Dera
Ismail Khan Travel Guide
Dera Ismail Khan or D.I. Khan, is a city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
(formerly North West Province NWFP) Province of Pakistan. It is situated on the
west bank of the Indus River, 320 kms west of Lahore and 190 kms northwest of
Multan. The majority of population speaks Saraiki. The total population of the
city was 86,969 according to the census of 1998.
Hotels in Dera Ismail Khan
Abdulaee Hotel
Hotel Paradise
Imperial Palace Hotel
Lucky Guest House
National Club
Shalimar Hotel Restaurant
History of Dera Ismail Khan
Historically the region around Dera Ismail Khan has been inhabited for
millennia, as evidence by the nearby site of Rehman Dheri — a Pre-Harappan or
Kot Digian, archaeological site from 3300 BCE. DI Khan is located in the
historical Derajat region, which was established in the 15th century, when
Baluchs from the North Eastern Balouchistan were invited to settle the region by
Shah Husayn, of the Langah Sultanate of Multan.
Shah Husayn being unable to hold his trans-Indus possessions, assigned the
region around DI Khan to Sardar Malik Sohrab Khan Dodai Baloch in 1469 or 1471
and appointed him as "Jagir dar". Malik originally hailed from the Makran
District of southwestern Baluchistan province. His success lead to the migration
of other Makrani tribesmen — one of which, Ghazi Khan, founded the city of Dera
Ghazi Khan further south. Malik's son, Ismail Khan, is traditionally believed to
have founded the city of Dera Ismail Khan, though the Emperor Babur passed
through the region in 1506 and made no mention of the city.
Baluch settlers were displaced by, or assimilated into, later waves of
Pashtun settlement, although villagers along the alluvial plains are typically
Baluch or Jat. The city was along the major Multan to Kandahar trade route,
though it never attained a station of great power or importance before the
British period. DI Khan grew prosperous as a trading centre for Powindah nomads.
During Nader Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire, the city's Baloch leaders
surrendered the city without quarrel.
DI Khan was ruled by nine generations of Baluch leaders descended directly
from Ismail Khan. The last, Nusrat Khan, was removed from power after the city
was captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1750. The city in 1794 was granted to
Nawab Muhammad Khan Sadozai by Shahzada Kamran Durrani.
Re-establishment of Dera Ismail Khan
The original town was swept away by flooding on the Indus River in 1823. The
present city was founded by Nawab Sher Muhammad Khan of the Sadozai clan in 1825
and now stands four miles (6 km) back from the permanent channel of the river
atop a small plateau. Nawab Sadozai took into consideration the opinions of
Diwan Lakhi Mal and Tej Bhan Chandwani. Architects were brought in from Punjab,
who designed a city where Hindus would live south of the city centre and Muslims
north of it. Four bazaars were laid in each of the cardinal directions, with all
four converging in the town's central Chowgalla. The rebuilt city contained a
large bazaar for Afghan traders, and the city prospered from trade via the Gomal
Pass. An eight-foot mud wall with nine gates was built around the city during
this time as well, some of which such as the Kaneran Wala and Sakki survive
until today. All existing buildings are of relatively modern construction,
dating no earlier than the 19th century.
DI Khan remained under Sadozai rule from the nearby town of Mankera until it
was annexed by Nau Nihal Singh of the Sikh Empire in 1836. Diwan Lakhi Mal
appointed the city's Kardar ruler, though the Nawabs of the city from the
Durrani order were allowed to maintain their title and some income. The city
suffered under punitive taxes that lead to frequent complaints in the Sikh
Darbar at Lahore, resulting in several changes of Kardar. The city was annexed
by the British in 1849 following their conquest of Punjab that resulted in the
defeat of the Sikhs as the Battle of Gujrat.
British era
In 1920 NWFP province was made out of Punjab province. DI Khan was made part
of NWFP now known as KPK province.
DI Khan's first deputy commissioner under British rule was General Van Cortland,
who arrived in February 1848, before departing later that year to quell revolt
in nearby Multan. Following the defeat of rebels at Multan, Lieutenant Butler
was made the next deputy commissioner of DI Khan and Bannu. Under his rule, the
city's infrastructure and colonial administration system were established in
which top posts were exclusively occupied by the British. The city was on the
edge of the Tribal Areas — lands that were frequently in rebellion against
British rule. The town did not rise up in revolt against British rule during the
1857 Sepoy Mutiny. In 1861, DI Khan was made into the Divisional Capital of the
new Dera Ismail Khan Division: analogous to a British county.
