Dera Ismail Khan

In the local language, the word ḍerā means "tent, encampment", and is commonly found in the name of towns in the Indus Valley such as Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Bugti. It is named after Dodai mercenary Ismail Khan, son of Malik Sohrab Dodai, who founded the town.{{Cite web|url=https://waseb.org/2010/04/20/baloch-tribes-of-the-saraiki-waseb-by-farooq-miana/|title=Baloch tribes of the Saraiki Waseb – by Farooq Miana|date=April 20, 2010}} As such the name of the city means "Camp of Ismail Khan."

{{See also|Derajat|History of Multan|History of Punjab|History of Sindh}}

File:Pakistan_Dera_Ismail_Khan_map.svg

The region around Dera Ismail Khan has been inhabited for millennia, as evidenced by the nearby site of Rehman Dheri — a pre-Harappan archaeological site dating back from 3300 BCE.Saira Naseem, Zakirullah Jan (2016), [https://web.archive.org/web/20220211131146/http://journals.uop.edu.pk/papers/13.%20The%20Emerging%20Tochi%20Gomal%20191-199.pdf The Emerging Tochi-Gomal Cultural Phase in the Gomal Plain, Northwest Pakistan.] Ancient Pakistan, Vol. XXVII (2016) 191 In the seventh century, the city had a large population of Brahmins and Buddhists.{{cite book |last1=Meister |first1=Michael W. |title=Temples of the Indus: Studies in the Hindu Architecture of Ancient Pakistan |date=26 July 2010 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-19011-5 |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1N95DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA12 |language=en}}

D. I. Khan is located in the historical Derajat region, which was established in the 15th century, when Baloch people were invited to settle the region by Shah Husayn, of the Langah Sultanate of Multan.

Baloch settlers were assimilated through the, later waves of Pashtun settlement, although villagers along the alluvial plains are typically Baloch or Jat.

Dera Ismail Khan region was part of Multan Subah of Mughal Empire, though D. I Khan never attained a station of great power or importance before the British period. D. I. Khan grew prosperous as a trading centre for Powindah nomads, during Nader Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire.

D. I. Khan was ruled by nine generations of Baloch leaders descended directly from Ismail Khan. The last, Nusrat Khan, was removed from power after the city was captured by Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1750. In 1794, the city was granted to Nawab Muhammad Khan Sadozai by Shahzada Kamran Durrani.{{cite book |last1=Tolbort |first1=T |title=The District of Dera Ismail Khan, Trans-Indus |date=1871 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RVQOAAAAQAAJ&q=dera+ismail+khan |access-date=12 December 2017}}

The original town was swept away by flooding on the Indus River in 1823. The present city was founded by Nawab Sher Muhammad Khan of the Saddozai clan in 1825, and now stands four miles (6  km) away from the permanent channel of the river, atop a small plateau.{{EB1911|inline=1 |wstitle=Dera Ismail Khan |volume=8 |page=64}} Nawab Sadozai took into consideration the opinions of Diwan Lakhi Mal and Tej Bhan Nandwani for the city's reconstruction. Architects were brought in from Punjab, who designed a city where Hindus would live south of the city center and Muslims north of it.

Four bazaars were laid in each of the cardinal directions, with all four converging in the town's central Chowgalla. The rebuilt city contained a large bazaar for Afghan traders, and the city prospered from trade via the Gomal Pass. An eight foot mud wall with nine gates was built around the city during this time as well, some of which such as the Kaneran Wala and Sakki survive until today. All existing buildings date from no earlier than the 19th century.[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V11_275.gif Dera Ismail Khān Town – Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 11, p. 269]. Dsal.uchicago.edu. Retrieved on 2012-06-01.

Dera Ismail Khan remained under Sadozai rule from the nearby town of Mankera until it was annexed by Sikh ruler Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh of the Sikh Empire in 1836.{{cite web |title=Dera Ismail Khan - An Overview of History and Indigenous People |url=http://c2d.org.pk/index.php/component/phocadownload/category/4-heritage-resource-kit-for-community-english?download=3:2-dera-ismail-khan-an-overview-of-the-history-ingigenous-peoples |access-date=12 December 2017}} Diwan Lakhi Mal appointed city's Kardar ruler, though the Nawabs of the city from the Durrani order were allowed to maintain their title and some income. The city suffered under punitive taxes that lead to frequent complaints in the Sikh Darbar at Lahore, resulting in several changes of Kardar.

