries. From 16th to 18th centuries, Kohat remained a part of Afghanistan, administered by the Chiefs of two afore mentioned tribes. In the beginning of 19th century Kohat came under the control of Sikhs who ultimately withdrew leaving to the administrative control of Khan of Teri in 1836.
Kohat was finally annexed to the British dominion on 28 March 1849 with the rest of Punjab and an Assistant Commissioner was posted here to run the administration and to look after the British interests. In the initial stages of the British administration, the locals of the area posed considerable problems. Later on some of the tribe joined with the British Government and helped them in running the area. Nevertheless, the Britishers were never at peace in this part of their Kingdom as resistance and opposition always cropped from one quarter or the other. But their tactics of "Divide and Rule" ultimately strengthened their hold over the region. They put one tribe against the other by giving preference to one against the other and finally succeeded in administration them. An example of unrest against the British in this area is the event of the brave Afridi Ajab Khan, who forced the entire British administration of the district to surrender to his demands.

Ethnicity and Tribes;
Pashtuns are the main (largest) ethnic group in Kohat, The main pashtun tribes are Bangash, Khattak and Afridi are the major part of the population of the district. Pushto is the predominant language while Hindku is mostly spoken and understood in Kohat city and adjacent areas.

Religion;
The population of Kohat district is Muslim, the Sunni predominate and there is also large Shias population settled in the district and they stretch from Chikarkot Bala, Sherkot to Kachai (i.e. southern border of Kohat). Usterzai Payan is the largest village of Shias. It is an educated and civilized village. It is also popular because of Al-Asar College.Al-Asr college is run by an NGO. Chali Bagh, Jauzara, and Kachai(Katsi) are famous for their natural springs. People come here in summer day from far of places. There are some Christian families, which settled during the British colonial rule, most of whom are employees of Municipal Committee, Cantonment Board and defense services also reside in Kohat city and Cantonment area. Some scattered families of Hindus also reside in Kohat, Kachai and Marai while a good numbers of Balmiks are employed in various local bodies.

Rivers and Streams;
The river Indus forms the eastern boundary of the district, which separates it from the province of Punjab. Kohat Toi is a principal stream, which enters from Hangu district and flowing to east and southeast, drains into river Indus. The river has a small perennial flow, which disappears before it reaches the town of Kohat, it reappears again at some distance down stream and then flows continuously to the Indus. The Kohat Toi has several small torrents or tributaries, which join it at different places. Another, stream Teri Toi, which flows from west to east, in the southern half of the district, joins the river Indus. The river has little or no perennial flow.

Flora;
The common trees are ber, Blueberry, sanatha, phulal, olea etc. All kinds of roses, bougainvillea, kashmalo, gul-e-nargis, gui-e-dawoodi Chameli and other seasonal flowers are planted and sown in the district.[4]

Fauna;
Typical wildlife found in the district are hare, jackal, wolf, fox, wild cat, chakor, black partridge, grey partridge, urial, chinkara, blue bull, hogdeer, water fowl.

Worth seeing Places;
RAZA Mansion Usterzai Payan, Kotal and Kohat Pass, Masjid Haji Bahadur, The Bridge of Khushal Garh, The remnants of the Durranis at Shahpur, Kohat Fort, KUST, Kohat Board, Kohat Tunnel, Kohat Cantonment, Kotal Town (KDA), Usterzai Payan, Sherkot,Chiker-kot-Bala and Tanda Dam

Renowned Educational Organizations;
Kohat University of Science & Technology, Preston University Kohat. Cadet College Kohat, Garrison Cadet College Kohat, Frontier Education Foundation Academy, Postgraduate College for Boys, Postgraduate College for Women, Iqra Public School, Army Public School & College, Fazaia College and Peace Associates bayna tor speen, jungle khel, tanda dam, AL-ASAR ACADEMY USTERZAI PAYAN,

Journals;
Weekly Hamdam, Weekly Sharar, Weekly Uqab, Weekly Dastak, Weekly Tehqeeq,Nayab (literary magazine), Monthly Kohat on Line, Monthly Shehr-e-Sukhan (literary magazine), Daily Taseer, Weekly Kohatnews, Monthly HAQAIQ Kohat

