Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' Balochi: , ps, قلعه عبدالله ولسوالی) is a district in the north west of
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
province of
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 ...
.
Kila Abdullah was separated from Pishin District and made a new district in June 1993.
The district is located within the heartland of the
Achakzai
The Achakzai or Achekzai ( ps, اڅکزی; fa, اچکزایی) is a Pashtun tribe that resides on both sides of the Durand Line, centered on Killa Abdullah District in Pakistan with some clans as far away as Afghanistan's Kandahar Province.
...
tribe of
Durrani
The Durrānī ( ps, دراني, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan ( Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, Pakistan, but ...
Pashtuns.
Topography
Kila Abdullah district lies between 30–04' to 31–17' North Longitude in the foothills of the
Shela Bagh
Shela Bagh (Also spelled Shelabagh) is a town in Qila Abdullah district of Balochistan province of the Pakistan. It is located next to Shelabagh Cantonment on Quetta-Chaman Highway (N-25).Shela Bagh is close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border.
Th ...
Mountain range. It is bordered by Pishin District in the east,
Quetta District
Quetta ( ps, کوټه, bal, , ur, ) is a district in the north-west of the Balochistan province of Pakistan, on the border with Kandahar province, Afghanistan. It is part of Quetta Division. The district is famous for its agriculture produce, ...
in the South and by
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
in the west. The geographical area of the district is 5,264 km2. It is composed of two sub-divisions; Gulistan and
Chaman
Chaman ( Balochi, Pashto and ur, ) is a city and recently claimed as a new district of Balochistan named Chaman District as it was earlier a part of district Qila Abdullah District located on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It is the capital o ...
. The general character of the district is mountainous. Its northern area is covered by the
Toba Plateau
The Toba Kakar or Toba Kakari ( ps, توبه کاکړۍ; ur, توبہ کاکڑ) are a southern offshoot of the Sulaiman Mountains in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, extending into the Kandahar and Zabul provinces of Afghanistan. The histor ...
. The hill ranges are fairly uniform in character. They consist of long central ridges with numerous spurs. These spurs vary in elevation from 1,500 to 3,300 metres.
Soil
Kila Abdullah is a small valley bordered by mountains. The valley floor is covered with unconsolidated alluvial sediments that are mostly composed of clay, silt, silty clay and clayey silt. All these sediments were deposited in the valley by the seasonal streams that flow across the valley (generally north to south). The soil is of loamy nature in the Gulistan area, while the soil of Tehsil
Chaman
Chaman ( Balochi, Pashto and ur, ) is a city and recently claimed as a new district of Balochistan named Chaman District as it was earlier a part of district Qila Abdullah District located on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It is the capital o ...
is sandy clay—gravel (admixture). The sandy fraction increases towards the mountain ranges. The scarcity of water in the area and the semi-desert climatic conditions have limited trees and shrubs to grow.
Climate
The climate of the district Kila Abdullah is generally dry and temperate. The adjoining districts have somewhat deviating temperatures, owing to different elevations. The climatic conditions of the district are particularly suitable for horticulture/ agriculture. The climate is especially suitable for the growth of fruits e.g. apples, apricots, peaches, plums, grapes, cherries and vegetables such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes.
History
In 1839, this area along with
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of ...
and Pishin region became a part of British India as a result of the First Anglo Afghan War. However, in 1842, the Afghans reoccupied the entire Pishin Valley, losing it again in 1879. Four years later, Pishin and the surrounding areas were merged with Quetta district. In 1993, it was separated from Pishin for administrative reasons and was given the status of a district.
Demographics
At the time of the 2017 census the district had a population of 323,793, of which 169,550 were males and 154,240 females. Rural population was 297,669 (91.93%) while the urban population was 26,124 (8.07%). The literacy rate was 39.37% - the male literacy rate was 54.52% while the female literacy rate was 22.96%. 282 people in the district were from religious minorities.
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...
was the predominant language, spoken by 97.96% of the population.
Administrative subdivisions
The district is administratively subdivided into the following
tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administ ...
s:
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Dobandi Dobandi is a village of Haripur District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies ...
Pakistan District Education Rankings The Pakistan District Education Rankings are a series of 5 consecutive annual publications by Alif Ailaan, first published in 2013.
Pakistan District Education Rankings 2018
The last district rankings published by Alif Ailaan were in 2022.
Top ...
2017, district Kila Abdullah is ranked at number 111 out of the 141 ranked districts in Pakistan on the education score index. This index considers learning, gender parity and retention in the district.
Literacy rate in 2014–15 of population 10 years and older in the district stands at 27% whereas for females it is only 8%.Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (2016). ''Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey 2014-15''. nlineIslamabad: Government of Pakistan, p.111. Available at: http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//pslm/publications/PSLM_2014-15_National-Provincial-District_report.pdfccessed 6 Aug. 2018
Post primary access is a major issue in the district with 87% schools being at primary level. Compare this with high schools which constitute only 6% of government schools in the district. This is also reflected in the enrolment figures for 2016–17 with 19,087 students enrolled in class 1 to 5 and only 234 students enrolled in class 9 and 10.
Gender disparity is another issue in the district. Only 15% schools in the district are girls’ schools. Access to education for girls is a major issue in the district and is also reflected in the low literacy rates for females.
Moreover, the schools in the district lack basic facilities. According to
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 ...
district education rankings 2017, the district is ranked at number 121 out of the 155 districts of Pakistan for primary school infrastructure. At the middle school level, it is ranked at number 113 out of the 155 districts. These rankings take into account the basic facilities available in schools including drinking water, working toilet, availability of electricity, existence of a boundary wall and general building condition. 7 out of 10 schools do not have electricity in them. 3 out 5 schools lack a toilet and 2 out of 5 schools do not have a boundary wall. 1 out of 2 schools do not have clean drinking water.
Sites of interest
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Khojak Tunnel
The Khojak Tunnel ( ur, , ''Khojak Sarang''), is a railway tunnel in the Toba Achakzai range in the Qilla Abdullah District of Balochistan province, Pakistan.''1998 District Census Report of Killa Abdullah'', Population Census Organisation, G ...