Abbottabad (;
,
Punjabi language
Punjabi (; ; , ), sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It has approximately 113 million native speakers.
Punjabi is the most widely-spoken first language in Pakistan, with 80.5 ...
(HINDKO dialect) آباد, translit=aibṭabād, ) is the capital city of
Abbottabad District
Abbottabad District () is a district of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is part of Hazara Division and covers an area of 1,969 km2, with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town. Neighbouring districts are Mansehra to ...
in the
Hazara region
Hazara (Hindko: هزاره, Urdu: ) is a region in northeastern Pakistan, falling administratively within Hazara Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It is dominated mainly by the Hindko-speaking Hindkowan people, who are the native ethni ...
of eastern
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
, Pakistan. It is the
40th largest city in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
and
fourth largest in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population. It is about north of
Islamabad-Rawalpindi and east of
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
, at an elevation of .
Kashmir lies a short distance to the east.People of Abbotabad speak HINDKO dialect of
Punjabi_language.html" ;"title="Punjabi language">Punjabi language
Following the
Second Anglo-Sikh War
The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently ...
, The
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
had annexed the entire
Punjab region
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
up to
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
. Abbottabad was founded in the early 1850s, by a British military officer in the
Bengal Army of
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
,
James Abbott and replaced
Haripur, as
Hazara's capital.
On the 9th of November 1901, the British established a
North-West Frontier Province
The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followi ...
from the north-western districts of
The Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
, this meant that Abbottabad was now a part of the newly formed province.
Following the
Announcement of Partition of British Raj into
Dominion of Pakistan
Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of ...
and
Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...
,
a referendum was held in the NWFP and the result was in favour of Pakistan. In
1955, Abbottabad and the whole NWFP became a part of
West Pakistan
West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was ...
, but the province was established again in
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
and
Hazara District
Hazara District was a district of Peshawar Division in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It existed until 1976, when it was split into the districts of Abbottabad and Mansehra, with the new district of Haripur subsequently splitting of ...
and the two tribal agencies were merged to form the new
Hazara Division
Hazara Division is an administrative division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located along the Indus River and comprises eight districts: Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, Upper Kohistan, Kolai-Palas, Lower ...
with its capital at Abbottabad.
Osama bin Laden, the founder and first leader of the Islamist militant group
al-Qaeda held refuge at a
a compound in Abbottabad and was shot and killed there by
U.S. Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
on the 2nd of May, 2011.
Established in 1947, Abbottabad houses
Pakistan Army's initial officer training academy, the
Pakistan Military Academy
Pakistan Military Academy ( ur, ), also referred to by its acronym PMA. PMA is an officers training school located near Kakul village in the city and district of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa established in 1947. It is the sole service academy ...
, referred to by its acronym, PMA.
History
![Hazara-Region in Pakistan von James Abbott](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Hazara-Region_in_Pakistan_von_James_Abbott.jpg)
Abbottabad was founded and named after
Major James Abbott in January 1853 as the headquarters of
Hazara District
Hazara District was a district of Peshawar Division in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It existed until 1976, when it was split into the districts of Abbottabad and Mansehra, with the new district of Haripur subsequently splitting of ...
during the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
after the annexation of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
.
[ He remained the first Deputy Commissioner of the Hazara district from 1845 until April 1853. Major Abbott is noted for having written a poem titled " Abbottabad", before his return to Britain, in which he wrote of his fondness for the town and his sadness at having to leave it.
In the early 20th century, Abbottabad became an important military cantonment and ]sanatorium
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
, serving as the headquarters of a brigade in the Second Division of the Northern Army Corps.[ Abbottabad – Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition] The garrison consisted of four battalions of native infantry, of the Frontier Force (including the 5th Gurkha Rifles
5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army.
The regiment's battalions served ...
) and two native mountain batteries.
In 1901, the population of the town and cantonment was 7,764 with an average income of Rs. 14,900. This increased to Rs. 22,300 in 1903, chiefly derived from octroi
Octroi (; fro, octroyer, to grant, authorize; Lat. ''auctor'') is a local tax collected on various articles brought into a district for consumption.
Antiquity
The word itself is of French origin. Octroi taxes have a respectable antiquity, bein ...
