District Upper Dir at a Glance

Upper Dir is the upper part of old District Dir. At the time of independence, Dir was a state ruled by Nawab Shah Jehan Khan. It was merged with Pakistan in 1969 and later on declared as a district in 1970. In 1996, it was bifurcated into Upper and Lower Dir districts.

This district is situated in the northern part of Pakistan. It is bounded on the north and north-west by the Chitral district and Afghanistan, on the east by Swat district, and on the south by Lower Dir district.

Total area of the district is 36994 square kilometers. The topography of the district is dominated by high mountains. The most important mountain range is the Hindu Raj. It runs from north east to south west along the northern borders with Chitral district. In winter whole area remains snow-covered. The mountains in the western part of the district are covered with forests, while the eastern mountain range, Dir Kohistan is barren. Main River of the district is Panjkora River, which originates from Dir Kohistan. District head quarter Upper Dir is connected with metalled or shingled roads to all Tehsil Headquarters. The district is totally mountainous so there is no railway and airport.

The summer season is moderate and warm and June and July are hot months. Maximum and minimum temperature in June is about 33 and 16 degree centigrade respectively. Winter season is very cold and severe. Temperature rapidly falls from November onwards. During the months of December, January, and February, temperature normally falls below freezing point. 

Maximum and minimum temperature in January is 11 and minus 2 degree centigrade respectively.

Farming, trade and working overseas are the main sources of income for the people. A very small proportion of the population is employed in government departments. The women outside proper Dir share the work with their men in the agriculture sector in addition to their household duties. The unemployment rate in the district was measured at 37.1% in 1998.

For the purposes of administration, the district is divided into Dir and Wari subdivisions and 5 tehsils, which include Dir, Barawal, Kalkot,Wari, and Khal. There are 28 union councils, all rural ones whose elected representatives formulate district and tehsil assemblies. Political constituencies include 1 national seat and 3 provincial seats of legislative assemblies.

JURISDICTION

The organization currently works in District Dir NWFP and will gradually extend its activities to entire Pakistan and globally. For the time being relatively under developed District Dir has been chosen. The village District Dir will be the center of activities. 

Nature Of The Organization

The ″FATMA DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (FDO)″ is intended to be wide ranging, multipurpose voluntary social welfare organization amid at generating social and welfare activities with a view to eliminate poverty and hunger, reduce the ever-prevalent miseries all over and improve the general living standers of the man kind. The organization shall lunch creative projects that would enhance literacy rate and provide stander education/training to the people with a view to bring a gradual social revolution in the downtrodden society and introduce general health care and hygiene awareness schemes to facilitate the general public. It would generate self-employment schemes, offer opportunities to all for contributing towards improvement of the existing living conditions undertake new works and repair jobs for general uplift of the area and instill in people the desire and will to change their current status through example and motivation. The organization shall provide an institutional framework for environmental protection measures to save our mountains, land, forests and plantation from further erosion, protect unique species of animals, birds, fish and other wild life from annihilations and preserve the nature beauty of planet earth from potential disasters. The organization will not be biased toward gender and it shall be strictly non-sectarian and political, working for creating harmony amongst different groups of people with a view to promote greater tolerance and get rid of extremism and hatred fanned on the basis of cast, color or creed.