Miranshah
Miranshah
میران شاہ میران شاه | |
|---|---|
City | |
  Miranshah  Miranshah | |
| Coordinates:33°0′9″N70°4′8″E/ 33.00250°N 70.06889°E | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| District | North Waziristan |
| Tehsil | Miran Shah |
| Elevation | 930 m (3,050 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 4,361 |
| Time zone | UTC+5(PST) |
Mīrānshāh(Urdu:میران شاہ)(Pashto:میران شاه) is a small town that is the administrative headquarters ofNorth Waziristan District,Khyber Pakhtunkhwaprovince ofPakistan.Miranshah lies on the banks of theTochi Riverin a wide valley surrounded by the foothills of theHindu Kushmountains. It is located at an elevation of about 930 metres (3,050 ft), 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the Pakistan-Afghanistanborder (Durand Line). The nearest city in Pakistan isBannu,about 55 kilometres (34 mi) to the east, while the nearest city across the border in Afghanistan isKhost,60 kilometres (37 mi) to the northwest.
The city has a shrinking population of only 4,361, and it has only 356 households.[1]This makes it the least populous urban area inBannu Division,but it is also the only urbanized area in the entire region ofNorth Waziristan,and also the entireWaziristanregion, a mountainous area that has 99% of its 1.22 million residents living in rural areas.
Administration
[edit]Miranshah is the administrative headquarters ofNorth Waziristan District,in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA). In 2018, FATA was merged into theKhyber Pakhtunkhwaprovince of Pakistan.
History
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3,797 | — |
| 1998 | 5,965 | +1.75% |
| 2017 | 4,361 | −1.63% |
| Source:[2][1] | ||
Miranshah was named after theTimuridruler,Miran Shah,the son ofTimur.
In 1905, the British constructed Miranshah Fort to control North Waziristan.
In the early 1950s, thePakistan Air Force(PAF) and the "Tochi Scouts" of Pakistan's paramilitaryFrontier Corpscarried out counter-insurgency operations from Miranshah Airfield and Miranshah Fort against the insurgency fomented by the rebellious General Shudikhel Dawar andMirzali Khan(Faqir of Ipi). In the 1950s, Miranshah was also the site of a weapons firing range of the PAF, which was located next to the Miranshah Airfield.[3]
After9/11,Miranshah gained prominence in the United States-ledWar on Terrorand has witnessed numerousdronestrikes by the USCentral Intelligence Agencytargeting alleged militants hiding in the town and the surrounding foothills.[4]Miranshah and its surrounding areas have also witnessed fighting between militants and Pakistani military and paramilitary forces.
Notable places
[edit]Miranshah has a historical fort built by the British in 1905, which, since Pakistan's independence on 14 August 1947, has been used as a garrison by the "Tochi Scouts" of Pakistan'sFrontier Corps.The town also has a 7,000 ft. long airfield, which is used for both civil and military purposes.
Other notable places include a bazaar, a sports stadium, a primary school, a secondary school and a college.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abc"Population and household detail from block to district level (North Waziristan agency)"(PDF).NORTH_WAZIRISTAN_AGENCY_BLOCKWISE.pdf.Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 3 January 2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 10 July 2020.Retrieved20 June2020.
- ^"TABLE-1: AREA & POPULATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS BY RURAL/URBAN: 1951-1998 CENSUSES"(PDF).Administrative Units.pdf.Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.Archived(PDF)from the original on 20 June 2020.Retrieved20 June2020.
- ^Pike, John."14 Squadron".Globalsecurity.org.Retrieved2013-07-03.
- ^"4 militants killed in US drone strike in Miranshah".Pakistan Today.Nawa Media Corporation. 2012-04-29.Retrieved2013-07-03.
External links
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