Buner District

History

The Buner Valley lies between Swabi to the South and Swat to the North. It is a valley dotted with villages and divided into four sub-divisions. The Mora Hills and the Ilam range divide it from the Swat Valley, while the Sinawar range from Yusafzai, the Guru mountains from the Mardan Valley, and the Duma range from the Puran Valley.

During the 1580s, a significant uprising against the Mughal Empire took place among Yusufzai people. In late 1585, Mughal Emperor Akbar sent military forces under Zain Khan Koka and Birbal to crush the rebellion. In February 1586, near the Karakar Pass, about 8,000 Mughal soldiers, including Birbal, were killed by the Yusufzai lashkar, led by Kalu Khan. This was the greatest disaster faced by the Mughal Army during Akbar's reign.

Throughout the 19th century, the inhabitants of Buner stood up twice against the British Raj during the Ambela Campaign and their rebellion in the 1897 Frontier Revolt.

In April 2009, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan seized control of Buner after a short battle with the local residents and began imposing strict regulations, which reportedly included the closure of video stores, mandates against trimming beards, and restrictions on women's presence in various public spaces. On 29 April, the Government of Pakistan responded to the Taliban by deploying the army to the region, even employing parachutists delivered via helicopters. By the end of May 2009, almost whole Buner was liberated from the Taliban's grip.

2025 flash flood

Main article: 2025 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa flash floods}}On the morning of August 15th, 2025, a cloudburst occurred in Beshonai village of Buner, causing more than 150 mm of rain in one hour only.{{Cite news

The destruction caused by the flash flood was devastating. More than 200 people tragically lost their lives in Buner alone. Entire families were wiped out along with their homes when the Beshonai village was hit by giant rocks that were forced down from a mountain by the intense cloudburst.

In the aftermath of the flood, the KP government released PKR 150 Million to cater to the immediate needs of the situation. Afterwards, the government raised PKR 500 Million for Buner.

Demographics

|1951 |109,147 |1961 |123,217 |1972 |187,984 |1981 |265,517 |1998 |506,048 |2017 |895,460 |2023 |1,016,869

As of the 2023 census, Buner district has 118,665 households and a population of 1,016,869. The district has a sex ratio of 99.90 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 43.75%: 60.61% for males and 27.40% for females. 310,484 (30.54% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. The entire population lives in rural areas.

Languages

At the time of the 2023 census, 95.91% of the population spoke Pashto and 2.07% Hindko as their first language.

Ethnic groups

The main ethnic groups in Buner district are:

• Gujjar
• Chitarali
• Jadoon
• Tanoli
• Pashtun

Religions

Administration

Buner Tehsils

Buner District is subdivided into 6 Tehsils:

National assembly

This district is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) in Pakistan National Assembly. Its constituency is NA-28.

Provincial assembly

The district has three constituencies in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in the National Assembly of Pakistan.

Education

• University of Buner

Largest villages

• Torwarsak is the most populated town in Buner which had population of about 35,165 in 2018.[[File:Torwarsak village Beautiful view.jpg|thumb|[[Torwarsak]] village in 2020]]
• Totalai is the second most populated town with population of about 24,562 in 2018.
• Rega is the third most populated town with population of about 23,726 in 2018.
• Ellai is the fourth most populated town with population of about 23,678 in 2018.
• Kalpani is another town with a population of about 18,500 in 2018.
• Afghan Refugees camp had a population of about 22,380 in 2023

Notes

References

References

1. "Village/Neighbourhood Council". lgkp.gov.pk.
2. [http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/uncertainty-rules-pakistan%E2%80%99s-buner-district "Uncertainty rules Pakistan's Buner district"] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-07-14 , Radio Nertherlands Worldwide)
3. [https://ecp.gov.pk/storage/uploads/ZIU0DkqLCuXtnvwpQaAEFhImeLVXJHRk3lr6K4gZ.pdf List of District Returning Officers] ''[[Election Commission of Pakistan]]'' 11 December 2023 Retrieved 10 January 2024
4. "Literacy rate, enrolments, and out-of-school population by sex and rural/urban, CENSUS-2023, KPK".
5. (13 October 2017). "بونیر کے روایتی پھول نمیر سے منسوب تین روزہ میلہ شروع ہوگیا".
6. (2000). "1998 District Census report of Buner". Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan.
7. Khan, Nisar Ahmad. (2015-12-13). "Mughal emperors' courtroom in ruins".
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10. (October 16, 2023). "High time for govt to protect Buner's marble industry from collapse".
11. {{EB1911
12. "Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 19– Imperial Gazetteer of India". Digital South Asia Library.
13. Richards, John F.. (1993). "The Mughal Empire". Cambridge University Press.
14. "Taliban Exert Influence In Pakistan". NPR.org.
15. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090504084848/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/29/content_11280866.htm Pakistani forces seize main town of Buner district from Taliban]
16. (27 May 2009). "90% Buner Cleared: May 27, 2009".
17. (2025-08-17). "Flash floods devastate Buner, Pakistan after rare cloudburst kills hundreds". Reuters.
18. Ali, Marium. "Pakistan floods and cloudbursts visualised in maps and satellite images".
19. "PEOC RMS".
20. Naqash, Zahid Imdad {{!}} APP {{!}} Muqadam Khan {{!}} Imran Gabol {{!}} Imtiaz Ali Taj {{!}} Tariq. (2025-08-18). "KP govt releases Rs800m for flood-hit areas, Rs500m for worst-affected Buner as deaths hit 341".
21. "Population by administrative units 1951-1998". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
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25. "Pakistan Census 2017 District-Wise Tables: Buner".
26. "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 9". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
27. "Table 1: Area, Population by Sex, Sex Ratio, Population Density, Urban Population, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate, Census-2023, KPK".
28. "Literacy Rate, Enrolment and Out of School Population by Sex and Rural/Urban, Census-2023, KPK".
29. "Election Commission of Pakistan".
30. [http://www.panwfp.gov.pk/index.php/members/bydistrict/en/9/65 Constituencies and MPAs – Website of the Provincial Assembly of the NWFP] {{webarchive. link. (April 22, 2009)
31. Babbar, Rafiullah. (26 May 2018). "Buner District Population of Cities, Towns and Villages 2017-2018".