D. I. Khan's first deputy commissioner under British Indian Empire was General Henry Charles Van Cortland, who arrived in February 1848, before departing later that year to quell a revolt in nearby Multan. Following the defeat of rebels at Multan, Lieutenant Butler was made the next deputy commissioner of D. I. Khan and Bannu. Under his rule, city's infrastructure and colonial administration system were established in which top posts were exclusively occupied by the British. The city was on the edge of the Tribal Areas — lands that were frequently in rebellion against British Indian Empire. The town did not rise up in revolt against British Indian Empire during the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny. In 1861, D. I. Khan was made into the Divisional Capital of the new Dera Ismail Khan Division: analogous to a British county.

The municipality was constituted in 1867, while the Dera Ismail Khan Cantonment was established in 1894.{{cite web |title=Dera Ismail Khan Cantonment |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/pakistan/cantt-dera-ismail-khan.htm |publisher=Global Security |access-date=12 December 2017}} By 1881 the city's population was 22,164. The military cantonment area, which lies southeast of the town, had an area of {{convert|44|sqmi|km2}}, excluding the portion known as Fort Akalgarh on the northwest side.

The Dera Ismail Brigade had its winter headquarters at Dera Ismail Khan, and the garrison consisted of a mountain battery, a regiment of Native cavalry, and three regiments of Native infantry. Detachments from these regiments helped to garrison the outposts of Drazinda, Jandola, and Jatta. The "Civil Lines" neighborhood was built to the south.

The town possessed a civil hospital; its chief educational institutions were two aided Anglo-vernacular high schools, one maintained by the Church Missionary Society and the other by the Bharatri Sabha, and an Anglo-vernacular middle school maintained by the municipality.

According to the 1901 census, the population of Dera Ismail Khan was 31,737, of whom 18,662 were Muslims, 11,486 Hindus, and 1,420 Sikhs. Of the total, 3,450 lived in the cantonment.[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V11_274.gif Dera Ismail Khān Town – Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 11, p. 268]. Dsal.uchicago.edu. Retrieved on 2012-06-01.

The predominantly Muslim population (which accounted for more than 80 % of the local population of Dera Ismail Khan) supported the Muslim League and the Pakistan Movement. After the Partition of India and independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India, while the Muslim migrants from India settled in Dera Ismail Khan. In India, Model Town, Vijay Nagar and Derawal Nagar colony in Delhi absorbed many Hindu former residents of D. I. Khan.{{cite web |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030319/ncr1.htm |title=Colonies, posh and model in name only! |publisher=NCR Tribune |access-date=2007-12-16}}

Following an influx of refugees following the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, D. I. Khan's population tripled.

During the November 2008 Dera Ismail Khan bombing, Shia religious leader Allama Nazir Hussain Shah was shot dead in a sectarian killing with Shah Iqbal Hussain. During his funeral prayers, a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing nine people and injuring 39. In the January 2009 bombings, 52 people were injured while 16 were killed as three explosions took place in the city.

In May 2009, three explosions caused the deaths of five people while nine were injured. On 14 June 2009, eight people were killed while 27 injured in an explosion in Pir Market near a bus stand.{{cite news |url=http://nation.com.pk/politics/14-Jun-2009/At-least-8-killed-27-injured-in-Dera-Ismail-Khan-bomb-blast |title=At least 8 killed, 27 injured in Dera Ismail Khan bomb blast |work=The Nation |date=14 June 2009 |access-date=7 April 2017}} On 29 July 2009, two people were killed and four injured when a bomb planted in car detonated near the district court.{{cite news |url=http://nation.com.pk/politics/29-Jul-2009/2-killed-several-injured-in-Dera-Ismail-Khan-court-blast |title=2 killed, several injured in Dera Ismail Khan court blast |work=The Nation |date=29 July 2009|access-date=7 April 2017}} On May 18, 2010, a bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded near a police van killing 13 people while injuring 14.{{cite news |url=http://nation.com.pk/politics/19-May-2010/Bike-bomb-kills-DSP-12-others-in-DI-Khan |title=Bike bomb kills DSP, 12 others in DI Khan |work=The Nation |date=19 May 2010 |access-date=23 April 2017}} On 25 June 2011, between 10 and 12 militants of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan attacked a police station in the nearby town of Kulachi, killing 10 police officers.{{cite news |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/196170/militants-attack-police-station-in-di-khan/ |title=Militants attack police station in DI Khan, 10 personnel killed |work=The Express Tribune |date=25 June 2011 |access-date=13 May 2017}} The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed the responsibility of these attacks.[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\story_21-2-2009_pg1_4 Leading News Resource of Pakistan] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112122855/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009 |date=January 12, 2012}}. Daily Times (2009-02-21). Retrieved on 2012-06-01.[http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/2/20/1235120849120/suicide-bomb-dera-ismail--001.jpg JPG image] (2009-2-20)

