Waziristan

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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Location of Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan

Waziristan (Hindi: वज़ीरिस्तान, Pashto and Urdu: وزیرستان‎, "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is named after the Wazir tribe.

Variants

• Vrijisthana वृजिस्थान (AS, p.870)
• Vajiristana वज़ीरिस्तान दे. Vrijisthana वृजिस्थान (AS, p.829)
• Wazirstan (वज़ीरस्तान) (AS, p.870)

History

Waziristan lies between the Kurram river to the north and the Gomal River to the south. It is bordered by Bannu and Tank Districts, FR Dera Ismail Khan, and Kurram Agency to the east and northeast, Sherani and Musakhel Districts of Baluchistan to the south in Pakistan and Khost, Paktia, and Paktika Provinces of Afghanistan to the west and north.

Waziristan is divided into two agencies now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, North Waziristan and South Waziristan. The two parts have quite distinct characteristics, though both are inhabited by the Wazir clan.

North Waziristan: North Waziristan's capital is Miramshah. The area is mostly inhabited by the Dawar Tribe and the Utmanzai branch of the Darwesh Khel Waziris, who are related to Ahmedzai Waziris of South Waziristan, who live in fortified mountain villages, including Razmak, Datta Khel, Spin wam, Dosali, Shawa and Shawal. The Dawars (also known as Daurr or Daur), who live in the main Tochi Valley, farm in the valleys below in villages including Miramshah, Hamzoni, Darpakhel, Muhammadkhel, Boya, Degan, Banda, Ngharkali, Palangzai, Mirali, Edak, Hurmaz, Mussaki, Hassukhel, Ziraki, Tapi, Issori, Haiderkhel and Khaddi irrigated by the river Tochi.

South Waziristan: The South Waziristan's Agency has its district headquarters at Wanna. South Waziristan is the most volatile agency of Pakistan. Not under the direct administration of the government of Pakistan, South Waziristan is indirectly governed by a political agent, who has been either an outsider or a Waziri—a system inherited from the British Raj. In south Waziristan Agency, there are three tribes, Wazir, Maseed and Burki. Burki and Urmarh is the same tribe.

वृजिस्थान

वृजिस्थान (AS, p.870) नामक एक ऐतिहासिक स्थान का उल्लेख प्रसिद्ध चीनी यात्री युवानच्वांग ने 'फो-लि शतंगना' नाम से किया है। सम्भवत: यह वर्तमान वज़ीरस्तान (पाकिस्तान) है।