Shirani Country, 1908
Shirani Country
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
A tract on the western border of Dera Ismail Khan District, North- West Frontier Province, lying between 31 30' and 32 N. and 69 45' and 70 20' E. It is bordered on the north by Waziristan, on the west by Baluchistan, and on the south by the Usterana Afghans. The Sulaiman range, running from north to south, divides the country into two parts, Largha or ' lowland,' and Bargha or 'highland.' The former had a population of 12,371 in 1901, and is under the political control of the North-West Frontier Province ; the latter is under that of Baluchistan. The Largha Shirani country is administered by an Extra-Assistant Commissioner with head-quarters at Drazinda, acting under the general supervision of the Deputy- Commissioner of Dera Ismail Khan. The country is poor, the lowlanders being dependent on agriculture, while the Bar Shiranis lead a pastoral life on the higher slopes of the Takht-i-Sulaiman, to which the flocks and herds of both sections are sent in summer. The higher hills are covered with forests of the chilgoza (Pinus gerardiana), in which each section of the tribe has a recognized share, and the profits from the sale of the fruit form a considerable item in their income. The Shiranis are Afghans, and intensely democratic, though each section has a nominal chief or neka. Tribal cohesion is weak. Before annexation the Shiranis had been the terror of the frontier, carrying off cattle and men and women, whom they held to ransom. They sacked Draband, which was held by a small Sikh garrison, and by 1848 had laid waste the border for miles. In 1853 a British expedition sent against the tribe secured their submission, but in 1890 a force had to be sent to coerce the Khiddarzai clan.
In 1899 an agreement was concluded with the tribe, whereby they agreed to pay Rs. 2,000 as revenue, and the British undertook the internal administration of the country. This was carried on success- fully until 1902, when the Extra- Assistant Commissioner was murdered by a jamadar in the Shirani levies. The murderer was joined by thirty or forty malcontents, mostly from the Khiddarzai section of the Oba Khel, and for some months evaded a military force in the higher ranges of the Takht-i-Sulaiman. He finally made good his escape to Afghanistan with his gang, whence they come raiding from time to time.
