Malakand Pass

The Malakand Pass (Pashto: درہ ملاکنډ; Urdu: درۂ ملاکنڈ) is a mountain pass in the Malakand District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that connects Peshawar with the Chitral District.

The pass road begins at Dargai, which is 150 km the north-west from Islamabad. It then slopes upward towards the tunnel to reach the areas of Swat and Dir. From the top of the pass, Swat Canal descending through the valley can be observed. The Canal was built by the Britishers in the colonial era to channel water from the Swat River through Malakand Pass to the plain areas around Mardan.

The Pass is a wide open road and is well-structured but sometimes it may get extensively trafficked.

At the top end, it is guarded by the Malakand Fort from which it descends through the bazaar of Batkhela, with a Hindu Shahi fort perched above it. After this, it continues to reach the headworks of the Swat Canal to the Swat River. At the bottom end, it meets the plain areas of Mardan and the Charsadda District.

History

It came into prominence in 1895 during the Chitral Expedition, when Pashtuns opposed a stout resistance to Sir Robert Low’s advance over the Malakand Pass in 1895 to the relief of Chitral.

During the frontier risings of 1897, the Swatis made a determined attack on the Malakand, where 700 were killed, and on the adjacent post of Chakdara, where 2000 were killed. This was the origin of the Malakand Expedition of the same year.^[1]^{[citation needed]}

References

^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Malakand Pass". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 460.

34°35′N 71°57′E / 34.583°N 71.950°E / 34.583; 71.950

[1] One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Malakand Pass". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 460.

[1]

v t e Forts in Pakistan
Azad Kashmir	Baral Fort Baghsar Fort Bharand Fort Burjun Fort Karjai Fort Mangla Fort Ramkot Fort Red Fort, Muzaffarabad Throchi Fort
Balochistan	Kharan Fort Lasbela Fort Mir Chakar Fort Sassi Punnu Fort Sandeman Fort Sibi Fort
Gilgit-Baltistan	Altit Fort Baltit Fort Khaplu Palace Shigar Fort Skardu Fort
Punjab	Akrand Fort Attock Fort Bijnot Fort Derawar Fort Din Garh Fort Fort Abbas Fort Mao Mubarak Fort Munro Gujrat Fort Harand Fort Islamgarh Fort Jamgarh Fort Khair Garh Fort Kusak Fort Lahore Fort Malot Fort Mankera Fort Marot Fort Mir Garh Fort Moj Garh Fort Multan Fort Nandana Fort Nawankot Fort Pakka Khanpur Fort Pharwala Fort Rawat Fort Rohtas Fort Sangni Fort Satghara Fort Sheikhupura Fort Tulaja Fort
Sindh	Dalel Dero Fort Kot Diji Fort Manora Fort, Karachi Naukot Fort Pacco Qillo Ranikot Fort Sehwan Fort Umarkot Fort
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Alexander Fort Ali Masjid Fort Bala Hissar, Peshawar Birmoghlasht Summer Fort Chitral Fort Harkishan Garh Fort Handyside Fort Jamrud Fort Mastuj Fort Shagai Fort

History

See also

References