Media;
• Radio Pakistan Kohat
• Radio KUST
Radio-KUST FM 98.2 MHz was launched on 14th of August, 2009. It is primarily an educational broadcasting radio with a fairly wide coverage. It is reportedly heard in nearly three Agencies of FATA, Kurum, Aurakzai and Khyber, besides Kohat and its surrounding cities like Karrak, Hangu and Darra Adam Khel. The radio exhibited the technological expertise of the Kohat University of Science and Technology by broadcasting live conversations from callers, not only on land phone line but also from the Internet facility called Skype. Skype users from all over the world connected to the radio transmission for nearly 48 hours as part of Independence Day Celebrations. It thus became the first radio in Pakistan that introduced broadcasting to the local community, through global connection to the Internet free voice calling facility over Skype. The university intends to use this facility for receiving lectures in some hard core areas of natural and social sciences and broadcasting it to the surrounding area to raise educational standards and increase awareness. The radio is primarily a laboratory for the students of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Blog where they can learn practical skills of electronic journalism. Radio KUST will be shortly streamed live to the Internet after securing permission from PEMRA. It would be then possible to listen to the broadcasts from anywhere in the world on the Internet.
•KUST Television

Utility services;
The city is facilitated with two dams; Tanda Dam and Gandiali Dam. The former is located in the SW of the city and the later is located in the SE. Moreover , the city is giving a good friendship symbol between Japan and Pakistan by having a 1.8 km long tunnel constructed by Taisei Corporation of Japan. "Kohat Start.(Kohat Tunnel construction, Pakistan)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)".

Economic Scenario of the District:
Kohat is famous for agri products and hand made kohati chappal. Agricultural products of the area include wheat, maize, barley, guava and citrus fruit. Poultry and local breeds of cattle are also good source of income for the people of Kohat.

Different regions of Kohat are characterized by the production of different items e.g.

Billitang is famous for the production of mazri products. These products are being sold in Kohat, Peshawar and Islamabad markets, while some organizations have started exporting them to UK and Holland as well.

Darra Adam khel is famous for the production of arms and ammunition throughout the country. The technical skill attained by these gunsmiths is acknowledged even in foreign countries. It has also become a major source of livelihood for the people of this area. Shakar Darra is famous for Bee keeping and Honey processing. About 150 bee keeping farms are currently present in Kohat district making it a good source of income for the habitants of this area Tanda Dam was built in 1960s near Kohat city towards the Hangu district. It is the main source of irrigation to adjoining areas. It has lovely surroundings, which attract a large number of people especially on weekends. The peaceful recreation provided by its natural beauty is unsurpassed. Main bazaars of the area are Kohat, Gumbat, Lachi and Bilitang. Lachi is the main vegetable market and also Sub Tehsil of District Kohat. Gumbat is alos Sub Tehsil ofKohat and is main market located on Pindi Kohat Road.

Economic Potential

Agriculture/Horticulture:

The major crops grown in the district are wheat, barley, onion, garlic (Rabi), maize, rice, bajra, ground nut, chari, and sugarcane (Kharif). Guava is the major fruit of area and Kohat is famous for its quality and taste. This fruit gives very high return to the farmers. Others fruits are apricot, mulberry, citrus, etc.

Garlic and ladyfinger are the leading vegetables which give maximum income to the farmer. Other vegetables grown in the district are onion, potato, bringel, turnip, carrot, tomato and chilies among others.
Provision of adequate and dependable source of irrigation water is essential for the economic and social uplift of the area. In Kohat district only 25 percent of the total cultivated area is irrigated. The main source of irrigation is Tanda Dam. Furthermore, there are a number of tube wells and civil channels which supply water for irrigation purposes.

Forestry:
At present about 2.5 percent of the total land is under forest. Mostly forests are subtropical scrub forest with major species like acacia, oleo cuspidate etc.

Livestock, Fisheries and Dairy development:
The local cattle breeds available in Kohat are Lohani, Dani and mix breeds which are non-productive and are being changed by artificial insemination with Frezien breed to improve milk/meat production. Similarly the local goats are being crossed with Beetal goats to increase their milk/mutton production. Under rural improvement of poultry program, the local poultry is being protected against
various diseases through preventive inoculation and the poultry is crossed with Foamy breeds to improve the eggs production.

Industry:
As far as industrial development is concerned Kohat is lagging behind as compare to other big cities of the country. Forward efforts are needed to uplift the pace of industrial development in this region. However three big units established in Kohat including Kohat Cement, Babri Cotton and Saif Cotton Mills and the Janana the maloocho Textile Mill are the major contributors to the economy of not only Kohat region but for the national economy as well.

Detail of industrial units is given below
INDUSTRIAL UNITS, KOHAT DISTRICT

Textile Units: 3
Cement: 1
Ghee units: 1(Closed)
Arms: 3
Flour Mills: 6
Cement Based Industry: 3
Carpet: 1
Dall Factory: 2
Mineral Based industry: 1
Ice Factory: 10

Small Industrial Estate Kohat

Ice Factory: 1
Wood: 2

Paper & paper board: 1
Dall Factory: 1

Besides the industrial units established at Kohat, some potential clusters are also exist which can be further developed which will play their role in District Economy.

Honey bee keeping and Honey Processing
Mineral

[*]
Leather Products

[*]
Mazri Products

[*]
Trade and trade centers

Small Investment Projects for the District:

Guava Processing Plant
Honey Processing Unit
Leather Bullet cases Manufacturing Unit
Leather Sandals & Chappal
Modern Poultry Farm
Stitching Unit

Nathia Galli

Heer — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:05:53 +0000

Nathia Gallai

Abbaspur ..Azad Kashmir

Heer — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:47:36 +0000

Abbaspur ..Azad Kashmir

This town originally named as Gowpal Pur was re named in early 1950’s Abbaspur after a great Kashmiri leader Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas. Before partition of Indian and Pakistan Kashmir Gowpal Pur was a relatively unknow place and was primarily used to breed cows. That is where the original name of GOWPALPUR meaning (Cows breeding place) came from. 1947 during war over Kashmir lot of Muslim residents of Poonch city and neighboring towns rushed to this site for a temporary refuge. Their main purpose to hanging around this area was to wait for cease-fire and than go back to their permanent homes in poonch. After few years the immigrant residents realized that their dream to go back to their motherland is far from true. Thus those immigrants started to rebuild their lives in this area. Along with themselves immigrants from Poonch and neighboring towns brought a rich culture of business, education and social city life to this area. In early 1950’s an immigrant MS. Wazir Begum was the founder of first girls school in Abbaspur. She started a school for girls in her own home and was faced with criticism of spoiling native girls with education. . She was daughter of Sardar Salah Mohammed Khan who was Sergeant with department of police in Poonch city and died in hands of Sikhs while exiting out of Poonch Today there are about a dozen of schools and colleges in this town having educated some of the most brilliant brains of this nation who became successful professionals in medical, engineering, education and yes also the never dull profession of politics.

Changa Maanga ka Jungle (Punjab)

Heer — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:39:08 +0000

Changa Maanga ka Jungle (Punjab)

Changa Maanga ka Jungle (Punjab)

Heer — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:39:08 +0000

Changa Maanga ka Jungle (Punjab)

Divisions and Subdivisions of Pakistan

*~Abbottabad*~

Karachi Zoo: Through a different lens

Ahmadpur East or Ahmedpur Sharqia

Hajira.....Azad Kashmir

Hunza Valley: Princely State of Pakistan - Gilgit-Baltistan

NWFP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa..Social issues

Kashmir And India's Secularism

Leh City

People of Kashmir

Un Resolutions On Kashmir 6 September 1965

Kohat District

Nathia Galli

Abbaspur ..Azad Kashmir

Changa Maanga ka Jungle (Punjab)

Changa Maanga ka Jungle (Punjab)

~Abbottabad~