Upper Chitral District
ضلع چترال بالا
توری ݯھیترارو ضلع
District
Top: Karambar Lake
Qaqlasht Meadows above Buni
Upper Chitral District (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Upper Chitral District (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Country Pakistan
Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
DivisionMalakand
Established2018
HeadquartersBuni
Government
 • TypeDistrict Administration
 • Deputy CommissionerMuhammad Khalid Zaman (BPS-19 PCS)
 • District Police OfficerShah Jahan (BPS-18 PSP)
 • District Health OfficerN/A
Area
 • Total8,392 km2 (3,240 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
 • Total195,528[1]
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Numbers of Tehsils2
Websiteupperchitral.kp.gov.pk

Upper Chitral District (Urdu: ضلع چترال بالا‎, Khowar: توری ݯھیترارو ضلع) is a district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Chitral River flows throughout the district. Upper Chitral District along with the Lower Chitral District were part of the erstwhile Chitral District which was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, covering an area of 14,850 km2. Likewise, it served as the Chitral princely state that encompassed the region until its direct incorporation into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in 14 August 1947.[3] Upper Chitral District and Lower Chitral District were bifurcated from the erstwhile Chitral District in November, 2018.[4]

The town of Buni is the headquarters of the Chitral Upper District.[citation needed] It shares a border with Gilgit-Baltistan to the east, with Badakshan province of Afghanistan to the north and with the Upper Dir District to the southwest and with Swat District to the southeast. A narrow strip of Wakhan Corridor separates Chitral from Tajikistan in the north.

Climate

Chitral has a warm steppe climate influenced by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Summers are pleasantly warm without ever getting too hot. Winters are extremely cold; longer periods with subzero temperatures are not uncommon. Precipitation figures here are higher than in other regions in Pakistan.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1961 58,213—    
1972 71,383+1.87%
1981 86,919+2.21%
1998 133,815+2.57%
2017 169,297+1.25%
2023 195,528+2.43%
Sources:[5]

At the time of the 2017 census, the district had 22,546 households and a population of 169,297. Upper Chitral district had a sex ratio of 1064 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 67.31% - 80.50% for males and 55.31% for females. The population was entirely rural. 24.20% of the population were under 10 years of age. 16 (0.01%) people were from religious minorities.[2]

99.09% of the population spoke languages recorded as 'Other' on the census. The main language is Khowar, sometimes called Chitrali, spoken by the Dardi Kho. Wakhi is spoken in the northern regions along the Afghan border.[2]

Administrative Divisions

  1. Buni Tehsil
  2. Mastuj Tehsil
  3. Torkhow/Mulkhow Tehsil

National Assembly

The district along with Lower Chitral District is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) in Pakistan National Assembly. Its constituency is NA-1.

Member of National Assembly Party Affiliation Year
Abdul Akbar Khan Muttahida Majlis e-Amal 2018

Provincial Assembly

The district along with Lower Chitral District is represented by one elected MPA in the provincial assembly who represent the following constituencies:PK-1

References

  1. ^ "Census shows slight increase in Chitral population". 10 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  3. ^ "Upper Chitral gets status of separate district". dawn.com. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Upper Chitral gets the status of separate district". 21 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

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