Orakzai Agency
Encyclopedia
Orakzai Agency is one of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
of Pakistan
. It has a population of 450,000 and an area of 700 square miles (1,813 km²).
tribes take their name, which literally means the lost son (Wrak Dzoy), from a romantic legend about their ancestor, Sikandar Shah, who was a prince from Iran
, was exiled or lost, and after many adventures married and ruled in Tirah
. The tribal area now forming Orakzai Agency was previously included in Frontier Region Kohat district and remained as such until 30 November 1973.
The Biland Khel, a small pocket measuring about 6.5 square kilometres, is also part of this agency and lies a couple of kilometres off Thall, bordering North Waziristan and Kurram agencies. Responding to a long-standing demand of the Orakzais, the then President of Pakistan announced the creation of Orakzai Agency on 3 November 1973 and was formally inaugurated on 1 December 1973. Prior to its upgrading to agency status, this area was administered as a Frontier Region of the Kohat district by the Deputy Commissioner of Kohat.
The Orakzai Agency consists of two sub-divisions: Upper sub-division and Lower sub-division. The Upper sub-division comprises two Tehsils, Upper Tehsil and Ismailzai Tehsil, while the Lower sub-division also has two Tehsils, Lower Tehsil and Central Tehsil. The land of the Orakzai tribes is located between 33° -33' to 33° -54' north latitudes and 70° -36' to 71° -22' east longitudes. It is bounded in the north by Khyber Agency, in the east by FR Kohat, in the south by Kohat and Hangu districts, and in the west by Kurram Agency. The total area of the agency is 1,538 square kilometres
There are eighteen major Orakzai tribes:
However, these tribes have been assimilated into the Orakzai culture and are considered to be Orakzai. Certain Orakzai tribes like the Masozai and half the Lashkarzai find themselves in Kurram Agency for historical and administrative reasons. A small Bangash
tribe, the Buland Khel, is attached to the Orakzai agency also for administrative and historical reasons, although they live at some distance from the agency between Thal
and North Waziristan
.
Then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto announced the creation of the agency at a grand tribal jirga
at Samana
and it began functioning on 1 December 1973. Before this, the Orakzai tribes were part of the Kohat
and Hangu Frontier region. The headquarters of the agency are at Hangu District
, but tehsil
-level headquarters are situated in Kalaya and Ghiljo.
in the north, Kohat District
on the south and Peshawar
in the east. The whole of the territory of Orakzai agency is a mountainous tract dissected by numerous dry water courses, especially in the south-western part of the agency. The two major streams are the Mastura River and Khanki Toi River, both of which originate from the hills to west and run the east.
Orakzai Agency is a hilly region with a fertile valley. The elevation of the hills varies from over 10000 feet (3,048 m) in the west and to less than 6650 feet (2,026.9 m) in east. Generally the elevation of the plain varies from 5,200 to 5500 feet (1,676.4 m) above sea level. Important peaks are Sangla (6325 ft) and chara Kandaco (5643 ft). The height of Kalaya and Sangla is nearly equal.
Orakzai Agency is characterized by intensely cold winters and mild summers. December, January and February are the coldest months and snowfall occurs in these months. Summers are mild and the maximum temperature does not go above 30 degrees Celsius. Surrounding mountains are covered by dense and thick forests, which produce a cooling effect in summer. Due to geographical position of Orakzai and its thick forest cover, it rains throughout the year. In winter, the precipitation is in the form of snowfall over the surrounding mountains as well as in valley itself. There is no rain gauge, but rainfall is estimated to be around 36 inches (914.4 mm) per year.
constituency situated in the Orakzai Agency.
Some of main areas of Upper Orakzai include:
The Shia area includes Zira, Andkhel, Merazai, Dorankai,Darma, Kalaya,Panzary,Char Bagh,Sarobi Gari, Kadda,Mandai, Tharngai, Jabber, Kadola, Dappa, Sra Mela, Choryano Mela, Kharkai, Khamal, Maura, Abu dak, Handou, Laka seza, Dargee,Khinsar, Dobsana, Kurez, Pera, star sam, Sepoy, and Darwazeye etc. An astonishing feature of Mani Khel darra (A town near Kalaya) is a natural tunnel, called Nanawar. Locals state that no one has been to the end of the tunnel so far. The people are more than 50% educated people,however they are more social. They still maintain Hujra system, a symbol of their unity and community culture. Lower Orakzai has some very good landscapes and picnic spots, featuring lush green meadows and mountains covered by forests, however there are some small hotels for stay and so many tourists schemes. The people are very much hospitable, and they provide accommodation to the guests in Hujra. Coal and wood are the major product of the area. Crops are grown on a small level while others items of daily use are purchased from Kohat and Hangu.