In 2014, the wide-scale Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched against militants throughout Pakistan, which resulted in a greatly improved security environment by 2016, although on January 4, 2017 15 people including five policemen were killed when a remote control planted bomb exploded on Bannu Road.{{cite news|url=http://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/368739-DI-Khan-Five-police-officers-10-civilians-injur|title=D.I Khan: Five police officers, 10 civilians injured in bomb blast|work=Dunes News|access-date=10 March 2017|date=4 January 2017}} On 17 February 2017, another five people, including four police officers, were killed after unidentified suspects opened fire on a police van near Mission Mor.{{cite news |work=Geo News |access-date=3 March 2017 |date=17 February 2017 |url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/131387-Four-policemen-killed-in-Dera-Ismail-Khan |title=Four policemen killed in Dera Ismail Khan}}

As part of the 2015 China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, it was announced that D. I. Khan would be the terminus of the Hakla–Dera Ismail Khan Motorway — a four-lane controlled access motorway, 280 km in length, that is to begin at the M1 near Islamabad and serve as part of the Western Alignment of the economic corridor.{{cite news |title=PM Nawaz performs groundbreaking of Motorway in D.I Khan |url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/120599-PM-Nawaz-performs-groundbreaking-of-Motorway-in-DI-Khan|access-date=19 May 2016 |agency=The News |date=17 May 2016}}

On 3 November 2023, a bomb blast occurred in Dera Ismail Khan, in which a number of people were killed and injured.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1125462-blast-targeting-police-van-kills-5-injures-20-in-di-khan|title=Blast targeting police van kills 6, injures 22 in DI Khan|website=www.thenews.com.pk}}

Dera Ismail Khan has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh), bordering on a hot steppe climate (Koppen: BSh), with sweltering summers and warm winters. Rain mainly falls in two distinct periods: in the late winter and early spring from February to April, and in the monsoon in July and September.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}

