| Buner District | |
| Native Name: | Urdu: {{nq|ضلع بونیر Pushto; Pashto: {{script/Arabic|بونېر ولسوالۍ |
| Settlement Type: | District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Number of Union Councils |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 27[1] |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Pakistan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Name2: | Malakand |
| Seat Type: | Headquarters |
| Seat: | Daggar[2] |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 1865 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Total: | 1016869 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | PST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5 |
| Established Title: | District |
| Established Date: | 1998 |
| Government Type: | District Administration |
| Leader Title: | Deputy Commissioner |
| Leader Name: | Hamid Ali[3] |
| Leader Title1: | District Police Officer |
| Leader Title2: | District Health Officer |
| Leader Name2: | Dr. Raj Wali |
| Blank Name Sec1: | District Council |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Number of Tehsils |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 6 |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Main languages |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Pashto, Urdu, English |
| Nickname: | Gul Da Namair[4] |
| Area Code: | 0939 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code of Daggar |
| Postal Code: | 19290 |
| Motto: | The Land of sufis اولیاء کی سرزمین |
| Population Demonym: | Buneri |
Buner District (Pushto; Pashto: بونېر ولسوالۍ, Urdu: {{nq|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.[5]
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.[6]
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.[7]
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.[8] 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.[9]
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.[10] On 29 April, the Government of Pakistan responded to the Taliban by deploying the army to the region, even employing parachutists delivered via helicopters.[11] By the end of May 2009, almost whole Buner was liberated from the Taliban's grip.[12]
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.[13]
| 2017[14] | 2023[15] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 894,058 | 99.84% | 1,013,575 | 99.70% | ||
| 246 | 0.03% | 141 | 0.01% | ||
| 23 | ~0% | 1,872 | 0.18% | ||
| 1,023 | 0.10% | ||||
| Others | 1,133 | 0.13% | 63 | 0.01% | |
| Total Population | 895,460 | 1,016,674 | 100% | ||
At the time of the 2023 census, 95.91% of the population spoke Pashto and 2.07% Hindko as their first language.[16]
Buner District is currently subdivided into 6 Tehsils.
