Attock District
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| Attock District | |
 Attock is located in the north of Punjab. |
|
| Province | {{{province}}} |
| Area | 6,857 km² |
| Population (1988) • Density |
1,274,935 • 186/km² |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| Established • District Nazim • District Naib Nazim • District Council • Number of Tehsils |
1904 • Maj.(r) Tahir Sadiq • Malik Sameen khan • {{{seats}}} seats • 6 |
| Main language(s) | Punjabi, Hindko, Pashto, Urdu |
| Website | www.attocknews.com |
Attock District (Urdu: اٹک) is a district in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. The district was created in 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India. Attock District is bordered by the Haripur and Swabi districts of North-West Frontier Province to the north, the district of Rawalpindi to the east, the district of Chakwal to the southeast, the district of Mianwali to the southwest, and North-West Frontier Province districts of Kohat and Nowshera to the west and northwest. The river Indus forms the western boundary of the district. Attock District was originally named Campbellpur after the Briton Sir Campbell who founded the city of Campbellpore. The name of the district was changed to Attock as of 1978.[1] Attock city is the district headquarters.
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan the district had a population of 1,274,935 of which 20.45% were urban,[2] The estimated population in 2008 was 1.58 million. The Awans, Pathans, Khattars, Gujjars, Rajput, Mughals and Shaikhs are the main tribes of Attock District.[3]
The city also had a significant Muhajir population. In fact, Attock city was dominated by the immigrants from India but gradually their population has dwindled and now they are a minority - mostly living in old quarters of Attock city.
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[edit] Geography and climate
Attock District has a climate of hot summers and cold winters. The northern part of the district is more humid and is more moderate in climate relative to the southern part of the district due to the higher altitude. Geographically, the district is mainly hills, plateaus and dissected plains. The Indus River flows on the northern and western borders of the district. After Haripur, the Haro River passes through the north of the tehsil of Attock where there is a flood plain with fertile soil. The District's average annual rainfall is 783 mm.
[edit] Chhachh
Chhachh is a geographical region in the northern section of Attock District and south-west Hazara. Chhachh is a plain which rolls from the Hazara-Gandhara Hills south to Kamra, and from east of the Indus to the broken lands near Lawrencepur. It is the most fertile area of the Rawalpindi Division. It is known to be one of the most beautiful region in Pakistan due to its varied topography. It is a valley surrounded by mountains from three sides and Indus river from one side. Almost 50% of the population of this area are of Pushtoon (Pathan) origin, who speak Hindko, a dialect of western Punjabi. The remaining population consists of Awans, Sayyeds, Gujjars and other pathan tribes.
[edit] Resources
Dhullian is a village in Pindigheb Tehsil. This village has important resources namely Oil and Gas. It has been providing oil since the 1930s. There are all types of soil as mountains, plain areas fertile grounds and it also has a river flowing through it. There is a famous Ghala Mandi located in Dhullian Chowk. Here 90% of the total population area agricultural. This historical village is located at the end of Attock District.
[edit] Administration
The district of Attock is administratively subdivided into six tehsils, each with an elected Nazim:
| Tehsil | Nazim |
| Attock[4] | Qazi Waseem Siddique |
| Fateh Jang | Sardar Arjamand Zaheer Afzal Khan |
| Hassan Abdal | Haji Shafqat Ali Khan Tahirkheli |
| Jand | Sardar Manzar Ameer Khan |
| Pindi Gheb | Malik Liaqat Ali Khan |
| Hazro | Raza Khan |
[edit] History
According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India:
| “ | The history of the District is practically the same as that of Rawalpindi district. Hassan Abdal, the chief relic of the Buddhist period, was one of the towns subordinate to the capital of Taxila, and under the Gakhars, Mughals, and Sikhs the District followed the fortunes of Rawalpindi. The chief historical events recorded are the defeat of Anand Pal near Ohind by Mahmud of Ghazni, the foundation of ATTOCK by Akbar, and its vicissitudes in the Sikh Wars. The District was constituted in 1904,
the tahsils of Attock, Pindi Gheb, and Fatahjang being transferred from Rawalpindi District, and that of Talagang from Jhelum.[5] |
” |
[edit] Ancient History
Pāṇini was an ancient Indian scholar who was born between the 7th and 4th centuries BC in Shalatula, a town near to Attock on the Indus river in present day Pakistan. He is regarded by scholars as one of the most innovative people in the whole development of knowledge. He was a Sanskrit grammarian who gave a comprehensive and scientific theory of phonetics, phonology, and morphology.[6]
The Astadhyayi (also known as Astaka) is Panini's major work.
| “ | In this work Panini distinguishes between the language of sacred texts and the usual language of communication. Panini gives formal production rules and definitions to describe Sanskrit grammar. Starting with about 1700 basic elements like nouns, verbs, vowels, consonants he put them into classes. The construction of sentences, compound nouns etc. is explained as ordered rules operating on underlying structures in a manner similar to modern theory. In many ways Panini's constructions are similar to the way that a mathematical function is defined today | ” |
Citied from (J J O'Connor and E F Robertson, Panini Biography, 2000) MacTutor History of Mathematics[7]
- Attock Fort
Attock fort was completed in 1583 under the supervision of Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, a minister of Emperor Akbar. The Mughal caravan sarai outside the fort, which is almost on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, was also built during this period.
