Upper Dir District
Upper Dir, separated from Lower Dir in 1996, covers the upper Panjkora (Dir Kohistan) valley toward the Hindu Kush and the Lowari Pass into Chitral.
Basic Information
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Dir |
| Area | 3,699 km² |
| Population (2023 Census) | 1,083,566 (2017 Census: 946,421) |
| Tehsils | 6 - Barawal, Dir, Kalkot, Lar Jam (Larjam), Sharingal, Wari |
| Union / Village Councils | 28 Union Councils |
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 | 511 | 224 | 735 |
| Middle Schools | 61 | 29 | 90 |
| High Schools | 41 | 15 | 56 |
| Higher Secondary Schools | 14 | 4 | 18 |
| Mosque Schools | - | - | 83 |
Degree Colleges: 2 (boys) + 1 (girls); Polytechnic Institutes: 4; Commerce College: 1; Private Primary Schools: 113; Private Middle-to-Higher-Secondary: 28; University: 1 (Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal).
Literacy: 42% overall - Male 64%, Female 22%
Source: KP Development Statistics 2018-19
Health Facilities
| Institution | Number | Beds |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitals | 5 | 486 |
| Dispensaries | 11 | - |
| Rural Health Centers | 3 | 60 |
| Basic Health Units | 31 | - |
| Private Hospitals | 11 | 73 |
| Private Medical Practitioners | 19 | - |
Source: KP Development Statistics 2018-19
Police Stations
| Police Station | Contact |
|---|---|
| Foreigners Branch | 0344-1197465 |
| PS Barawal | 0944-830300 |
| PS Dir | 0944-880035 |
| PS Gandigar | 0944-870030 |
| PS Jagam | 0944-888388 |
| PS Kalkot | 0944-889008 |
| PS Patrak | 0944-820048 |
| PS Sahib Abad | 0944-884344 |
| PS Shahi Kot | 0944-868108 |
| PS Sheringal | 0944-885016 |
| PS Thall | 0944-859115 |
| PS Wari | 0944-840027 |
| Tourists Facilitation Center | 0344-0900074 |
Civil Courts
| Tehsil | Courts |
|---|---|
| Dir Tehsil | 03 |
| Wari Tehsil | 01 |
| Sheringal Tehsil | 01 |
| Total civil courts | 05 |
National Assembly
| Constituency | Member (party) |
|---|---|
| NA-5 Upper Dir | MNA Sahibzada Sibghatullah (SIC) |
Source: Election Commission of Pakistan, 2024 General Election. Member photographs are not shown on this page.
Provincial Assembly
- PK-11 Upper Dir-I: Gul Ibrahim Khan (SIC)
- PK-12 Upper Dir-II: Muhammad Yamin (SIC)
- PK-13 Upper Dir-III: Muhammad Anwar Khan (SIC)
Priority Issues & Challenges
- Road Infrastructure — Road infrastructure in Upper Dir is in a severely dilapidated state, with mountainous corridors (such as Kumrat Valley routes and Lowari approaches) suffering frequent landslide blockages, leaving over 75% of rural valley communities isolated during winter.
- Water Crisis — Upper Dir faces a severe drinking water crisis, with 81% of households relying on unpiped, unfiltered mountain streams or open sources prone to contamination.
- Health — Healthcare facilities in Upper Dir are under extreme pressure, with a bed density of only 0.28 per 1,000 people and a critical shortage of female medical officers and pediatric specialists.
- Education — The district faces severe educational deficits, with a 42% out-of-school rate among children aged 5 - 16 due to harsh terrain, extreme weather, and lack of functional middle/high schools for girls.
- Environmental Challenges — Deforestation, illegal timber logging, and acute lack of municipal sanitation infrastructure result in over 82% of untreated local waste discharging into the Panjkora River system.