". Religion is evident in their lifestyle. People are very much social and maintain Hujra culture. Hujra is a community center, guest house, meeting place, court and shelter. People adhere strongly to the jirga system for peace and justice where saying of the respectable elders is observed by everyone. Jirga system provides swift, quick and accessible justice. People are hospitable, religious minded, social and have strong and violent sentiments of revenge. They love music but hate singers, love weapons but hate to be a part of some army. Self liberty, freedom of speech and self esteem is the specialty. Anyone can raise its voice for any injustice, everyone is respected. Oppressors are hated and oppressed are supported, even a widow can summon the most powerful person of the area to justice. Instead of all these good qualities, the moster of sectarian clashes and talibanization fades the beauty of the culture.
). The army cut them in the west from Kurram agency, in the south from Kohat and in the east from Bara and started a three pronged attack, locals supported the army to their capacity and soon they were forced to flee and evacuate the lower sub division. Heavy damages were inflicted upon them in the upper sub division also and their influence in the area reduced very much. This resulted in the mass evacuation of the IDPs towards Kohat and Hangu where they were given shelter in camps. The situation is defused greatly and now coming to normal.
Lower Orakzai Agency
Village Jalaka Mela.
It is a small village in the centre of Lower Orakzai Agency. People say it the Heart of Orakzai. Sohbat Khan the leader of Orakzai belong to this village.
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...
of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It has a population of 450,000 and an area of 700 square miles (1,813 km²).
History
The OrakzaiOrakzai
Orakzai is a Pashtun tribe settled in the Orakzai Agency of Pakistan. It consists of eighteen clans. Most of the members are situated in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.-Location:...
tribes take their name, which literally means the lost son (Wrak Dzoy), from a romantic legend about their ancestor, Sikandar Shah, who was a prince from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, was exiled or lost, and after many adventures married and ruled in Tirah
Tirah
Tirah is a region located in Kurram and Khyber agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan . It lies between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley. It is inhabited by the Afridi and Orakzai tribes of Pashtuns...
. The tribal area now forming Orakzai Agency was previously included in Frontier Region Kohat district and remained as such until 30 November 1973.
The Biland Khel, a small pocket measuring about 6.5 square kilometres, is also part of this agency and lies a couple of kilometres off Thall, bordering North Waziristan and Kurram agencies. Responding to a long-standing demand of the Orakzais, the then President of Pakistan announced the creation of Orakzai Agency on 3 November 1973 and was formally inaugurated on 1 December 1973. Prior to its upgrading to agency status, this area was administered as a Frontier Region of the Kohat district by the Deputy Commissioner of Kohat.
The Orakzai Agency consists of two sub-divisions: Upper sub-division and Lower sub-division. The Upper sub-division comprises two Tehsils, Upper Tehsil and Ismailzai Tehsil, while the Lower sub-division also has two Tehsils, Lower Tehsil and Central Tehsil. The land of the Orakzai tribes is located between 33° -33' to 33° -54' north latitudes and 70° -36' to 71° -22' east longitudes. It is bounded in the north by Khyber Agency, in the east by FR Kohat, in the south by Kohat and Hangu districts, and in the west by Kurram Agency. The total area of the agency is 1,538 square kilometres
There are eighteen major Orakzai tribes:
- Ali KhelAli KhelAli Khel is a Pakhtun tribe in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ali Khel belongs to tribe of Ghilzai and clan of Sunne Khel. It is considered a "brother tribe" of the Sulemankhel.- See also:* Ali Khel, Jalandhar a village in Punjab, India...
- Mullah Khel
- Mishti
- Shikhan
- Rabia khel
- Ber muhammed khel
- Mani khel
- Feroz khel
- Massozai
- Akhel
- MamozaiMamozaiMamozai is a Pashtun tribe of Orakzai Agency along the Afghanistan and Pakistan border. Like many Afghans or Pashtuns, Orakzai are split along both sides of the border. It consist of a large area including places such as Sama Bazaar, Kach Gari, Jaba, Matrak, Gutta Khel, Kalaya, Khawano, Krapa and...