D. I Khan is situated at an altitude of 177 metres above sea level.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

{{Weather box

|location = Dera Ismail Khan

|collapsed= Y

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 28.9

|Feb record high C = 30.6

|Mar record high C = 37.2

|Apr record high C = 44.4

|May record high C = 47.9

|Jun record high C = 51.0

|Jul record high C = 47.0

|Aug record high C = 44.5

|Sep record high C = 42.4

|Oct record high C = 40.5

|Nov record high C = 35.0

|Dec record high C = 30.6

|Jan high C = 20.3

|Feb high C = 22.1

|Mar high C = 26.9

|Apr high C = 33.5

|May high C = 38.7

|Jun high C = 41.5

|Jul high C = 38.5

|Aug high C = 37.4

|Sep high C = 36.7

|Oct high C = 33.4

|Nov high C = 27.7

|Dec high C = 21.9

|Jan mean C = 12.2

|Feb mean C = 14.7

|Mar mean C = 19.9

|Apr mean C = 26.0

|May mean C = 30.9

|Jun mean C = 34.2

|Jul mean C = 32.7

|Aug mean C = 31.9

|Sep mean C = 30.2

|Oct mean C = 25.3

|Nov mean C = 19.1

|Dec mean C = 13.6

|Jan low C = 4.2

|Feb low C = 7.3

|Mar low C = 12.9

|Apr low C = 18.5

|May low C = 23.1

|Jun low C = 26.8

|Jul low C = 26.9

|Aug low C = 26.4

|Sep low C = 23.8

|Oct low C = 17.3

|Nov low C = 10.5

|Dec low C = 5.3

|Jan record low C = −2.2

|Feb record low C = -2.0

|Mar record low C = 4.0

|Apr record low C = 9.5

|May record low C = 14.4

|Jun record low C = 17.5

|Jul record low C = 18.6

|Aug record low C = 19.5

|Sep record low C = 15.8

|Oct record low C = 8.0

|Nov record low C = 2.2

|Dec record low C = −2.8

|Jan rain mm = 10.0

|Feb rain mm = 17.5

|Mar rain mm = 34.8

|Apr rain mm = 21.7

|May rain mm = 17.2

|Jun rain mm = 44.4

|Jul rain mm = 69.8

|Aug rain mm = 87.5

|Sep rain mm = 37.6

|Oct rain mm = 14.8

|Nov rain mm = 2.1

|Dec rain mm = 19.4

|rain colour = green

|Jan sun = 222.2

|Feb sun = 206.8

|Mar sun = 234.3

|Apr sun = 259.2

|May sun = 290.1

|Jun sun = 247.7

|Jul sun = 241.3

|Aug sun = 261.1

|Sep sun = 271.1

|Oct sun = 283.2

|Nov sun = 249.7

|Dec sun = 220.4

|source 1 = NOAA (1961-1990) {{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/PK/41624.TXT |title=Dera Ismail Khan Climate Normals 1961-1990 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710215356/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/PK/41624.TXT |archive-date=2020-07-10 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 16, 2013}}}}

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Dera Ismail Khan (1991–2020)

|Jan record high C = 28.9

|Feb record high C = 30.6

|Mar record high C = 37.2

|Apr record high C = 43.3

|May record high C = 47.9

|Jun record high C = 51

|Jul record high C = 47.0

|Aug record high C = 44.5

|Sep record high C = 42.4

|Oct record high C = 40.5

|Nov record high C = 35.0

|Dec record high C = 30.6

| Jan high C = 19.5

| Feb high C = 22.6

| Mar high C = 27.3

| Apr high C = 34.0

| May high C = 39.6

| Jun high C = 41.0

| Jul high C = 38.5

| Aug high C = 37.5

| Sep high C = 36.5

| Oct high C = 33.5

| Nov high C = 27.7

| Dec high C = 22.4

| year high C = 31.7

| Jan mean C = 12.1

| Feb mean C = 15.3

| Mar mean C = 20.3

| Apr mean C = 26.4

| May mean C = 31.6

| Jun mean C = 33.4

| Jul mean C = 32.5

| Aug mean C = 31.8

| Sep mean C = 30.1

| Oct mean C = 25.7

| Nov mean C = 19.4

| Dec mean C = 14.2

| year mean C = 24.4

| Jan low C = 4.6

| Feb low C = 8.0

| Mar low C = 13.4

| Apr low C = 18.9

| May low C = 23.7

| Jun low C = 25.9

| Jul low C = 26.5

| Aug low C = 26.0

| Sep low C = 23.8

| Oct low C = 17.9

| Nov low C = 11.1

| Dec low C = 5.8

| year low C = 17.1

|Jan record low C = −2.2

|Feb record low C = -2.0

|Mar record low C = 4.0

|Apr record low C = 9.5

|May record low C = 14.4

|Jun record low C = 17.5

|Jul record low C = 18.6

|Aug record low C = 19.5

|Sep record low C = 15.8

|Oct record low C = 8.0

|Nov record low C = 2.2

|Dec record low C = −2.8

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 12.6

| Feb precipitation mm = 24.0

| Mar precipitation mm = 37.4

| Apr precipitation mm = 29.1

| May precipitation mm = 9.1

| Jun precipitation mm = 38.3

| Jul precipitation mm = 71.5

| Aug precipitation mm = 72.4

| Sep precipitation mm = 37.8

| Oct precipitation mm = 19.6

| Nov precipitation mm = 3.4

| Dec precipitation mm = 4.4

| year precipitation mm = 369.6

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 2.1

| Feb precipitation days = 3.5

| Mar precipitation days = 5.0

| Apr precipitation days = 3.8

| May precipitation days = 1.8

| Jun precipitation days = 2.6

| Jul precipitation days = 4.1

| Aug precipitation days = 3.8

| Sep precipitation days = 1.9

| Oct precipitation days = 1.0

| Nov precipitation days = 0.7

| Dec precipitation days = 0.9

| year precipitation days = 31.2

|Jan humidity=62

|Feb humidity=58

|Mar humidity=62

|Apr humidity=51

|May humidity=42

|Jun humidity=46

|Jul humidity=63

|Aug humidity=69

|Sep humidity=63

|Oct humidity=58

|Nov humidity=63

|Dec humidity=64

|year humidity=

| Jan sun = 193.4

| Feb sun = 196.5

| Mar sun = 229.3

| Apr sun = 265.8

| May sun = 279.1

| Jun sun = 265.5

| Jul sun = 247.7

| Aug sun = 260.5

| Sep sun = 262.7

| Oct sun = 263.4

| Nov sun = 215.5

| Dec sun = 218.3

| year sun = 2897.7

| source 1 = NOAA (extremes 1961-1990){{cite web

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Pakistan/CSV/DIKhan_41624.csv