The municipality was constituted in 1867, while the Dera Ismail Khan Cantonment
was established in 1894. The military cantonment area, which lies southeast of
the town, has an area of 44 square miles (110 km2), excluding the portion known
as Fort Akalgarh on the northwest side. The Derajat Brigade had its winter
headquarters at Dera Ismail Khan, and the garrison consisted of a mountain
battery, a regiment of Native cavalry, and three regiments of Native infantry.
Detachments from these regiments helped to garrison the outposts of Drazinda,
Jandola, and Jatta. The "Civil Lines" neighbourhood was built to the south.
The local trade of Dera Ismail Khan was of moderate importance, but some foreign
traffic with Central Asia passed through it. Powindah caravans of Afghan
merchants traversed the town twice a year on their road to and from India. With
the increasing security of the Gomal route, these caravans were swelling in
numbers. The chief imports were English and native piece-goods, hides, salt, and
fancy wares; the exports were grain, wood, and ghee. The local manufacturers
specialized in lungis and lacquered woodwork.
The town possessed a civil hospital; its chief educational institutions were two
aided Anglo-vernacular high schools, one maintained by the Church Missionary
Society and the other by the Bharatri Sabha, and an Anglo-vernacular middle
school maintained by the municipality.
According to the 1901 census the population of Dera Ismail Khan was 31,737, of
whom 18,662 were Muslims, 11,486 Hindus, and 1,420 Sikhs. Of the total, 3,450
lived in the cantonment.
The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan
Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and
Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslims refugees from India settled down in
the Dera Ismail Khan. After the independence, many of the city's Hindu residents
settled in India, primarily in Model Town, Vijay Nagar and Derawal Nagar colony
in Delhi.
Modern[edit source]
Following an influx of refugees following the 1979 Soviet Invasion of
Afghanistan, DI Khan's population tripled. DI Khan was badly effected by a
terrorist campaign conducted throughout northwest Pakistan, primarily between
2007 and 2014. A suicide bomber on January 29, 2007 detonated himself killing
two while injuring seven people. During the 2008 Dera Ismail Khan suicide
bombing a bomber targeting Shias blew himself up in a hospital waiting room,
killing 32 people. The attacks were carried out by the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan to pressure the government to call off its offensive in Swat and the
Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which had begun less
than two weeks earlier.
During the November 2008 Dera Ismail Khan bombing, Shia religious leader Allama
Nazir Hussain Shah was shot dead in a sectarian killing with Shah Iqbal Hussain.
During his funeral prayers, a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing nine
people and injuring 39.
In the January 2009 bombings, 52 people were injured while 16 were killed as
three explosions took place in the city. On February 20, 2009 a suicide bomber
blew himself during a funeral procession of a Shia local, killing more than 32
while injuring 157. In May 2009, 5 people were killed while 9 injured in three
explosion. On 14 June 2009, eight people were killed while 27 injured in
explosion in Pir Market near a bus stand. On 29 July 2009, two people were
killed and four injured when a bomb planted in car detonated near the district
court.
On May 18, 2010, a bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded near a police van
killing 13 people while injuring 14. (On 25 June 2011, 10–12 militants of
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan attacked a police station in the nearby town of
Kulachi, killing 10 police officers.)
On November 24, 2012, eight people were killed and several injured after bomb
exploded in Ashoura procession of Shi'ites. On July 30, 2013, around 150
militants launched a major attack on the central jail, releasing more than 200
prisoners. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed the responsibility of these
attacks.
In 2014, the wide-scale Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched against militants
throughout Pakistan, which resulted in a greatly improved security environment
by 2016, although on January 4, 2017 15 people including five policemen were
killed when a remote control planted bomb exploded on Bannu Road. On 17 February
2017, another five people, including four police officers, were killed after
unidentified suspects opened fire on a police van near Mission Mor.
As part of the 2015 China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, it was announced that DI
Khan will be the terminus of the Hakla–Dera Ismail Khan Motorway — a 280-km,
four-lane controlled access motorway that will begin at the M1 near Islamabad
and serve as part of the Western Alignment of the economic corridor.
Other Cities in Khyber Pakhtukhwa :
Peshawar
Mardan
Takht Bhai
|
Swat Valley |
Besham |
Abbottabad
|
Dera Ismail Khan | Haripur
Indus River
|
Peshawar Museum
| National Monuments in
Pakistan | Khyber pass
|
Bird watching in Kohistan
|
Baba Bullehshah The Sufi Saint
|
Old Images of Khyber
Pass
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