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INTRODUCTION
The administration of the tribal area is looked after by the deputy commissioner
Bannu
district. It is located
between 32˚56’ and 33˚16’ north latitudes and 70˚22’ and 70˚52’ longitudes. It
is bounded on the north by Karak district, on the east by Bannu district, on the
north by tribal area adjoining Lakki Marwat and on the west by North Waziristan
agency. Its total area is 745 square kilometers. The total population of the
area in 1998 was 19,593. There is no urban locality in the area. There were 160
villages in 1998.
PHYSICAL FEATURES
The entire territory of this tribal area is composed of hills of medium height
between 450 to 11200 meters. The highest peak (1,216) of the area is located to
the south of Walai. Kharaghora is the prominent range in the southern part of
the area with an average height of almost 850 meters. Three of the important
western tributaries of the
Indus namely Kurram, Baran and Tochi rivers flow across this
tribal area. The cultivated area is about 33,000 acres. Wheat, maize and
sugarcane are the main crops. Some dates and citrus trees are grown in the
orchards in the plains of the kurram and Tochi rivers.
WEATHER
It experiences hot summers and cold winters. Summer season starts in April and
continues till October. June, July and August are the hottest months. Winter
season starts in November and lasts till March December, January and February
are the coldest months.
DWELLINGS
There is no major concentration of population as the people live in small
hamlets called “kotkas”. Due to intense heat the majority of the population
migrates to the hills of Shawal and Birmal in North and South Waziristan
agencies.
ADMINISTRATIVE SETUP
The Bannu Frontier Region had been administered through the deputy commissioner
with the district officer Frontier Constablary Daryoba as assistant political
agent for the Ahmadzais and the political tehsildar for the Utmanzais wazirs and
Bhittanis. However, in 1976 a separate post of assistant political agent was
sanctioned for the entire tribal area under the administrative control of the
deputy commissioner, Bannu. The Bannu Frontier Region is the federally
administered tribal areas and all the financial liabilities for economic
development and general administration, are borne by the federal government. The
district coordination officer (the defunct deputy commissioner office) Bannu is
actively supported by the Frontier Constabulary in addition to Khasadars engaged
for political administration. The affairs of FR Bannu are largely regulated
through for essentially involving Jirga system. Besides FCR, most of the cases
of Bannu FR areas are decided by the local laws (Riwaj) and Shariat.
TRIBES AND RACE
The trans frontier tribes under the political control of district coordination
officer, Bannu, are part of the Derwaish Khel tribe of the Wazirs, and one (Dhnna)
of the three subdivisions of the Bhitanis.
The Wazir tribe of the
Darwesh Khel, commonly known as the Wazirs, though the other part of Waziristan,
the Mahsuds, is a Wazir tribe also, is composed of two clans, the uthmanzai and
Ahmadzai. There are three divisions of the uthmanzian clan- Ibrahim Khel, Mohmit
Khel and Wali Khel: and three sub-divisions of the Wali Khel- the Kabul Khel,
which is now under the political control of the political agent , North
waziristan, and the Bakka Khel and Jani Khel, which are under that of the
district coordination officer, Bannu. The Ahmadzai clan has two divisions- Shin
Khel and Kalu Khel: and the Kalu Khel has two sub-divisions – the Nasruddin Khel
and Sperkai. The greater part of the Shin Khel and Sperkai Kalu Khel live on the
Bannu border.
The
bhitanni tribe claims descent from Baitan (or Bitan) the third son of Qais Abdur
Rashid, the founder of Pathan race. It has clans- Dhanna, Tatta and Waraspun. Of
these Dhannas are under the political control of the district coordination
officer Bannu.
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