Swabi District () is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

in the

Mardan Division Mardan Division is one of the seven divisions in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It consists of two districts: Mardan and Swabi. The division borders Hazara Division, Malakand Division, and Peshawar Division. CNIC code of Mardan ...

of the

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

province in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It lies between the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the dis ...

and

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

Rivers. Before becoming a district in 1988, it was a tehsil within the

Mardan District Mardan District (, ) is a district in the Mardan Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district is named after Mardan city, which is also the headquarters of the district. The district is famous for its agriculture indust ...

. % of the population speaks

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

as their

first language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...

. The dominating tribe of Swabi is the

Yusufzai The Yusufzai or Yousafzai (, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ), or Yusufzai Afghans historically, are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. They are natively based in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( Malakand, Dir, Swat, Shangl ...

, followed by the minor Utmankhel, Lodi,

Tarakai The Tarakai or Taraki () is a Ghilzai Pashtun tribe; mainly found in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan and the large number of population of Tarakai tribe is now settled in Pakistan, mainly in Quetta, Pishin, Zhob, Loralai, Duki, Sherani o ...

Jadoon The Jadoon, also known as Gadoon or Jadun (; Hindko: جدون) is a Pashtun tribe primarily residing in the Hazara and Kohistan regions as well as in the southern slopes of Mahaban mountains, called the ''Gadoon area'' in the Swabi district ...

and

Khattak The Khattak () tribe is a prominent Pashtun tribe located in the Khattak territory, which consists of Karak, Nowshera, Kohat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. History Origins Multiple British Raj historians have identified the Khat ...

Demographics

Population

As of the 2023 census, Swabi district has 278,976 households and a population of 1,894,600. The district has a sex ratio of 102.51 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 58.48%: 72.34% for males and 44.50% for females. 519,863 (27.50% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 339,670 (17.93%) live in urban areas.

Religion

Languages

At the time of the 2023 census, 97.23% of the population spoke

and 2.05%

Hindko Hindko (, , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken by several million people of various ethnic backgrounds in northwestern Pakistan, primarily in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Pun ...

as their first language.

Education

Swabi District is now home to many excellent educational institutes. But there was no public sector university until 2012. The only degree awarding institution then was private sector

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology The Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (; ; commonly referred as GIKI) is a private research university located in Topi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. The institute has a campus that is located in the vicinity ...

, which was inaugurated in 1993. In 2012, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa established the first public sector university in Swabi, when it upgraded

Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan The Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan (AWKUM) () () is a public university located in the Mardan District of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Named after Abdul Wali Khan, the university has forty nine institutions affiliated with it ...

Swabi campus into full-flege

University of Swabi University Of Swabi (; ; abbreviated UoS), is a public sector university situated in Anbar, Swabi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Overview & History University of Swabi is established by KP government in Anbar, Swabi in 2012. Back in 2012, ...

while

Women University Swabi Women University Swabi is a public university situated in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The university is run by the provincial government and was founded in 2016. Vision Women University, Swabi intends to produce world class leaders, e ...

was established in 2016. Swabi district also has a public sector medical college

Gajju Khan Medical College Swabi Gajju Khan Medical College (, ) is a public medical institution located in Swabi District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The college is named after the 16th-century Pashtun revolutionary leader, Gaju Khan Malak Gaju Khan Yousafzai (), also spe ...

, which was established in 2014. The district also has 2 public sector

Postgraduate degree Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor ...

colleges: Government Postgraduate College Swabi and Govt Girls Post Graduate College Maneri Swabi.

Administration

Swabi District is currently subdivided into 4

Tehsils A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ce ...

Provincial Assembly

Newspaper in Swabi

Currently there are couple of newspaper publishing in Swabi under the supervision of the Swabi Group of Newspapers. * Swabi Times, a weekly publishing newspaper in Urdu. * Swabi News, a daily publishing newspaper in Urdu.

Notable people

Najib-ud-Daula Najib ad-Dawlah (), also known as (), was an Afghan Yousafzai Rohilla who earlier served as a Mughal serviceman but later deserted the cause of the Mughals and joined Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1757 in his attack on Delhi. He was also a Hous ...

