Shangla District
Shangla was upgraded from a Swat tehsil to a district in 1995. Entirely rural (0% recorded urban population), it straddles the Shangla Pass linking Swat to the Indus at Besham on the Karakoram Highway, and reports the division's lowest literacy rate.
Basic Information
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Alpuri |
| Area | 1,586 km² |
| Population (2023 Census) | 891,252 (2017 Census: 757,810) |
| Tehsils | 7 - Alpuri, Bisham, Chakesar, Martung, Makhuzai, Shahpur, Puran |
| Union / Village Councils | 26 Union Councils (2018-19 baseline) |
Source: PBS 2023 Digital Census (population, area, density, literacy, tehsils); KP Development Statistics 2018 - 19 (union/village council counts).
Educational Institutes
| Institution | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Schools | 404 | 170 | 574 |
| Middle Schools | 49 | 21 | 70 |
| High Schools | 41 | 7 | 48 |
| Higher Secondary Schools | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Mosque Schools | - | - | 39 |
Degree Colleges: 3 (boys) + 2 (girls); Private Primary Schools: 37; Private Middle-to-Higher-Secondary: 32; no public-sector university in-district.
Literacy: 36% overall - Male 59%, Female 12%, the lowest female literacy rate recorded for any settled district in the division
Source: KP Development Statistics 2018-19
Health Facilities
| Institution | Number | Beds |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitals | 5 | 292 |
| Dispensaries | 12 | - |
| Basic Health Units | 15 | - |
| Mother & Child Health Centers | 1 | - |
| TB Clinics | 5 | - |
| Private Hospitals | 1 | 17 |
| Private Medical Practitioners | 30 | - |
Source: KP Development Statistics 2018-19
Police Stations
| Police Station | Contact |
|---|---|
| PS Aloch | 0996-853230 |
| PS Alpuri | 0996-850020 |
| PS Bisham | 0996-400473 |
| PS Chakisar | 0996-855161 |
| PS Chowga | 0340-9474324 |
| PS Dandai | 0346-6870060 |
| PS Kabalgram | 0346-0973903 |
| PS Kamach | 0341-9636606 |
| PS Karora | 0996-897626 |
| PS Martong | 0347-2615012 |
| PS Olandar | 0348-3350229 |
Civil Courts
11 Civil Courts in Shangla District
National Assembly
| Constituency | Member (party) |
|---|---|
| NA-11 Shangla | MNA Amir Muqam (PML(N)) |
Source: Election Commission of Pakistan, 2024 General Election. Member photographs are not shown on this page.
Provincial Assembly
- PK-28 Shangla-I: Muhammad Rashad Khan (PML(N))
- PK-29 Shangla-II: Abdul Munim (SIC)
- PK-30 Shangla-III: Ibadullah Khan (PML(N))
Priority Issues & Challenges
- Road Infrastructure — Narrow, winding mountain routes connecting interior tehsils to Alpuri and the Karakoram Highway are poorly paved and exceptionally prone to deadly landslides.
- Water Crisis — Absence of organized municipal water schemes forces rural households to haul untreated water from distant streams, resulting in recurring waterborne illness outbreaks.
- Health — District hospitals suffer from severe absenteeism of specialized doctors, inadequate trauma centers, and a shortage of basic diagnostic machinery.
- Employment — A lack of local enterprise forces thousands of men to work in hazardous coal mines across Pakistan, resulting in high mortality rates and chronic occupational pulmonary diseases.
- Environmental Challenges — Heavy illegal logging, steep hillside deforestation, and seismic activity create severe soil erosion risks, aggravating devastating flash floods during the monsoon season.