Dera Ismail Khan District

Etymology

It is named after Dodai mercenary Ismail Khan, son of Malik Sohrab Dodai of the Langah Sultanate of Multan, who laid the foundation of the area.^[5]

Ancient history

The Dera Ismail Khan District is littered with ruins from ancient civilizations. Dera Ismail Khan is home to the collection of Hindu ruins from two separate sites 20 miles apart,^[4] jointly known as Kafir Kot.

The region came under the influence of the Nanda empire of the ancient India from 300 BCE. With the rise of Chandragupta Maurya, the region came under the complete control of the Mauryan empire. Afterward, the region was briefly and nominally controlled by the Shunga empire. However, with the decline of the Shungas, the region passed to local Hindu and Buddhist rulers and was interrupted by foreign rulers. Many of these foreign rulers, like the Indo-Parthians, Sakas, and Kushans converted to Hinduism and Buddhism and promoted these Indian religions throughout central and south Asia.

With the decline of the imperial Guptas, the Hindu Shahis came to rule the area. The Hindu Shahis built two massive forts in the northern edges of Dera Ismail Khan. The forts were later renamed as "Kafir kots" (forts of the Kuffar (Disbelievers)). These Hindu Shahi forts were known for high towers and steep defensive walls. The Hindus also built many Hindu temples around the area. However, many of them are now in rubble. The Hindu Shahis remained in control of the area until their defeat by the Turkic Muslim army of Ghaznavids.^[6]

The district is part of what was historically territory inhabited by the Baloch people during the medieval India, who were invited to settle in the region by Shah Husseyn of the Langah Sultanate of Multan. These Baloch settlers were displaced by or assimilated into later waves of the Pashtun settlement.^[4]

British era

Dera Ismail Khan district was annexed by the British from its former Sikh rulers after the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1848–1849.^[7] Dera Ismail Khan was created as an administrative unit of the British India, part of the Derajat Division of the North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). It was formerly divided into almost two equal portions by the Indus river which intersected it from north to south. To the west of the Indus, the characteristics of the country resembled those of Dera Ghazi Khan. To the east of the present bed of the river, there is a wide track known as the Kachi, exposed to river action. Beyond this, the country rises abruptly, and a barren, almost desert plain stretches eastwards, sparsely cultivated, and inhabited by nomadic tribes.

In 1901, the trans-Indus tract was allotted to the newly formed North-West Frontier Province, the cis-Indus tract remaining in the Punjab jurisdiction. The cis-Indus portions of the Dera Ismail Khan and the Bannu districts now comprise the new Punjab district of Mianwali. Wheat and wool were exported. In 1901, it contained an area of 8,814 km² (3,403 sq mi) and a population of 252,379. In 1947, it became part of the newly independent State of Pakistan.^[8]

Modern era

In 2016, 191,000 acres in the district were brought under cultivation with completion of the Gomal Zam dam, and a series of irrigation canals partially funded by the United States Government.^[9]

In 2026, a bombing at a wedding left seven dead, and 25 others injured.^[10]

Population

As of the 2023 census, Dera Ismail Khan district has 270,021 households and a population of 1,829,811. The district has a sex ratio of 110.24 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 46.58%: 58.14% for males and 33.71% for females. 559,401 (30.69% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 374,757 (20.48%) live in urban areas.^[1]

Language

Saraiki are main ethnic groups in Dera Ismail Khan District in simple majority. Total population of DI Khan District is 1,822,916 consists of Males 956,098 & females 866,667 as of 2023 Pakistani census.

There are 1,198,862 Saraiki, 582,703 Pashto, 31,152 Urdu, 4,765 Punjabi, 863 Sindhi, 791 Balochi, 490 Kashmiri, 2,738 Hindko, 5 Brahui, 18 Shina, 2 Balti, 3 Kalasha & 524 others of total 1,822,916 speakers ^[12]

Religion

More information Religious group, 1941: 22 ...

Religion in contemporary Dera Ismail Khan District

Religious group	1941[13][14]: 22		2017[15]		2023[16]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	205,910	84.92%	1,690,436	99.81%	1,816,418	99.64%
Hinduism	33,888	13.98%	642	0.04%	717	0.04%
Sikhism	2,000	0.82%	—N/a	—N/a	58	~0%
Christianity	195	0.08%	2,278	0.13%	5,645	0.31%
Other	474	0.20%	238	0.02%	78	0.01%
Total Population	242,467	100%	1,693,594	100%	1,822,916[a]	100%
Note: 1941 census data is for Dera Ismail Khan and Kulachi tehsils of erstwhile Dera Ismail Khan district, which roughly corresponds to contemporary Dera Ismail Khan district, excluding the former Frontier Region Dera Ismail Khan. District and tehsil borders have changed since 1941.

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More information Religious group, 1941: 22 ...

Religious groups in Dera Ismail Khan District (British North-West Frontier Province era)

Religious group	1881[17]		1891[18]		1901[19]		1911[20]		1921[21]		1931[22]		1941[13][14]: 22
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	385,244	87.23%	420,189	86.42%	218,338	86.51%	224,992	87.85%	218,315	83.72%	235,707	86%	255,757	85.79%
Hinduism	54,446	12.33%	62,961	12.95%	29,434	11.66%	28,617	11.17%	39,311	15.08%	35,822	13.07%	39,167	13.14%
Sikhism	1,691	0.38%	2,840	0.58%	4,362	1.73%	2,175	0.85%	1,904	0.73%	1,878	0.69%	2,390	0.8%
Christianity	253	0.06%	204	0.04%	230	0.09%	336	0.13%	1,237	0.47%	657	0.24%	810	0.27%
Zoroastrianism	13	0%	7	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Jainism	2	0%	0	0%	15	0.01%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	1	0%
Buddhism	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	5	0%
Judaism	—N/a	—N/a	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	1	0%
Others	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Total population	441,649	100%	486,201	100%	252,379	100%	256,120	100%	260,767	100%	274,064	100%	298,131	100%
Note1: British North-West Frontier Province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. Note2: Population decrease noted between 1891 census and 1901 census due to the creation of British North-West Frontier Province, bifurcating from British Punjab province. The trans-Indus tract of Dera Ismail Khan district was allotted to the newly formed North-West Frontier Province, the cis-Indus tract remaining in the Punjab jurisdiction. The cis-Indus portions of the Dera Ismail Khan and the Bannu districts would comprise the new Punjab district of Mianwali.

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