|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Dera Ismail Khan

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = February 6, 2024}}{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/PK/41624.TXT |title=Dera Ismail Khan Climate Normals 1961-1990 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710215356/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/PK/41624.TXT |archive-date=2020-07-10 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 16, 2013}}

| source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1973-1990),

{{cite web

| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_416240_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Dera Ismail Khan, Nordwestgrenz-Provinz / Pakistan

| publisher = Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure

| access-date = September 17, 2016}}

Ogimet{{cite web |url=https://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=41624&ano=2025&mes=4&day=28&hora=18&min=0&ndays=30|title= 41624: Dera Ismail Khan (Pakistan)|author= |date= 28 April 2025|website=ogimet.com |publisher=OGIMET |access-date= 28 April 2025|quote=}}

}}

{{Historical populations|1951|41,603|1961|46,140|1972|58,778|1981|68,145|1998|92,114|2017|217,457|2023|220,575|align=center|percentages=pagr|footnote=Sources:{{cite web |title=Population by administrative units 1951-1998 |url=https://repository.lahoreschool.edu.pk/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/13673/Administrative%20Units.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1 |publisher = Pakistan Bureau of Statistics}}}}

According to 2023 census, Saraiki are main ethnic groups in Dera Ismail Khan District in simple majority. Total population of D.I. Khan District is 1,822,916 consists of Males 956,098 & females 866,667 as of 2023 Pakistani census.

{{Pie chart

| caption = Languages of Dera Ismail Khan District (2023 Pakistani census)

| label1 = Saraiki

| value1 = 65.76

| color1 = red

| label2 = Pashto

| value2 = 31.96

| color2 = gold

| label3 = Urdu

| value3 = 1.70

| color3 = green

| label4 = Balochi

| value4 = 0.04

| color4 = aqua

| label5 = Others

| value5 = 0.51

| color5 = grey

}}

{{Pie chart

| caption = Languages of Dera Ismail Khan District (1881 Indian census){{Cite book|title=Report on the census of the Panjáb taken on the 17th of February 1881 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057657 |last1=Denzil Ibbetson |first1=Sir |last2=(India) |first2=Punjab |date=1881 |volume=2 }}

| label1 = Punjabi

| value1 = 63.05

| color1 = red

| label2 = Jatki

| value2 = 20.60

| color2 = blue

| label3 = Pashto

| value3 = 15.39

| color3 = gold

| label4 = Other

| value4 = 0.97

| color4 = grey

}}

There are 1,198,862 Saraiki, 582,703 Pashto, 31,152 Urdu, 4,765 Punjabi, 863 Sindhi, 791 Balochi, 490 Kashmiri, 2,738 Hindko, 5 Brahui, 18 Shina, 2 Balti, 3 Kalasha & 524 others of total 1,822,916

{{cite web |title=7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 11 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/kp/dcr/table_11.pdf |website=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics}}

File:Yarik Toll Plaza M14.jpg that serves as south terminal of the motorway]].{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}

The city is connected to Bannu via the highway, which further connects it to the provincial capital of Peshawar via Kohat and Darra Adam Khel. Another road connects D. I. Khan to Mianwali through Chashma Barrage, and another connects the city to Zhob.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}} The third major road connects it to Bhakkar in Punjab, situated on the eastern bank of the Indus River. A bridge on the Indus River was constructed in the early 1980s, before which the approach to Bhakkar was made through a boat bridge. Another road connect it to district Tank which further leads towards Jandola-AngoorAdda areas of South South Waziristan district at North west and Pezu on eastern side.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}

D. I. Khan is at the terminus of the Hakla–Dera Ismail Khan Motorway — a 280-km, four-lane controlled access motorway that is to extend from the Hakla Interchange on the M1 Motorway, near Islamabad to D. I. Khan.

The city is served by Dera Ismail Khan Airport, though no commercial flights operate to the airport.

• Balochistan
• Derajat
• Dera Ismail Khan District
• Dera Ismail Khan Airport
• Kafir Kot
• Dera Ghazi Khan

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{official website|https://dikhan.kp.gov.pk/}}

{{Largest cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa}}

{{Dera-Ismail-Khan-Union-Councils}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Dera Ismail Khan

Category:Populated places established in the 15th century

!

Category:Cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa