This article is part of the series: Former subdivisions of Pakistan
Original Provinces Baluchistan East Bengal Federal Capital Territory NWFP Sind West Punjab Princely States Baluchistan States Union Amb Bahawalpur Chitral Dir Hunza Kalat Khairpur Kharan Las Bela Makran Nagar Phulra Swat Minor States Jhalawan Phulra Sarawan One-Unit Provinces East Pakistan West Pakistan Other Subdivisions Gilgit Agency    Trans-Karakoram Tract Marri-Bugti Country Divisions of Pakistan
Dir
Capital	Dir
Area	5,282 km²
Language(s)	Persian; Pashto (colloquial)
Established	1863
Abolished	28th July 1969
Government of NWFP

This article details the historical State of Dir. For other uses of Dir, see Dir

Dir was a small former princely state located in the modern North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan. The state ceased to exist in 1969 when it was incorporated into Pakistan. The area once occupied by the state (5,282 km²) now forms two districts of Pakistan - Upper Dir and Lower Dir. The two districts were part of Malakand Division until divisions were abolished as an administrative tier.

Geography

Most of the state lay in the valley of the Panjkora river which rises in the Hindu Kush mountains and joins the Swat River near Chakdara. Apart from small areas in the south-west, Dir is a rugged mountainous country with peaks rising to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) in the north-east and to 3,000 metres (10,000 ft) along the watersheds with Swat to the east and Afghanistan to the west.

History

British India

The State\'s relations with the British were governed by the Agreement of 1925.Jinnah Papers The states: Historical and Policy Perspectives and Accession to Pakistan, First series volume VIII, Editor: Z.H.Zaidi, Quaid-i-Azam Papers Project, Government of Pakistan 2003 Pg xvii

Accession to Pakistan

On 18th February 1948, the ruler of Dir, Muhammad Shah Jehan acceded to Pakistan.Jinnah Papers The states: Historical and Policy Perspectives and Accession to Pakistan, First series volume VIII, Editor: Z.H.Zaidi, Quaid-i-Azam Papers Project, Government of Pakistan 2003 Pg xxxix

Demographics

At Partition there was a Muslim majority in Dir with small minorities of Hindus and Sikhs who left for India during partition.

The main language of the State of Dir was Pashto.

The population of Lower Dir district total 37 Union Councils is 797852 according to the 1998 census report, the projected population of the Dir Lower is 1037091 in 2005 with the same growth between 1981 &1998 census i.e. 3.42% per annum. The projected male population of Dir lower in 2005 is 514072 and the female is 523020.

Government

The rulers of Dir originally held the title of Khan but from June 1897 onwards were styled Nawab Khan Bahadur. The royal status of the rulers was abolished in 1972 at the same time as most other princes of Pakistan.

See also

• Dir city
• North-West Frontier Province
• Historical regions of Pakistan

References

External links

• Government of NWFP
• Government of Pakistan

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia