Dera Ismail Khan (NWFP)

Hindu Hertiage of Dera Ismali Khan is vanishing. Dera Ismail Khan (Pashto: ډیرہ اسماعیل خان) is a city in North West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The town, the headquarters of Dera Ismail Khan District, is situated on the west bank of the Indus River and lies 200 miles west of Lahore and 120 miles north-west of Multan.[1] The city is the headquarters of the district and tehsil of the same name, in Pakistan, it is often abbreviated to D.I.Khan Notable residents during the British Era The first civil surgeon of the civil hospital was Dr. Bhagwan Das Dhamija and Bharati Sabha was started by a prominent Dhamija family whose family held high positions of session judge and prominent lawyers. Hindu and Sikh families sought their guidance and help in business. The trade flourished after roads were built by Military Engineering Services in the 30's.British brought in an engineer Ram N. Mullick to supervise the construction from Bannu. Asa Nand Kapoor and Ram.N.Mullick were the first two engineers from Banaras Engineering College class of 1922-26.See April,2008 issue of the Chronicle[[3]]Both of them played a major role in the building of roads, electricity and water for D I Khan and Bannu areas of NWFP. Lala Thakur Das Taneja and his son Tola ram Man Mohan Lal Taneja were among the prominent sugar traders of that time, one of his son Col Bashi lal Taneja became one of the best doctors of India after partition and opened the first Medical college "Maulna Azad Medical College" in Delhi. Dr P. L. Narula Ji, a famous doctor, lived in D I Khan before moving to India after 1947 Partition. Shri Kawalnayan Sachdeva Ji was a prominent trader who stayed in D I Khan before partition. Most of Hindu population of D I Khan during the Pre-Partition era were followers of Lal Ji Maharaj and Sati Kewal Ram Ji Maharaj of Bohoriwala Thalla[clarification needed], which is now situated in Inderpuri, New Delhi. One of the first lawyers in district courts and high court was Qureshi Abdul Razak Shah of Band Kurai and he was a famous and the best advocate in district even after the British era. According to the 1901 census the population of Dera Ismail Khan was 31,737, of whom 18,662 were Muslims, 11,486 Hindus, and 1,420 Sikhs. Of the total, 3,450 lived in the cantonment.[9] After the partition of India, many of the city's Hindu residents settled in India, primarily in Model Town, Vijay Nagar and Derawal Nagar colony of Delhi.[