- Sepoy
- Ali Sherzai
- Mirazi khel
However, these tribes have been assimilated into the Orakzai culture and are considered to be Orakzai. Certain Orakzai tribes like the Masozai and half the Lashkarzai find themselves in Kurram Agency for historical and administrative reasons. A small Bangash
Bangash
Bangash is the name of a Pashtun clan. The Bangash clan inhabit regions within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas , the Kurram Agency, the Miranzai Valley bordering the Samana Range, Naryab, Tirah, Kohat and Peshawar within the Sarhad province...
tribe, the Buland Khel, is attached to the Orakzai agency also for administrative and historical reasons, although they live at some distance from the agency between Thal
Thal
Thal may refer to:* Thal, Styria, a town near Graz, Styria, Austria* Thal, Lower Austria, a town in the Dunkelsteinerwald, Lower Austria, Austria* Thal Desert, a large sand desert in Punjab, Pakistan...
and North Waziristan
North Waziristan
North Waziristan is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering . Waziristan comprises the area west and south-west of Peshawar between the Tochi river to the north and the Gomal river to the south, forming part of Pakistan's...
.
Then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto announced the creation of the agency at a grand tribal jirga
Jirga
A jirga is a tribal assembly of elders which takes decisions by consensus, particularly among the Pashtun people but also in other ethnic groups near them; they are most common in Afghanistan and among the Pashtuns in Pakistan near its border with Afghanistan...
at Samana
Samana
-Dominican Republic:*Samaná Province*Samaná, Dominican Republic, or Santa Bárbara de Samaná, the capital of Samaná Province*Samaná Peninsula*Cape Samana on Samaná Peninsula*Samaná Bay, a body of water in the Atlantic next to the Samaná Peninsula...
and it began functioning on 1 December 1973. Before this, the Orakzai tribes were part of the Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
and Hangu Frontier region. The headquarters of the agency are at Hangu District
Hangu District (Pakistan)
Hangu is a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district takes its name from the town of Hangu. The name Hangu may also sometimes be applied to the Miranzai Valley which is partly within the district, bordering the Samana Range....
, but tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
-level headquarters are situated in Kalaya and Ghiljo.
Geography
The valley is flanked by mountain ranges 6,000 to 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) high. Among the seven tribal agencies, Orakzai Agency is the second smallest in area after Bajaur Agency. It is bounded by Kurram Agency in the west, KhyberKhyber agency
Khyber is a tribal area in the FATA region of Pakistan. It is one of the eight tribal areas, better known as agencies in Pakistan. It ranges from the Tirah valley down to Peshawar...
in the north, Kohat District
Kohat District
Kohat is a district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Kohat city is the capital of the district. It is inhabited by various Pashtun tribes such as Afridi,Khattaks, Bangash and the Orakzaies. The main language of the district is Pashto....
on the south and Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
in the east. The whole of the territory of Orakzai agency is a mountainous tract dissected by numerous dry water courses, especially in the south-western part of the agency. The two major streams are the Mastura River and Khanki Toi River, both of which originate from the hills to west and run the east.
Orakzai Agency is a hilly region with a fertile valley. The elevation of the hills varies from over 10000 feet (3,048 m) in the west and to less than 6650 feet (2,026.9 m) in east. Generally the elevation of the plain varies from 5,200 to 5500 feet (1,676.4 m) above sea level. Important peaks are Sangla (6325 ft) and chara Kandaco (5643 ft). The height of Kalaya and Sangla is nearly equal.
Orakzai Agency is characterized by intensely cold winters and mild summers. December, January and February are the coldest months and snowfall occurs in these months. Summers are mild and the maximum temperature does not go above 30 degrees Celsius. Surrounding mountains are covered by dense and thick forests, which produce a cooling effect in summer. Due to geographical position of Orakzai and its thick forest cover, it rains throughout the year. In winter, the precipitation is in the form of snowfall over the surrounding mountains as well as in valley itself. There is no rain gauge, but rainfall is estimated to be around 36 inches (914.4 mm) per year.
Upper Orakzai
Upper Orakzai is a National AssemblyNational Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
constituency situated in the Orakzai Agency.
Some of main areas of Upper Orakzai include:
- Dabori
- KoolKoolKool may refer to:* Kool , a brand of cigarettes* Kool & The Gang, a 1970s R&B and Funk band* Kool, a 2011 Kannada language film-Broadcasting:*KOOL-FM, a radio station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States...
Lower Orakzai
- (Sultan Zai) most of the land of Sultan Zai, which is about 10000 canals, of one well known family of khan Hashmatullah khan son of rafi ullah khan who give 480 canals land to the government for the kalaya headquarters.
- (Kalaya)
The Shia area includes Zira, Andkhel, Merazai, Dorankai,Darma, Kalaya,Panzary,Char Bagh,Sarobi Gari, Kadda,Mandai, Tharngai, Jabber, Kadola, Dappa, Sra Mela, Choryano Mela, Kharkai, Khamal, Maura, Abu dak, Handou, Laka seza, Dargee,Khinsar, Dobsana, Kurez, Pera, star sam, Sepoy, and Darwazeye etc. An astonishing feature of Mani Khel darra (A town near Kalaya) is a natural tunnel, called Nanawar. Locals state that no one has been to the end of the tunnel so far. The people are more than 50% educated people,however they are more social. They still maintain Hujra system, a symbol of their unity and community culture. Lower Orakzai has some very good landscapes and picnic spots, featuring lush green meadows and mountains covered by forests, however there are some small hotels for stay and so many tourists schemes. The people are very much hospitable, and they provide accommodation to the guests in Hujra. Coal and wood are the major product of the area. Crops are grown on a small level while others items of daily use are purchased from Kohat and Hangu.
Culture
Culture of the area is dominantly pashtoon, with people adhering strongly to the pashtoon code of conduct also known as "Pakhto or PashtunwaliPashtunwali
Pashtunwali or Pakhtunwali is a non-written ethical code and traditional lifestyle which the indigenous Pashtun people from Afghanistan and Pakistan follow. Some in the Indian subcontinent refer to it as "Pathanwali". Its meaning may also be interpreted as "the way of the Pashtuns" or "the code of...
". Religion is evident in their lifestyle. People are very much social and maintain Hujra culture. Hujra is a community center, guest house, meeting place, court and shelter. People adhere strongly to the jirga system for peace and justice where saying of the respectable elders is observed by everyone. Jirga system provides swift, quick and accessible justice. People are hospitable, religious minded, social and have strong and violent sentiments of revenge. They love music but hate singers, love weapons but hate to be a part of some army. Self liberty, freedom of speech and self esteem is the specialty. Anyone can raise its voice for any injustice, everyone is respected. Oppressors are hated and oppressed are supported, even a widow can summon the most powerful person of the area to justice. Instead of all these good qualities, the moster of sectarian clashes and talibanization fades the beauty of the culture.
Talibanization and Army offensive
Talibanization of the area started back in 2006 when sectarian violence was at apex. In start, Taliban were welcome because no one knew their actual objectives, they intermingles with the locals in start and when they were in sufficient numbers, they started to dictate the people. The local people found themselves helpless and were forced to obey. Shia population resisted talibanization in the first place. After a humiliating defeat in Waziristan, Taliban fled to Orakzai Agency. Very soon the area witnessed intense violence and the Army started an unannounced offensive(Orakzai and Kurram offensiveOrakzai and Kurram offensive
The Orakzai and Kurram offensive also known as Operation Khwakh Ba De Sham is a Pakistani military operation against the Tehrik-i-Taliban in the Orakzai Agency and Kurram Agency area of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas that began on March 23, 2010. It is part of the ongoing War in...
). The army cut them in the west from Kurram agency, in the south from Kohat and in the east from Bara and started a three pronged attack, locals supported the army to their capacity and soon they were forced to flee and evacuate the lower sub division. Heavy damages were inflicted upon them in the upper sub division also and their influence in the area reduced very much. This resulted in the mass evacuation of the IDPs towards Kohat and Hangu where they were given shelter in camps. The situation is defused greatly and now coming to normal.
Lower Orakzai Agency
Village Jalaka Mela.
It is a small village in the centre of Lower Orakzai Agency. People say it the Heart of Orakzai. Sohbat Khan the leader of Orakzai belong to this village.