Behrain Tehsil
Behrain Tehsil
تحصیل بحرین | |
|---|---|
Kalam Valley in Behrain during winter | |
Behrain Tehsil (in green) in Swat District | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| District | Upper Swat |
| Area | |
• Tehsil | 2,899 km2 (1,119 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Tehsil | 270,620 |
| • Urban | 76,725 |
| • Rural | 193,895 |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+6 (PDT) |
Behrain, also known as Upper Swat Valley[3] and Swat Kohistan,[4] is a tehsil located in Upper Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The population is 270,620, according to the 2023 census.[2] Behrain has an area of 2,899 km2, comprising around three-quarters of total area of the district, and is part of the larger Kohistan region.[5] The major towns include Bahrain, Kalam and Madyan.[5]
Behrain is known for alpine valleys such as Kalam and is home to a number of Indigenous Indo-Aryan peoples, including Gujars, Torwalis and Gawris.[6]
Demographics
Ethnic groups
Major ethnic groups in Behrain tehsil are the Gujars, Torwalis, Pashtuns and Gawris.[7] Torwalis form majority while Pashtuns and Gawris are found in almost equal proportion. Gujars also inhabit several villages including Laikot, Peshmal, Gabral and Serai Badai.[5]
Languages
According to the 2023 Census, the share of Pashto and Kohistani languages in Behrain was 35.81% and 11.88%, respectively. Some 141,119, mainly Torwalis and Gawris, chose "Other", amounting to a little more than 52%.[2] However, these figures have been disputed by the activists based in Behrain, such as Zubair Torwali. According to Torwali the usage of the name 'Kohistani' complicates recording of the accurate linguistic demographics since both Torwali and Gawri languages are sometimes termed as such, along with Indus Kohistani and Shina Kohistani. He estimates the Torwali, Gawri and Gujari-speaking population of the tehsil to be around 100,000, 60,000 and 40,000, respectively.[8]
Other, relatively smaller languages spoken in the Tehsil include Ushojo, Badeshi and Khowar.[5]
Union councils
Behrain consists of 8 Union Councils: Utror, Bahrain, Mankyal, Kalam, Beshigram, Madyan, Tirat and Balakot.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Districts and Subdistricts) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". City Population. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 11" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ "Bahrain, Swat: An Indigenous community on the frontlines of climate change". The University of Sydney. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ Torwali, Zubair (15 June 2014). "Beautiful but marginalised — Swat-Kohistan". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d Torwali, Zubair (9 February 2026). "The case for a third district". The News International. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ Nasir, Fateh-Ul-Mulk Ali (11 July 2020). "Kalam and the three princely states of Swat, Chitral and Dir". WeMountains. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ Bashir, Elena L.; Israr-ud-Din (1996). Proceedings of the Second International Hindukush Cultural Conference. Oxford University Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-19-577571-6.
Swat Kohistan is predominantly inhabited by the Kohistani and Gujjar ethnic groups.
- ^ Torwali, Zubair (21 February 2025). "What is 'Kohistani'?". The News International. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "District Councils and Wards Annex-A" (PDF). Local Government KP. Retrieved 20 April 2025.