Miramshah

Miramshah
ميرامشا‬
Town
Miramshah
Miramshah
Coordinates: 33°0′9″N 70°4′8″E / 33.00250°N 70.06889°E / 33.00250; 70.06889Coordinates: 33°0′9″N 70°4′8″E / 33.00250°N 70.06889°E / 33.00250; 70.06889
Country  Pakistan
Province  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Agency North Waziristan
Tehsil Miran Shah
Elevation 930 m (3,050 ft)
Population (2017)[1]
 • Total 11,214
Time zone UTC+5 (PST)

Mīrāmshāh (Pashto/Urdu: ميرامشا‬‎) or Mīrānshāh (ميران‌شاه‬) is a town and administrative headquarters of North Waziristan, Pakistan. It is one of the largest towns in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Miramshah lies on the banks of the Tochi River in a wide valley surrounded by the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains. It is located at an elevation of about 930 metres (3,050 ft), 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border (Durand Line). The nearest town in Pakistan is Bannu, about 55 kilometres (34 mi) to the east, while the nearest city across the border in Afghanistan is Khost, 60 kilometres (37 mi) to the northwest.

Administration

Miramshah is the administrative headquarters of the North Waziristan Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA) and is governed by a political agent appointed by the Government of Pakistan.

History

25th Punjabis (now 9 Punjab, Pakistan Army) regimental band at Miram Shah, NWFP, 1917

Miramshah was named after the Timurid ruler, Miran Shah, the son of Timur.

In 1905, the British constructed Miramshah Fort to control North Waziristan.

In the early 1950s, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the "Tochi Scouts" of Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps carried out counter-insurgency operations from Miramshah Airfield and Miramshah Fort against the insurgency fomented by the rebellious Mirzali Khan (Faqir of Ipi). In the 1950s, Miramshah was also the site of a weapons firing range of the PAF, which was located next to the Miramshah Airfield.[2]

After 9/11, Miramshah gained prominence in the United States-led War on Terror and has witnessed numerous drone strikes by the US Central Intelligence Agency targeting alleged militants hiding in the town and in the surrounding foothills.[3] Miramshah and its surrounding areas have also witnessed fighting between militants and Pakistani military and paramilitary forces.

Notable places

Miramshah has a historical fort built by the British in 1905, which, since Pakistan's independence on 14 August 1947, has been used as a garrison by the "Tochi Scouts" of Pakistan's Frontier Corps. The town also has a 7,000 ft. long airfield, which is used for both civil and military purposes.

Other notable places include a bazaar, a sports stadium, a primary school, a secondary school and a college.

Notable people

Sirajuddin Haqqani, a Pashtun warlord born in Afghanistan who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s and is currently fighting against the US-led ISAF coalition on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, has his base in Miramshah. He has been linked to attacks against US targets in Afghanistan, including the US Embassy in Kabul.[4]

Major ( Retd) Malik Qalandar Shah who belongs to the Miran Shah village . He is The first Tribal who joined Army and he is the pioneer of women education and made doctors all four of his daughters .He educate his orphan cousins and made them doctor and engineer . His family became the role model to the area and people started to educate not only their sons but daughters and now the area is most famous for education especially doctors , engineers and civil service , professors ,Architets , and Journslists .

See also

References

  1. ↑ "POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD DETAIL FROM BLOCK TO DISTRICT LEVEL: FATA (NORTH WAZIRISTAN)" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  2. ↑ Pike, John. "14 Squadron". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
  3. ↑ "4 militants killed in US drone strike in Miranshah". Pakistan Today. Nawa Media Corporation. 2012-04-29. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
  4. ↑ Walsh, Declan; Schmitt, Eric (2012-06-30). "New Boldness From Militants Poses Risk to U.S.-Pakistan Ties". The New York Times.
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