. During this time chief public institutions were built such as the Albert Victor Unaided Anglo-Vernacular High School, the Municipal Anglo-Vernacular High School and the government dispensary. In 1911, the population had risen to 11,506 and the town contained four battalions of Gurkhas. In June 1948, the British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...
opened a hospital in Abbottabad to deal with thousands of injured being brought in from Kashmir.
October 2005 earthquake
In October 2005, Abbottabad was devastated by the Kashmir earthquake
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Indian-administered Jammu an ...
. Although most of Abbottabad survived, many older buildings were destroyed or severely damaged.
Recent events
On 25 January 2011, Indonesian terrorist Umar Patek
Umar Patek (born 1970) is an Indonesian convicted terrorist and member of Jemaah Islamiyah who was wanted in the United States, Australia, and Indonesia on terrorism charges. There was a US$1 million reward offered by the Rewards For Justice Pr ...
was arrested in Abbottabad. Patek, a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah ( ar, الجماعة الإسلامية, ''al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah'', meaning "Islamic Congregation", frequently abbreviated JI) is a Southeast Asian militant extremist Islamist terrorist group based in Indonesia, which i ...
terrorist group, was wanted in connection with a deadly series of church bombings in Indonesia in 2000, and three attacks that killed 202 people in tourist districts of Indonesia in what became known as the Bali bombings.
Osama bin Laden’s hideout
On 2 May 2011, Abbottabad gained worldwide attention when U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed in his compound in the city. In February 2012, nine months after bin Laden was killed, Pakistani authorities demolished the compound where Osama bin Laden had lived.
Topography
Abbottabad is in the Orash Valley lying between 34°92′N latitude and 73°13′E longitude at an altitude of . To the north is the picturesque Kaghan Valley
The Kaghan Valley ( ur, ) is an alpine valley located in the Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The valley covers a distance of across northern Pakistan, rising from its lowest elevation of to its highest point at the Babusa ...
.
Climate
Abbottabad has a humid subtropical climate, with mild to warm temperatures during the spring and autumn months, hot temperatures during June and July, and cool to mild temperatures during the winter. The temperature can rise as high as during the mid-summer months and drop below during the extreme cold waves. Snowfall occurs occasionally in December and January, though it is sparse, while heavy rainfall occurs during the monsoon season stretching from July to September that frequently cause flooding in lower lying parts of the city.
Tourism
Abbottabad has been attracting tourists to the city since the colonial era, as it is a major transit point to all major tourist regions of Pakistan such as Nathiagali
Nathia Gali or Nathiagali ( ur, ) is a hill station and mountain resort town located in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is located at the centre of the Galyat range, where several hill stations are situated. Na ...
, Ayubia
Ayubia National Park ( ur, ), also known as Ayubia ( ur, ), is a protected area of located in Abbottabad District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It was declared a national park in 1984. Ayubia was named after Muhammad Ayub Khan (19 ...
and Naran. According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India, "the town is picturesquely situated at the southern corner of the Rash (Orash) plain, above the sea".
The Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...
, which traces one of the paths of the ancient Silk Road, starts from Hasan Abdal
Hasan Abdal ( Punjabi, ur, ), is a city in the Attock District of Punjab Province in Pakistan, located 40 km northwest of the country's capital city, Islamabad. Hassan Abdal is the headquarters of Hasan Abdal Tehsil (sub-district).
As home ...
on the N5 and heads north passing through the city, eventually reaching Khunjerab Pass
Khunjerab Pass (; ; ug, قونجىراپ ئېغىزى) is a mountain pass in the Karakoram Mountains, in a strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan (Gilgit–Baltistan's Hunza and Nagar Districts) and on the southwest border of Ch ...
. The Karakorum Highway is a major attraction itself for its views. The Karakoram, Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...
and the Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Province ...
ranges can be approached from Abbottabad, and it continues to be a transit city for tourists, serving as a base for visiting nearby places, such as Hunza Hunza may refer to:
* Hunza, Iran
* Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan
** Hunza (princely state), a former principality
** Hunza District, a recently established district
** Hunza River, a waterway
** Hunza Peak, a mou ...
, Gilgit, Skardu
, nickname =
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan
, pushpin_label_position ...
and Indus Kohistan, of the Karakoram Range
The Karakoram is a mountain range in Kashmir region spanning the borders of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range falls under the ...
.
