Attock District

Attock District ( Punjabi/Urdu), known as Campbellpur District during British Raj, is a district, located on the Pothohar Plateau, in north western Punjab, Pakistan; created in April 1904. According to 2023 Pakistani census population of Attock District is 2,133,005 (2.1 million), making it the 23rd most populous district of the province behind Rajanpur district and overall the 37th most populous district in Pakistan.

Etymology

The district was formed as ''Campbellpur District'' after Commander-in-Chief of British forces Sir Colin Campbell . Later, in 1978, district name was changed to Attock after the major and historical city of Attock to reflect the older, historical name of the region. The word "Attock" in itself is derived from the word "Atak" in local languages which means blockade, barrier or obstruction.

One interpretation of the name attributes it to Mughal Emperor Akbar who encountered difficulties crossing the river therefore the city was named Attock by him however this claim is not supported by many as several literary writings use the word Attock and its sanskrit origin "Hataka" or "Ataka" much earlier than the inception of Mughal Empire . The more acceptable opinion is that due to the geography and military significance of the region, many travelers would be halted here and therefore the region would be an obstacle for the travellers and thus Attock was it's name.

History

Pre-Historic Period

The region that is now the Attock District has been historically part of Soanian Culture. Nearby archeological excavations near Soan Valley in southern Attock and northern Chakwal point to prehistoric human activity. The stone tools and early human remains found from these sites show human activity of at least 500,000 years ago. Several Petroglyphs have also been uncovered near Ghazi-Gariala hydropower project which were a major hurdle in development of the project as it posed enivronmental threat to an ancient and culturally significant site.

Ancient Period

Indus Valley and Gandharas

The region has also been influenced by Indus Valley Civilization as nearby site of Taxila (now in Rawalpindi district) shows deep connections with Indus valley settlements as the site lied on the old Grand Trunk Road. Later, after the decline of the Indus valley civilization around 1500 BCE, several Indo-Aryan tribes settled in the region most notably of which was the Gandhara Civilization which were present in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab and Kashmir. Chhachh region in the north of the district, was specifically identified as Chukhsa country of Gandhara in the Taxila copper plate inscription.

Achaemenid Empire

By 6th century BCE, Gandharas were occupied by the Achaemenid Empire. According to Babylonian and Elamite versions of the Behistun inscription, the region is mentioned as Gandāra district of the Paropamisadae province of the empire and spanned much of Gandhara. Evidence from the Behistun Inscription shows that, firstly, Cyrus the Great in 535 BCE, expanded his empire as far as Gandāra. later Darius I in 518 BCE came back to the region and further secured it. The region remained under the Achaemenid Empire until Alexander the Great's invasion of sub-continent in 527 BCE.

Alexander's Invasion of India

Before his campaign, Alexander demanded that all chieftains of the former satrapy of Gandāra come to him and submit to his authority. Ambhi (Greek: Omphis), who ruled the region at the time, complied and sent an embassy to Alexander. As a result, Alexander was able to secure control over the region without resistance, even before launching his campaign to India. Alexander not only accepted Ambhi's offers but also returned his title as chieftain of the area between Indus and Jehlum (Greek: Hydaspes) rivers. However, soon after the death of the Alexander, region was briefly controlled by his general Eudemus but was conquered by Maurya Empire ahortly afterward.

Modern Period

The district was established in April 1904 as ''Campbellpur District'' during the British Raj through the merging of tehsils from neighbouring districts.Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930, Punjab Government, Lahore 1932. Reprinted version: Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore, 1989 Today the district consists of 6 tehsils: Attock, Fateh Jang, Hazro, Hassan Abdal, Jand and Pindi Gheb.

Administration

The Attock District has its main headquarters at Attock City. The District is further divided into 6 Tehsils, namely, Attock, Fateh Jang, Hasan Abdal, Hazro, Jand and the Pindi Gheb Tehsil. These tehsils are further divided into a total of 72 Union Councils. Jand Tehsil has the most number of union councils at 15, followed by Attock, Hazro and Fateh Jang tehsils all at 14, then by Pindi Gheb tehsil at 13 and lastly by Hasan Abdal at just 9.

Union Councils

Attock Tehsil

* Haji Shah
* Kamra
*Golra
*Mirza
*Bolianwal
* Akhori
*Sheenbagh
*Sarwala
*Surgsalar
*Dakhnair
*Haroon
* Shinka
* Jalalia
* Ghorghushti

Hazro Tehsil

*Malak Mala
*Nartopa
* Khagwani
*Musa Cudlathi
*Bahadur Khan
* Shamsabad
*Hameed
*Kamil Pur Musa
*Tajak
* Formulli
*Mullan Mansoor
*Jallo
*Sultan Pur
*Bhalarjogi

Hassan Abdal

*Pind Mehri
*Pourmina
* Kot Sundki
*Burhan
*Jabbi Kasran
*Dhreak
*Bahtar
*Jhang
* Qutbal

Fateh Jang

*Jangle
*Dhurnal
*Malal
* Gali Jagir
*Sharai Sadullah
*Ajuwala
*Gulial
*Kot Fateh Khan
*Mianwala
*Dhoke Fateh

Geography

Attock district is located in the north western side of the Punjab province. The District has a total area of 6,857km² (2,648 sq mi), making it the 7th largest district of the province and 41st largest overall in Pakistan. Attock borders 7 district namely Chakwal to the south, Mianwali to the southwest, Rawalpindi to the east, Kohat to the west, Nowshera to the northwest, and Swabi and Haripur to the north.

Geographically, Attock is mainly hills, plateaus, and dissected plains. The Pothohar Plateau mainly covers the eastern part of the district, in the middle of the district sits a low mountain range; Kala Chitta Range whereas on the western and southern side of the district the indus merges with its river tributaries such as Haro river which joins the Indus near Ghazi Barotha Dam, Soan river which joins indus at Makhad and Kabul river which meets Indus river near Attock Khurd. In between the hills and rivers, dissected plains exist.

Demographics

Population

As of the 2023 census, Attock district has 353,973 households and a population of 2,170,423. The district has a sex ratio of 100.83 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 70.22%: 79.69% for males and 60.66% for females. 473,463 (22.2% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 623,984 (28.75%) live in urban areas.

Religion

As per the 2023 census Islam is the predominant religion with 99.3% of the population.

Languages

In the 2023 census, .23% of the population identified their first language as Punjabi, 14.45% as Hindko, 15.59% as Pashto and 2.68% as Urdu. In the previous census of 1998, the multiple-choice question did not have an option for Hindko; the percentages were % for Punjabi, % for Pashto and % Urdu.

The Punjabi dialect of the eastern Fateh Jang Tehsil is called ''Sohāī̃'' and belongs to the Dhani dialect group. The dialects of Pindi Gheb Tehsil (called Ghebi) and of Attock (sometimes called Chhachi) have been classified as a sub-dialect of Hindko dialect.

Education

Attock has a total of 1,287 government schools out of which 51 percent (657 schools) are for female students. The district has an enrolment of 224,487 in public sector schools.

See also

* Kamra, Pakistan
* Pothohar Plateau

References

{{Authority control

Districts of Punjab, Pakistan
1904 establishments in India