Malakand Division
ملاکنڈ ڈویژن ملاکنډ څانګه | |
|---|---|
 Malakand Division (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Headquarters | Batkhela |
| Government | |
| • Type | Divisional Administration |
| • Commissioner | N/A |
| • Regional Police Officer | N/A |
| Area | |
| • Total | 32,007 km2 (12,358 sq mi) |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Total | 8,608,378 |
| Website | cmd |
Malakand Division is an administrative division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. CNIC code of Malakand Division is 15. [1]
Until 1970 the area was known as the Malakand Agency.[2] In 1970, Malakand Division was formed from the princely states of Chitral, Dir and Swat (incorporated into West Pakistan in 1969) and an area around the Malakand Fort known as the Malakand Protected Area. The capital of Malakand Division is Saidu Sharif, with the largest city being Mingora (Swat) . In late 2018, former Chitral District was bifurcated into Upper Chitral District, from Mastuj Tehsil, and Lower Chitral District, from Chitral Tehsil.[3]
In December 2021 Chief Minister Mahmood Khan announced that Malakand Division would be divided into two separate divisions in order to improve the services and to facilitate the people. the proposed name for the new division is "Dir or Panjkora" division.[4][5][6]