There was an influx of migrants from Azad Kashmir after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, another from the Swat District
Swat District (, ps, سوات ولسوالۍ, ) is a district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. With a population of 2,309,570 per the 2017 national census, Swat is the 15th-largest district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pro ...
during military operations against militants in 2009 and 2010, and from Waziristan
Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...
after the army launched major operations against the Taliban in 2009. A £19M amusement park is under construction in the city on a site; it includes a zoo, adventure sports facilities, restaurants and artificial waterfalls.
Education
Abbottabad has a very healthy literacy rate approximately 56% on an average. The city has a young demographic (ages 15–30) due to the large number of students who have come from across the country to study in its schools, for example PIPS, Army Burn Hall College
Army Burn Hall College (; commonly referred to as Burn Hall and abbreviated as ABHC) is a highly selective, Pakistan Army-administered day and boarding school and college in Abbottabad, Pakistan. It was founded in 1943 by members of Saint J ...
, Army Public College Kakul and Abbottabad Public School
Abbottabad Public School (APS), formerly Railway Public School and Abbottabad Public School and College, is a public, all boys, boarding school for 7th to 12th grade students, located in Abbottabad, Pakistan. APS follows the philosophy of the Brit ...
.
The city has a wide variety of post-secondary institutions, such as Ayub Medical College, Frontier Medical College, COMSATS University of Science and Technology, and the University of Engineering & Technology.
Abbottabad is home to the Pakistan Military Academy
Pakistan Military Academy ( ur, ), also referred to by its acronym PMA. PMA is an officers training school located near Kakul village in the city and district of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa established in 1947. It is the sole service academy ...
, a coeducational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
federal service military academy that provides training to the officers of the Pakistan Army. The academy has three training battalions and 12 companies. Another 2,000 guests each year, from over 34 countries, receive some training at PMA.
According to the ''Alif Ailaan
Alif Ailaan ( ur, ) was a nonprofit organization working in the field of education in Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. Launched by a team of media and communications specialists, the program aimed to highlight education on priority basis in Pakistan ...
Pakistan District Education Rankings 2014'', Abbottabad is ranked 37 out of 146 districts in Pakistan in the quality of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked 67 out of 146.
A detailed picture of the district's education performance is available online.
Media
Kay 2 TV is a local Hindko-language channel. Daily newspapers include ''Roznama AAJ'', ''Roznama Shamal'', ''Kay 2 Times'', ''Roznama Pine'', ''Weekly Manzar'', ''Daily Mahasib'' and the Hindko newspaper ''Chaita''.
Sports
The Abbottabad Falcons
The Abbottabad Falcons ( ur, ایبٹ آباد فالکنز) was a Pakistani men's professional Twenty20 cricket team that competed in the Haier T20 League and was based in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The Falcons played at the Ab ...
was the professional cricket team of Abbottabad who played in the national Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
and List A cricket
List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numb ...
tournaments. Sports facilities in the city include:
* Abbottabad Cricket Stadium
The Abbottabad Cricket Stadium is a cricket ground located in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It was established in 2003 by the Pakistan Cricket Board, and in 2010, it was declared as a first-class ground.
It has hosted first-class a ...
* Abbottabad Hockey Stadium
The Abbottabad Hockey Stadium is a field hockey stadium in Abbottabad in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at Circular Road in Abbottabad, and was built in 1988. No international matches have taken place there yet, but t ...
Transportation
Abbottabad's main public transport consists of modified taxis.
Abbottabad is also served by Daewoo Express
Daewoo Express is an inter-city common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 60 destinations in Pakistan. Its headquarters are in Lahore.
History
A timeline of the operations and beginnings of Daewoo Express Ltd:
* December 1997 - incorpor ...
and Niazi Express, the NATCO, Skyways and other bus services.
The nearest railway station is in Havelian
Havelian ( ) is the second largest municipality in the Abbottabad District, in the Hazara Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the headquarters for Havelian Tehsil. The word literally translates into English as "mansio ...
, which is the last and most northern station on the Pakistan Railways
Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger servi ...
network. The station is approximately thirty minutes drive south from Abbottabad city centre.
References
External links
*
*
Alif Ailaan District Education Rankings
{{Authority control
Abbottabad District
Hill stations in Pakistan
Metropolitan areas of Pakistan
Populated places established in 1853
Populated places in Abbottabad District
Cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa