Hangu District, Pakistan Explained

Hangu District
Native Name:Urdu: {{nq|ضلع ہنگو
Pushto; Pashto: {{script/Arabic|هنګو ولسوالۍ
Settlement Type:District
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Pakistan
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Type2:Division
Subdivision Name2:Kohat
Seat Type:Headquarters
Seat:Hangu
Government Type:District Administration
Leader Title:Deputy Commissioner
Leader Name:Irfan Ullah
Leader Title1:District Police Officer
Leader Name1:N/A
Leader Title2:District Health Officer
Leader Name2:N/A
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:1097
Population As Of:2023
Population Total:528,902
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:PST
Utc Offset1:+5
Established Title:Established
Blank Name Sec1:District Council
Blank1 Name Sec1:Number of Tehsils
Blank1 Info Sec1:2
Demographics1 Title1:Main language(s)
Demographics1 Info1:Urdu, English, Pashto,
Khowar

Hangu District (Pushto; Pashto: هنګو ولسوالۍ, Urdu: {{nq|ضلع ہنگو) is a district within the Kohat Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The district takes its name from the town of Hangu, which is its administrative centre. The name Hangu may also sometimes be applied to the Miranzai Valley which is partly within the district, bordering the Samana Range.

History

From 1540 to 1893, Hangu was ruled by two prominent figures: the Malak Khails and the Khans of Hangu. The Malak Khails were centrally located in the Darsamand and Mammu regions. Historically, nomads from Afghanistan would travel southwards during the winters. However, this free movement was curtailed after the 1970s due to heightened border controls.

On 30 June 1996, Hangu District was carved out from a section of the Kohat District. The demarcation of its territory commences from the village of Khawaja Khizer (Jawzara), a point line between the Kohat and Hangu Districts. The 13th and the final Khan of Hangu was Muzaffar Khan Bangash. Today, his descendants live in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Hangu. Bangash is a vast tribe whose descendants are scattered around different parts of Pakistan; mostly Peshawar and other districts of KPK. They also reside in Afghanistan, from where they had originated, and in some parts of Iran and the Uttar Pradesh State of India. Some have also migrated to western countries seeking better education and improved lives.

Demographics

As of the 2023 census, Hangu district has 61,148 households and a population of 528,902. The district has a sex ratio of 96.91 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 43.15%: 66.04% for males and 22.02% for females. 152,504 (29.01% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 85,727 (16.21%) live in urban areas.[1] Pashto was the predominant language, spoken by 99.59% of the population.[2]

Religion

1941[3] ! colspan="2"
2017[4] 2023
Religion
55,21088.94%517,87899.82%522,96799.49%
5,9099.52%1510.03%1590.03%
6501.05%1600.03%
00%5430.10%2,2560.43%
Others3100.49%2390.05%810.02%
Total Population62,079100%518,811525,623100%

Administrative divisions

Hangu District is divided into two tehsils:

Villages

Constituencies

The district comprises two constituencies for the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[5] The Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) has an overwhelming majority here. NA-9 and now NA-16 have been the stronghold of the party. Maulvi Naimatullah, Syed Ifthikhar Hussain Gilani and Javed Ibrahim Piracha have won consecutively since 1985. In the 2002 elections, PML-N did not run a candidate, but in 2008, Dr. Farooq Bangash, the PML-N NA-16 Candidate, who technically could not contest elections being British Citizen, surrendered to ANP Syed Haider Ali Shah, who won marginally from Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). Basically it was Bangash's strategy to ensure a Pir Haider win. Now the majority and whole control for PTI, In Local body election PTI also gain the main power, and there is still strong opposition of JUI.[6]

National Assembly

This district is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) in Pakistan National Assembly. Its constituency is NA-16.[7] Since 2002: NA-16 (Hangu)

ElectionMemberParty
Akhunzada Muhammad SadiqMMA
Haider Ali ShahANP
PTI
Khayal Zaman OrakzaiPTI
2022 Nadeem KhayalPTI

Provincial Assembly

Member of Provincial Assembly Party affiliation Constituency Year
Shah Faisal KhanHangu-I2018
Muhammad ZahoorPakistan Tehreek-e-InsafHangu-II2018

Education

Various public and private schools and colleges exist in district of Hangu. Hangu population is near by 0.8 million people and they demand for university in 2013. Agriculture University campus was to be built in Hangu City but still the project is pending while funds transfer to Charsada University during ANP government. Recently the government degree college Hangu started a BS Hons 4-year program under Kohat University of Science and Technology.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 1 . www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  2. Web site: 7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 11 . .
  3. Web site: CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME X NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE . 14 October 2021.
  4. Web site: Pakistan Census 2017 District-Wise Tables: Hangu . Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  5. Web site: Hangu. Provincial Assembly of NWFP. 2009-01-11.
  6. Web site: National Assembly 272 Constituencies Profiles Election Pakistan. 2021-04-15. Election Pakistan. en-US.
  7. Web site: Election Commission of Pakistan . 2017-11-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151110154333/http://ecp.gov.pk/GE.aspx . 2015-11-10 . bot: unknown .