Attock District اٹک
—  District  —
District location within Punjab Province
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab
Capital	Attock
No. of tehsils	6
Government
• Nazim	Maj Tahir Sadiq
• Naib nazim	Malik Muhammad Sameem Khan
Area
• Total	6,857 km2 (2,648 sq mi)
Elevation	2,758 m (9,049 ft)
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)
Languages	Pashto, Hindko, Punjabi, Urdu,
theattock.blogspot.com theattock.blogspot.com

Attock District (Urdu: ضلع اٹک) is a district in the north-west Punjab Province of Pakistan.

The district was created in April 1904^[1] by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.

Attock District is a place of great historic significance. Alexander the Great of Macedonia passed through it as did the first Mughal, Babar, and the various Afghan Sultans before him.

Emperor Akbar the Great, the grandson of Babar, recognizing the strategic importance of this area in 1581 built his famous Attock Fort complex here. The fall of Mughal Empire in 18th century saw the rise of Hindu Maratha state and Sikhs in Punjab and Durrani Afghans to the west. Once again Attock became a battle ground between two contending powers. Maratha Peshwa's brother Raghunathrao won Attock and flagged Hindu dominance over this area in 1758. But in Third battle of Panipat Marathas lost to Ahmead Shah Abdali and lost the control of this region. British finally ended the feud by subjugating both Sikhs and Afghans in the 19th century.^[2]

Name[link]

Attock District original name was Attock it changes Campbellpur after the Briton Sir Colin Campbell who founded the city of Campbellpore. The name of the district was changed to Attock as of 1978 again.^[3] Attock city is the district headquarters.

Neighbours[link]

Attock District is bordered by the Haripur and Swabi districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to the north, the district of Rawalpindi to the east, the district of Chakwal to the southeast, the district of Mianwali to the southwest, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's districts of Kohat and Nowshera to the west and northwest. The river Indus forms the western boundary of the district.

Kabul River[link]

Attock is the eastern terminus of the Kabul-Attock corridor to the Central Asia through which for centuries have passed the armies and the caravans alike. However unlike the modern highways, this corridor is not a work of engineering marvel but an act of nature as it was naturally carved through the Hindu Kush Mountains by the legendary Kabul River.

The 435 miles long journey of River Kabul starts just west of the Kabul city in Afghanistan and ends at Attock where it ultimately falls into the River Indus.^[2]

Resources[link]

Dhullian is a village in Pindigheb Tehsil. This village has important resources namely oil and gas. It has been providing oil since the 1930s. There are all types of soil as mountains, plain areas fertile grounds and it also has a river flowing through it. There is a famous Ghala Mandi located in Dhullian Chowk. Here 90% of the total population area agricultural. This historical village is located at the end of Attock District.

Geography and climate[link]

Attock District has a climate of hot summers and cold winters. The northern part of the district is more humid and is more moderate in climate relative to the southern part of the district due to the higher altitude. Geographically, the district is mainly hills, plateaus and dissected plains. The Indus River flows on the northern and western borders of the district. After Haripur, the Haro River passes through the north of the tehsil of Attock where there is a flood plain with fertile soil. The District's average annual rainfall is 783 mm.

Population[link]

According to the 1998 census of Pakistan the district had a population of 1,274,935 of which 20.45% were urban,^[4] The estimated population in 2008 was 1.58 million.

According to the According to the Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930 ,Hindus made up 8.5% of the total population .^[5]

The city also had a significant Muhajir population. In fact, Attock city was dominated by the immigrants from India but gradually their population has dwindled and now they are a minority - mostly living in old quarters of Attock city. During the soviet war in Afghanistan a great number of afghan refugees came to Attock as it is closed to Peshawar, although many of these refugees have moved back to Afghanistan but still there is a considerable percentage of those who chose not to go back and have started their lives in Attock.

Main tribes[link]

The Gheba Mughal, Syed, Awan, Jat, Khattar, Qanungoh Shaikhs, Paracha, Pathans, Gakhars, Gujjars, Rajputs, and Qureshis are the main tribes of Attock District.^[6] The main Rajput tribes are the Alpial, Jodhra, Janjua, Chauhan,and Bhatti.

Pathans/Pashtuns[link]

The Pashtun, or as they are referred to in the this region, Pathans, are found principally in the Attock District and belongs to Qais Abdur Rashid(father of all pashtuns). There are two Pathan settlements in that district, one in the south-west of Pindigheb Tehsil at Makhad and in the Narrara hills, the other in the Attock Tehsil, chiefly in the Chhachh illaqa.^[7] In addition, there are also a few scattered villages, in Rawalpindi District.Almost 50% of the population of this city near area chachh are of Pashtun) origin, who speak Hindko language. There is also significant villages of predominately Pashto speaking Pashtuns in Attock , who have managed to keep their Pashto language, but are often bilingual in both Hindko and Pashto. The remaining population consists of Bangash, Sayyeds, Gujjars and other non-Pathan tribes.

A large percentage of the population of Chhachh have Pashtun roots and are mostly descendants of the tribes of Durrani, Alizai, Yousafzai, Kakar, Dilazak, Tareen, Tahir Khel (Tahirkheli), Qazikhel, khattak, Tanoli, Sadozai and Barakzai. They arrived in the area around 1000 AD as part of the army of Mahmud of Ghazni and made it their permanent home after defeating the Hindu confederation near Hazro.

Proof of this is that many of the villages & individual quarters of chach are named after certain Pakhtun personalities & tribes, markedly proving who had founded them. For example Aka Khel, Nasozai, Inayat Khel (the founding and Khan tribe of Ghorghushti village), Utman Khel, Saleem Khan, Ghorghushti, Adalzai, Musazai tribes People live in Barazai, Sarkani Tribes people live in Behboodi and Umarzai people live in Malal Mala and Shinka etc. Most of these Pashtuns now refer to themselves as Pathans and speak Hindko as their main language, were as the Pashto speaking Pashtuns are still referred to as Pashtuns.

Some of the Pashto speaking Pashtuns of chach (Attock) belong to the following Pashtun tribes namely Ismail Khel, Tarakhel Khel, Salat Khel, Hisab (Yusuf) Khel, Tur Khel and Babarkarzai. There is also a steady flow of Pashtuns from Afghanistan settling into the area, and are hospitably welcomed by the local Pashtuns.

Chach Pashtuns are revered for their fighting ability in ancient times and more recently for their many advancements in education, culture, and society. It is claimed that Hindko was the original ancient language of Chhachh when it was part of the Gandhara civilisation and was adopted over time by the Pashtun tribes of the area.

According to the 1901 Census of India, these were the main sub-divisions of the Pathans in Attock District.^[8]

Sagri Khattak Pathans[link]

The Pindigheb Pathans are practically all Sagri Pathans, a branch of the Bulaki Khattaks. The Babar family of Bhangi Khel Khattaks is also represented in the Narara hills. Another branch of the Khattaks, the Jamal Khel also have a presence in settlements near the town of Makhad.

Accoding to their traditions, the khattaks came across the Indus river from the neighbourhood of Kohat, and drove out the Awan, whom they found in possession. The khattaks look up to the Khans of Makhad" Sher Ahmed Khattak", as their headmen. They own seven villages, of which Makhad and Narara are the largest. The village of Hadowali is their boundary to the east, where the Awan are their neighbours. Throughout the tract they occupy, they have completely dispossed all other tribes. Their speech is the soft or western dialect of Pashto.^[9]

Chhachh Pathans[link]

The Attock Pathans are found in two parts of the tehsil, those of Sarwala, and those of Chhachh. The Chhachh Pathans have very little in common with the Sagri Khattaks, as they are separated by the Kala Chita mountains.The Chhachhies are also known as Chhachi (Pashtun). The Chhachh have Hindko and pushto speaking community, and have much in common with the Pashtun tribes settled in the neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Chhachh have Pukhtun culture and peoples are following Pashtunwali code of conduct strictly like in NWFP. Mostly Pathans in Chhachh came with Ghaznavi from Afghanistan.^[10]

The largest clan are the Alizai, who include the Tahirkheli, one of three main septs of the Alizai. The Tahirkheli inhabit villages along the Haro river. The other tribe along the Haro are the Sadozai, and both they and the Alizai, are branches of the Durrani-Tareen tribe. In addition, a very sizeable number of clans and septs of the great Yusufzai tribe are aso found here.

The Attock District Gazetteer gives the following description regarding Pathan settlement in the district:

The Chhachh ilaqa is almost entirely held by the Pathans, as is the Nala estates, along the Haro river valey. The Attock Pathans were the earliest group of this reigon to start emigrating to Europe and North America.There are now large communities of Chhachh Pathan settled in British cities, such as Bradford, Birmingham and Manchester^[12]

Hindu population before 1947[link]

Attock District had a heterogeneous mix of religious and ethnic populations before 1947. The Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930 records "Hindus, who make up 8.5% of the total population are by tribes and in order of numerical importance, Khatris, Aroras, Brahmans and Mohyals".^[13]

Administration[link]

The district of Attock is administratively subdivided into six tehsils, each with an elected Nazim: However it should be noted that the Nazim system is no longer part of any administrative duties in all of Punjab. So the following administrators are no longer office holders.