- A main combatant of

Third Battle of Panipat The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha Empire and the invading army of the Durrani Empire. The battle took place in and around the city of Panipat, approximately north of Delhi. The Afghan (ethnonym), Af ...

* Mir Azam Khan, first-class cricketer of the Abbottabad team, also known as the ''falcons'' * Haroon Bacha -

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

singer, musician, and composer *

Muhammad Fareed Muhammad Fareed (() 16 April 1926 – 9 July 2011) was a Pakistani Mufti and writer. He belonged to Zarobi, a village in Swabi District. He was the president and Shaykh al-Hadith of Dar al-Ifta in Darul Uloom Haqqania Akora Khattak. He was kno ...

– Islamic scholar * Ali Gohar - scholar and restorative justice expert and founder of Just Peace Initiatives *

Bushra Gohar Bushra Gohar (; ) is a Pakistani politician and a senior leader of the National Democratic Movement (NDM). She has served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. She is an activist in the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM ...

- Politician and Pashtun human rights activist * Fazal Ali Haqqani - Minister of Education and member of the NWFP Assembly (then) now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from 2002 to 2007 *

Sardar Ali Haqqani Sardar Ali Haqqani (1970 – 2022) also known as "Tawajju Ustaad" was a Pakistani Islamic scholar from Nowshera district. He was known on social media for his bold speeches in Pashto. He died in a traffic accident on 7 May 2022. Biography He ...

- Islamic scholar *

Gulalai Ismail Gulalai Ismail (; ; born 30 October 1986) is a Pakistani human rights activist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She is the chairperson of Aware Girls, a global ambassador for Humanists International, and a leading member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movemen ...

- Pashtun human rights activist *

Nigar Johar Nigar Johar Khan () is a retired three-star general in the Pakistan Army. Nigar is the first and only woman in the history of Pakistan Army to reach the rank of lieutenant-general, and the third to reach the rank of major-general. She belongs t ...

- Only Female General in

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

History * Abdul Aziz Khan Kaka,

Khudai Khidmatgar Khudai Khidmatgar () was an Indian, predominantly Pashtun, nonviolent resistance movement known for its activism against the British Raj in colonial India; it was based in the country's North-West Frontier Province (present-day Khyber Pakhtun ...

Politician who defeated the Imperial Crown's Political Agent, Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan in the elections of 1936 *

Gaju Khan Malak Gaju Khan Yousafzai (), also spelled Gajju Khan or Gajo Khan Yousafzai, popularly known as Khan Al Khawanin or Khan of Khans, was a Pashtun ruler and military commander from Yousafzai chieftaincy. He is often seen as a founding chief of the ...

- A historical Pashtun rebel chief and general who fought in the rebellions of

Sher Shah Suri Sher Shah Suri (born Farid al-Din Khan; 1472 or 1486 – 22 May 1545), also known by his title Sultan Adil (), was the ruler of Bihar from 1530 to 1540, and Sultan of Hindustan from 1540 until his death in 1545. He defeated the Mughal Empire, ...

* Meraj Hamayun Khan, Pashtun social worker and educationist *

Muhammad Farooq Khan Muhammad Farooq Khan was a Pakistani psychiatrist, scholar of Islam and vice-chancellor of University of Swat. He was known for his opposition to Islamist militancy and described suicide attacks as un-Islamic. Due to his views, he was assass ...

, Vice-Chancellor of Swat University *

Junaid Khan Junaid Khan may refer to: * Junaid Khan (Basmachi leader), political leader in the Khanate of Khiva and the Basmachi movement * Junaid Khan (cricketer) (born 1989), Pakistani cricketer * Junaid Khan (Pakistani actor) (born 1981), Pakistani singer ...

- Cricketer *

Karnal Sher Khan Karnal Sher Khan NH (1 January 1970 – 5 July 1999) was a Pakistani military officer and the tenth recipient of Pakistan's highest military gallantry award, Nishan-e-Haider. He was a captain in the 27th Sindh Regiment of the Pakistan Army and l ...

- Military officer *

Khan Roshan Khan Khan Roshan Khan Yousafzai (; November 1914 – 19 November 1988) was a Pashtun historian, educationalist, and writer from Pakistan known primarily for being president of the All India Muslim League in Swabi and for writing books on the histor ...

- Historian *

Muhammad Arshad Khan Muhammad Arshad Khan (, born 14 October 1969) known as MAK, is a Pakistani artist, painter, sculptor, social worker and the president of the Pakistan national committee for the World Art Games. He has painted several paintings, did not go to any ...

- Artist *

Mushtaq Ahmad Khan Mushtaq Ahmad Khan (born 1973–1974) is a Pakistani politician and political activist. A member of Jamaat-e-Islami who served as a member of the Senate of Pakistan representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from March 2018 to March 2024, Khan is known ...

, Member of the Senate of Pakistan *

Taskeen Manerwal Mohammad Taskeen Manerwal (; 15 September 1949 – 10 January 2022) was a Pakistani intellectual, writer, and author of Pashto literature and poetry. He was also a teacher and retired from the Department of Education in 1999 as a headmaster. He ...

, Pashto poet *

Abdul Qadir Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir () is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' Qadir''. The name means 'servant of who can do everything'. ''Al-Qādir'' is one of the names of Allah in the Qur'an, which ...

, founder of Pashto Academy at

Peshawar University The University of Peshawar (; ; ; abbreviated UoP; known more popularly as Peshawar University) is a public research university located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The university is one of the oldest universities in the provi ...

and ambassador in Kabul. *

Asad Qaiser Asad Qaiser (; born 15 November 1969) is a Pakistani politician from Swabi. He is the former Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, served from August 2018 to April 2022. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since Fe ...

- Speaker of National Assembly *

Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Nawab Khan Bahadur Sahibzada Sir Abdul Qayyum Khan KCIE (12 December 1863 – 4 December 1937), hailing from Topi, Swabi District, British India (modern day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan) was an educationist and politician. Qayyum Khan h ...

- First Chief Minister of the North-West Frontier Province (in 1937) and founder of

Islamia College University Islamia College Peshawar (ICP) () is a public university located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.Mohammed Sadiq, Political Scientist, Diplomat and Ambassador of Pakistan to Afghanistan *

Yasir Shah Yasir Shah SI (; born 2 May 1986) is an international cricketer from Pakistan. He plays as a bowler, and is the joint-second fastest bowler in the history of Test cricket to take 100 wickets, as well as also being the fastest to pick up 200 wi ...

- Cricketer *

Shahram Khan Tarakai Shahram Khan Tarakai () is a Pakistani politician who was Provincial Minister (government), Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Local Government, Elections and Rural Development, in office from 29 August 2018 till 26 January 2020 and later on Pr ...

, former Provincial Minister of

* Usman Khan Tarakai, former Member of National Assembly who contested the

2008 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 18 February 2008 to elect members of the 13th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. On 3 November 2007 President Pervez Musharraf enacted a state of emergency; elections were initia ...

Kalu Khan Yousafzai Kalu Khan Yusufzai (Pashto: کالو خان یوسفزئی) was an Afghan warrior and military leader in the 16th century who inflicted one of the greatest defeats of the Mughal Empire. He is known for leading the Afghan Yusufzai rebellion again ...

, Afghan Warrior Chief who crushed the army of

Akbar the Great Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor exp ...

of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

at the

Karakar Pass Karakar Pass (; el. 1336 m./4384 ft.) is a mountain pass in the Hindu Kush, connecting Swat and Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. From the top of the pass, one can view Buner Valley. It was at this pass in February 1586 where about 8, ...

Nisar Muhammad Yousafzai Nisar Muhammad Yousafzai (; ; 1897 – 8 October 1937) was an Afghan communist revolutionary and soldier and Soviet politician who played a significant role in the creation of Tajikistan. A decorated soldier of the Third Anglo-Afghan War, Nisar w ...

, Afghan Revolutionary War Hero of the Anglo-Afghan War of 1919 and a founding father of

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

* Abdul Hadi Shahmansoori

References

Bibliography

* {{Coord, 34, 07, N, 72, 28, E, region:PK_type:city_source:enwiki-GNS, display=title Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa