| Official Name: | Parachinar |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa#Pakistan#South Asia#Asia#World |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Coordinates: | 33.9°N 76°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Type4: | Tehsil |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kohat |
| Subdivision Name3: | Kurram |
| Subdivision Name4: | Upper Kurram |
| Elevation M: | 1,705 |
| Population Total: | 190000 |
| Total Type: | Town |
| Population Rank: | 9th, Kohat Division |
| Population As Of: | 2017 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Est: | 195502 |
| Timezone1: | PST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5 |
Parachinar (Pushto; Pashto: پاړه چنار; Urdu: {{nq|پاڑہ چنار) is a town and the capital of the Kurram District in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.[2]
Parachinar is situated on the west of Peshawar, that juts into the Paktia, Logar and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan. With a distance of 110km (70miles) from the Afghan capital Kabul, Parachinar is the closest point in Pakistan to Kabul.
The British soldier and historian C. M. Enriquez described the early history of Parachinar in his book The Pathan Borderland. He writes that Malak (leader) Pare was a reputable Malak of the Pare Khel Tribe, a sub tribe of tribe called Turi (Shia), planted Poplar trees some 200 years ago. Before much settlement, the area was mostly arid. In terms of distribution, the ancient Poplar tree and the surrounding land belonged to the Parakhel tribe. This ownership is still authentic in official records or deeds of property. Parakhel tribesmen used to cultivate wheat in this desert area. During the wheat harvest, tents were pitched here, and in the shade of this poplar tree, jirgas and consultations were held.[3]
The name Parachinar is derived as a result of social meetings conducted under a large Chinar tree.
[3] The remains of that tree are still there at a place now encompassed by the headquarters of Kurram Agency. As this Poplar tree was located right between the British established offices and the Kurram militia, and people from remote areas of the Kurram Valley often came and gathered here, it became known as Parachinar instead of Totkai Bazar.See main article: Durand Line. In 1893, during the rule of Abdur Rahman Khan (Barakzai dynasty) of Afghanistan, a Royal Commission for demarcating a boundary between Afghanistan and the territory of British governed India negotiated terms, agreeing to the Durand line. Two parties camped at Parachinar, now part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, which is near Khost, Afghanistan.
From the British side, the camp was attended by Sir Mortimer Durand and Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, assistant political agent, Khyber Agency. The Afghanistan interest was represented by Sahibzada Abdul Latif and the Governor of Khost Sardar Shireendil Khan, represented King Amir Abdur Rahman Khan.[4]
Intermittently, conflicts arise stemming from personal issues(mostly religious ones) within this region. In instances where one sect initiates an attack on another, it often leads to retaliatory actions by the aggrieved party.[5]
See main article: 2007 Kurram Agency conflict. Violent clashes in the region occurred in the following week until a ceasefire was reached on 12 April 2007.[6]
See also: List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001.
Parachinar has been the target of several terrorist attacks from 2007 to 2014 in which over 3000 people have died, making it the second-most targeted Pakistani city by militants after Peshawar.[7]
Parachinar has a moderate humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). Although the city's southeasterly aspect relative to the valley in which it is situated allows it to receive on occasions significant monsoonal rainfall, the most frequent source of rain is western depressions and related thunderstorms. During the winter, snowfall is common, and frosts occur on most mornings. Snow closes the Peiwar Pass, located on the Paktia border just over 20 km west of Parachinar, for up to five months per year.
FATA University plans to open a sub-campus at Parachinar.[8]
The Thall-Parachinar road is the main road connecting Parachinar to the rest of the country.[9]
Parachinar has an airport but currently it is non-functional. In the past there was a flight service between Peshawar and Parachinar.[10] [11]