Senators[link]

The district has been represented in the Senate of Pakistan by the following senators:

• Late Ahmad Waheed Akhtar (Pakistan Peoples Party)
• Sardar Mehmood Advocate^[15]
• PPP Central Leader Malik Hakmeen Khan^[16]

MNAs[link]

• Shiekh Aftab Ahmed (Chief Whip PMLN).
• ch.Perwaiz Elahi (PMLQ).
• Sardar Salim Haider Khan Gheba(PPPP).
• Malik Allahyar Khan jodhra(PML)1956-2007

Village of Thatta[link]

Village of Thatta and "Tarap" have been two of the most important villages of the District. It is believed to have been founded by Sher Shah Suri, while some believe that these was founded much earlier, in the time of Alexander's invasion. The Khattar family of this village has played a very important role in the progress of the country and the region.^[17][18]

Prominent personalities of this village include:

• Sardar Lal Khan, known for his courage and bravery against the Bristish Raj and Sikhs. He fought many wars against them and never accepted their government. He was offered a lot of property, but declined; rather, he lost a lot of his own property as a Freedom Fighter and political activist. Although British colonial rulers did bring some other people against him politically by rewarding them with big jageers, his influence never ended. His sons, Sardar Zakri Khan and Sardar Ghulam Khan, also worked hard in the political movement against British Raj.^[17]
• Major General Javed Afzal, Brig Afzal's Son, who served with the British Army.
• Brig. Afzal, political and social figure, Father of Javed Afzal.

Current important personalities include:

• Sardar Saleem Khan, is a grandson of Sardar Lal Khan and son of Sardar Ghulam Khan, a social worker, political activist, and founder of various charity and philanthropic organizations, is currently Chairman of the Social Development Organization, one of the largest NGOs in the District.^[17]
• Sardar Abdul Rashid Khan,Advocate, elder brother of Sardar Saleem Khan,and son of Sardar Ghulam Khan has played a very active role in the restoration of Judiciary.He is a distinguished lawyer of district. He is a well-respected and learned person, who commands respect in the whole region, due to his humble and down to earth behaviour.^[17]
• Cdr Abdul Qayyum Khan is also an important and widely respected personality. He also belongs to Village of Thatta and grandson of Sardar Lal Khan. He has been playing a very active social and political role since after his retirement from Pakistan Navy on completion of his meritorious service.^[17]
• Sardar Manzar Ameer is tehsil Nazim

Sardar Abbas Khan (Khan mulkhial Khattar) Sadar Young Political Group Thatta

References[link]

v t e Districts of Punjab, Pakistan Attock Bahawalnagar Bahawalpur Bhakkar Chakwal Chiniot Dera Ghazi Khan Faisalabad Gujranwala Gujrat Hafizabad Jhang Jhelum Kasur Khanewal Khushab Lahore Layyah Lodhran Mandi Bahauddin Mianwali Multan Muzaffargarh Narowal Nankana Sahib Okara Pakpattan Rahim Yar Khan Rajanpur Rawalpindi Sahiwal Sargodha Sheikhupura Sialkot Toba Tek Singh Vehari See also: Districts of Punjab, India

Attock اٹک
View of Attock Fort
Attock
Coordinates: 33°46′N 72°22′E / 33.767°N 72.367°E / 33.767; 72.367
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab
Established	1904
Incorporated	1978
Government
• Founded By	Sir Colin Campbell
Area
• Total	6,857 km2 (2,648 sq mi)
Population (1998)
• Total	69,588
Time zone	PST (UTC5)
Postal code span	43600
Area code(s)	057
Website	www.attocknews.com www.attockonians.com

Attock (Urdu: اٹک) (formerly Campbellpur) is a city located in the northern border of the Punjab province of Pakistan and the headquarters of Attock District. In the 1901 census, Attock was reported to have had a population of 2866 people, a figure which has grown dramatically during the 20th century with 69,588 reported in the 1998 census and contemporary estimates approaching 100,000.^[1][2]

It is located on the bank of the Indus, just 80 km (50 mi) from Rawalpindi, 100 km (62 mi) from Peshawar, and 10 km (6 mi) from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra.

