1976 Dir rebellion

The rebellion initially started as a protest by the local tribesmen in the Shongan valley south of Dir.^{[4][5][6][3][2][1]} In an effort to disperse the protesters, Dir Levies started firing tear gas shells on the protesters.^[2][3] Upon hearing the sound of shelling, multiple tribesmen including Suktankhel and Paidankhel tribesmen carrying melee weapons from the surrounding areas also entered the battlefield and started attacking the troops of Dir Levies.^[2][3] The situation soon went out of the control of Dir Levies. The tribesmen had blockaded the main road to Dir city and they had put the town under siege.^[1] They looted multiple military weapons storehouses, destroyed a government hospital,^[2] and lowered Pakistani flags replacing them with the flags of Dir.^[7] The Pakistani government decided to deploy the Pakistan army and Pakistan Air Force to quell the rebellion.^[4][5][8] 10,000 troops of Pakistan army entered the area.^[2][3] They faced heavy resistance from the 2000 tribesmen. A team of Pakistani military engineers was ambushed by the tribesmen.^[2] Infantry alone failed to quell the rebellion, and so tanks and artillery were used extensively.^[2][3] Sniper positions were established on multiple mountains.^[2] Similarly Pakistani Air Force's Sabres also launched multiple air strikes on the tribesmen.^[2][1] Pakistani casualties were about 300 while the casualties for the tribesmen numbered at around 180.^[3][2] The military succeeded in suppressing the rebellion on 10 September.^[6][4]

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto visited the area after the rebellion. He expressed sorrow at the loss of life and blamed it on the irresponsible behaviour of Dir Levies. The land reforms went through without further problem.