- Gandhara
Gandhara (gəndä'rə) was an historic region of ancient India, (which corresponds to areas of north west Pakistan including Attock). Situated astride the middle Indus River, the region had Taxila and Peshawar as its chief cities. It was originally a province of the Persian Empire and was reached (327 B.C.) by Alexander the Great. The region passed to Chandragupta, founder of the Maurya empire, in the late 4th cent. B.C., and under Asoka was converted (mid-3d cent.) to Buddhism. It was part of Bactria from the late 3d cent. to the 1st cent. B.C. Under the Kushan dynasty (1st cent.–3d cent. A.D.), and especially under Kanishka, Gandhara developed a noted school of sculpture, consisting mainly of images of Buddha and relief’s representing scenes from Buddhist texts, but with marked Greco-Roman elements of style. The art form flourished in Gandhara until the 5th century, when the region was conquered by the Huns.
[edit] Hindu population before 1947
Attock District had a heterogeneous mix of religious and ethnic populations before 1947. The Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930 records
| “ | Hindus , who make up 8.5 %of the total population are by caste and in order of numerical importance , Khatris , Aroras , Brahmans and Mohyals[8] | ” |
[edit] Khatris
| “ | Khatris , who number about 24000 make up the greater portion of the Hindu population .[8] | ” |
In Tallagang the Chhachi Sardars , whose ancestors held the tract under the Sikhs are large Jagirdars but reside almost always in Gujranwala district , and have really little to do with Tallagang[8]The Chhachi are Kukhran .
[edit] Shaikh in Attock District
The Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930 records that attock had a significant population of Shaikh .
| “ | Shaikhs are usually comparatively recent converts from Hinduism and accordingly contain many very varying elements .Their numbers have fallen almost 50 percent since the census of 1891 , and they now number less than 4000. They are found almost solely in Attock Tahsil , and own ten villages on the sandy upland running from Cambelpur to the edge of the Chhachh. In the Sarwala they own ten percent of the cultivated area and pay 12 percent of the revenue.[8] | ” |
| “ | The Shaikhs of Tagall and Saman represent the old Kanungo families .[8] | ” |
[edit] Political Representation
[edit] MNAs
The district is represented in the National Assembly of Pakistan by the following members (MNA) who were voted into office following general elections on 18 February, 2008:
| Constituency | Area | MNA | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| NA57 Attock-I | Attock City, Chach area | Sheikh Aftab Ahmad[9] | Pakistan Muslim League (N) |
| NA58 Attock-II | Jand Tehsil, Pandi Gheb Tehsil | Ch Pervez Ellahi [10] | Pakistan Muslim League (Q) |
| NA59 Attock-III | Hassan Abdal Tehsil, Fatehjang Tehsil, Sanjwal Cantt, Union Councils Golra and Akhori of Tehsil Attock | Saleem Haider[11] | Pakistan Peoples Party |
[edit] MPAs
The district is represented in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab by five members (MPA):[12]
| Constituency | MPA | Role |
|---|---|---|
| PP15 Attock-I | Shahhan Malik | Political worker of PPP |
| PP16 Attock-II | Col (r) Shuja Khanzada of Shadi Khan | Provincial Minister of PML (N) |
| PP17 Attock-III | Choudary Sher Ali | Political worker of PML(Q) |
| PP18 Attock-IV | Malik Khurram | Ex Tahsil Nazim |
| PP19 Attock-V | Capt (r) Malik Aitabar Khan | Ex.Civil Servant from Army |
[edit] Senators
The district has been represented in the Senate of Pakistan by the following senators:
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Official Website". Attock Police. http://www.attockpolice.gov.pk/go.asp?PageID=4. Retrieved on 2007-07-03.
- ^ "Pakistan: Population 1901-98". Urban Resource Centre. http://www.urckarachi.org/Population%20Table-5.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-03.
- ^ District Profile: Central Punjab- Attock
- ^ "Tehsil Attock". TMA Attock. http://www.tmaattock.com/. Retrieved on 2007-07-03.
- ^ Attock District - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 6, p. 132-133
- ^ Panini/J J O'Connor and E F Robertson
- ^ www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk - Panini
- ^ a b c d e Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930 published by Sang-E-Meel Publications and Page 115
- ^ 2008 Election Result
- ^ Daily 2008 Election Result
- ^ 2008 Election Result
- ^ Legislators from Attock - Official Website of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab
- ^ Senate of Pakistan
- ^ Senate of Pakistan
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