Tank Tahsil, 1908
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.
Tank Tahsil, 1908
Subdivision and tahsil of Dera Ismail Khan District, North-West frontier Province, lying between 32° and 32° 30' N. and 70° 4' and 70° 43' E,, with an area of 572 square miles. It is bounded on the west by Wazlristan, and occupies the north- western corner of the District, at the foot of the Sulaiman Hills. The country long lay uninhabited, there being little to tempt any settlers in so barren a tract ; but it was finally occupied by Pathan tribes from the western hills. The tahsil was formerly a semi-independent State, and its Nawabs belonged to the Kati Khel section of the Daulat Khel clan, the most powerful of the original settlers, w^ho gradually expelled all the rest. The last Nawab, Shah Nawaz Khan, who died in 1882, is said to have been twentieth in descent from Daulat Khan, who gave his name to the tribe. His family first assumed the tribal headship in the person of Katal Khan, great-grandfather of Shah Nawaz. His son, Sarwar Khan, a remarkable man, devoted himself throughout a long reign to the amelioration of his territory and his tribesmen. Under his sway the Daulat Khel changed from a pastoral to an agricultural people, and they still revere his memory, making his acts and laws the standard of excellence in government. Sarwar Khan towards the end of his life found it necessary to tender his submission to the Sikhs, after their occupation of Dera Ismail Khan, and his tribute was fixed at Rs. 12,000 ; but before his death (1836) it was gradually enhanced, as the Sikh power consolidated itself, to Rs. 40,000 per annum. Sarwar Khan was succeeded by his son Aladad Khan ; and at the same time Nao Nihal Singh, who was then in Bannu, raised the demand to a lakh. Aladad Khan was unable to meet the demand and fled to the hills, where he found a refuge among the Mahsuds. Tank was then given in Jagir to Nao Nihal Singh ; but Aladad kept up such a constant guerrilla warfare from the hills that the Sikh grantee at last threw up his possession in disgust. Malik Fateh Khan Tiwana then for a time seized Tank, but he was ousted by Daulat Rai, son of Diwan Lakhi Mai, the Sikh governor ; and it was made over to three dependants of the Nawabs of Dera, Shah Nawaz Khan, the son of Aladad (who had died meanwhile), being left a beggar. In 1846, however, the exiled chief attached himself to Lieutenant (afterwards Sir Herbert) Edwardes, who procured his appointment by the Lahore Darbar to the governorship of Tank. After the annexation of the Punjab, the British Government confirmed Shah Nawaz Khan in his post as governor ; and he thenceforward enjoyed a semi-independent position, retaining a portion of the revenues, and entrusted with the entire internal administration, as well as with the protection of the border. The results, however, proved unsatisfactory, as regards both the peace of the frontier and the conduct of the administration. A scheme was accordingly introduced for remodelling the relations of the State. The Nawab's income was increased, but he was deprived of all administrative powers, retaining only those of an honorary magistrate. Tank thus became an ordinary tahsil of Dera Ismail Khan District. It consists of a naturally dry and uninviting plain, intersected by ravines and low ranges of stony hills which here and there traverse the plain. By assiduous cultivation, however, it has acquired an aspect of prosperity and greenness which distinguishes it strongly from the neighbouring tahsil of Kulachi. The population in igoi was 48,467, compared with 43,725 in 1891. The head-quarters are at Tank Town (population, 4,402), and the tahsil also contains 78 villages. The land revenue and cesses in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 67,000.
