Kolai-Palas Kohistan District
District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan
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Kolai-Palas Kohistan District (Urdu: ضلع کولئی-پالس کوہستان) is a district in the Hazara Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.[3][4][5][6] It was a sub-division of the Kohistan district within the Hazara division till it attained the status of a separate district in 2017.[7][8]
Kolai-Palas Kohistan District
ضلع کولئی-پالس کوہستان | |
|---|---|
Palas Valley | |
 Kolar-Palas District (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Division | Hazara |
| Established | 2017 |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Administration |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Noor Ul Amin |
| • District Police Officer | Amjad Hussain Awan |
| • District Health Officer | N/A |
| Area | |
| 1,410 km2 (540 sq mi) | |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
| 280,162 | |
| • Density | 198.7/km2 (515/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 0 |
| • Rural | 280,162 |
| Literacy | |
| • Literacy rate |
|
| Time zone | PST |
| Number of Tehsils | 2 |
| Website | kolaipallas |
History
Demographics
Population
The population estimate for the district in 2021 was 275,461[13] and as of the 2023 census, Kolai-Palas district has 33,983 households and a population of 280,162. The district has a sex ratio of 103.65 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 18.80%: 24.24% for males and 13.14% for females. 102,642 (43.36% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. The entire population lives in rural areas,[1] from 1981 to 2023 the population increased by approximately 227%, this is an average increase of 1.95% per annum.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 123,685 | — |
| 1998 | 165,613 | +1.73% |
| 2017 | 274,923 | +2.70% |
| 2023 | 280,162 | +0.32% |
| Sources:[14] | ||
Language
- Kohistani, including Kohistani Shina and Indus Kohistani (85.2%)
- Shina (7.75%)
- Pashto (2.81%)
- Others (4.25%)
As of the 2023 census, 85.19% of the population identified their language as Kohistani, 7.75% Shina and 2.81% Pashto as their first language. 4.03% of the population speaks languages classified as 'Others'.[15] However the designation Kohistani is applied equally to different unrelated languages in the region, including the Kohistani Shina (a Shina dialect), mainly spoken in the eastern side of the Indus River which include Kolai-Palas, and Indus Kohistani, mainly spoken in the western side of the Indus River. Speakers of Kohistani Shina commonly selected Kohistani as a single census option.[16][17]
Religion
787 (0.33% of the surveyed population) people in the district are from religious minorities, mainly Christians.[18]
Administrative Units
The district currently has two Tehsils:[11][12]
The district is divided into 13 Wards (previously known as Union Councils), and 52 village councils.
Provincial Assembly
| Member of Provincial Assembly | Party affiliation | Constituency | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sardar Mohammad Riaz | Independent | PK-33 Kolai Palas | 2024 |