History[link]

Gandhara was a historic region of ancient India (which corresponds to areas of north west Pakistan including Attock). Situated astride the middle Indus River, the region had Taxila and Peshawar as its chief cities. It was originally a province of the Persian Empire and was reached (327 B.C.) by Alexander the Great. The region passed to Chandragupta,^[3] founder of the Maurya empire, in the late 4th century B.C., and under Asoka was converted (mid-3d cent.) to Buddhism. It was part of Bactria from the late 3d cent. to the 1st cent. B.C. Under the Kushan dynasty (1st cent.–3d cent. A.D.), and especially under Kanishka, Gandhara developed a noted school of sculpture, consisting mainly of images of Buddha and relief’s representing scenes from Buddhist texts, but with marked Greco-Roman elements of style. The art form flourished in Gandhara until the 5th century, when the region was conquered by the Huns.^[4]

Attock fort was completed in 1583 under the supervision of Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, a minister of Emperor Akbar.^[5] In 1759-60, Maratha forces had captured the Fortress of Attock.^[6]

In 1758, the Marathas under Raghunathrao and Tukoji Rao Holkar captured Attock by defeating Durrani forces in the Battle of Attock, 1758.

The last Sikh Kingdom (1799–1849) under Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) captured Fortress of Attock in 1813 from the Afghan Kingdom (Attock then part of Afghanistan). Later Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sher-e-Panjab put Sardar Javala Singh Padhania in charge of the fortress of Attock which he, with a handful of troops, successfully guarded against Afghan onslaughts.

Then in 1849 Attock went to the British who created a district named it Campbellpur District. After 1947, the Pakistani Government renamed it as Attock in 1970s.

The city's foundations were laid in 1903, and it was named Campbellpur after Sir Colin Campbell. The city was established near Attock fort. That was major routes towards central Asia. The district was created in April 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.^[7]

Attock's first oil well was drilled in Khaur in 1915.^[8] It has an oil and gas field Dakhini near Jand.

Although Pakistan had become independent from Britain in 1947, it wasn't until 1978 that the name Attock was adopted for the city.^[7]

During the partition of Punjab Province of British India, Attock District had a Muslim majority with minorities of Hindus and Sikhs.

References[link]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.  Coordinates: 33°54′26″N 72°18′40″E / 33.90722°N 72.31111°E / 33.90722; 72.31111

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Shahid Khan (born c. 1950) is a Pakistani-born American businessman. He is the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) and owner of automobile parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate Corp. in Urbana, Illinois.

Early life[link]

Khan was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and moved to the United States when he was 16 to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.^[1][2] He said he spent his first night in a $2/night room at the Champaign YMCA and that his first job in the United States was washing dishes for $1.20 an hour. He joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at the school.^[3] He graduated from the UIUC School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering with a BSc in 1971.^[4][5]

Flex-N-Gate[link]

Khan worked at the automobile manufacturing company Flex-N-Gate while attending the University of Illinois. When he graduated he was hired as the engineering director for the company. In 1978, he started Bumper Works, which made car bumpers for customizing pickup trucks and body shop repairs.^[1] The transaction involved a $50,000 loan from the Small Business Loan Corporation and $16,000 in his savings.^[6]

In 1980 he bought his former employer Flex-N-Gate, bringing Bumper Works into the fold. Khan grew the company so that it supplied bumpers for the Big Three automakers. In 1984 he began supplying a small number of bumpers for Toyota pickups. By 1987 it was the sole supplier for Toyota pick ups and by 1989 it was the sole supplier for the entire Toyota line in the United States. Toyota Sensei instruction drastically transformed the company efficiency and ability to change its manufacturing process within a few minutes.^[1][7] Since then the company has grown from $17 million in sales to an estimated $2 billion in 2010.^[8]

By 2011, Flex-N-Gate had 12,450 employees and 48 manufacturing plants in the United States and several other countries, and took in $3 billion in revenue.^[2]

Khan has received a number of awards from the University of Illinois, including a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1999 from the Department of Mechanical Science and Industrial Engineering, the Alumni Award for Distinguished Service in 2006 from the College of Engineering, and (with his wife, Ann) the Distinguished Service Award in 2005 from the University of Illinois Alumni Association.^[4]

Jacksonville Jaguars[link]

Khan's first attempt to purchase a National Football League team came in February 11, 2010, when he entered into an agreement to acquire 60 percent of the St. Louis Rams from Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez, subject to approval by other NFL owners.^[8] However, Stan Kroenke, the minority shareholder of the Rams, ultimately exercised a clause in his ownership agreement to match any proposed bid.^[9]

On November 29, 2011, Khan agreed to purchase the Jacksonville Jaguars from Wayne Weaver and his ownership group subject to NFL approval.^[10] Weaver announced his sale of the team to Khan later that same day. The terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed, other than a verbal commitment to keep the team in Jacksonville, Florida. The sale was finalized on January 4, 2012.^[11] The purchase price for 100% share in the Jaguars is estimated to be $760 million.^[12] The NFL owners unanimously approved the purchase on December 14, 2011.^[13] The sale made Khan the first member of an ethnic minority ever to own an NFL team.^{[14] [15]}

References[link]

External links[link]

• Flex-N-Gate