Parachinar

Parachinar
  • پاړه چنار
  • پارا چنار
City
A forest in Parachinar
A forest in Parachinar
Parachinar is located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Parachinar
Parachinar
Location of Parachinar
Parachinar is located in Pakistan
Parachinar
Parachinar
Parachinar (Pakistan)
Coordinates: PK_type:city 33°54′N 70°6′E / 33.900°N 70.100°E / 33.900; 70.100
Country Pakistan
Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
DistrictKurram
TehsilUpper Kurram
Elevation
1,705 m (5,594 ft)
Population
 (2023)
 • City
5,583
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Postal code
26300

Parachinar (Pashto: پاړه چنار; Urdu: پارا چنار) is a city and the headquarters of the Kurram District in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Parachinar, situated on the west of Peshawar, juts into the Paktia, Logar and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan. With a distance of 110 kilometres (68 mi) from the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, Parachinar is the closest city in Pakistan to Kabul.

History

According to the British colonial official C. M. Enriquez, in his book The Pathan Borderland (1910), Pare was a reputable Malak (leader) of the Parekhel tribe, a clan of the Shi'a Turi, a Pashtun tribe, who planted Poplar. Enriquez further adds that before modern settlements, the area was mostly arid. Parakhel tribesmen used to cultivate wheat in this desert area. During the wheat harvest, tents were pitched here, and in the shade of this poplar tree, jirgas and consultations were held.

Durand Line Agreement

In 1893, during the rule of Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan, a Royal Commission for demarcating boundary between Emirate of Afghanistan and the territory of British Indian Empire negotiated terms, agreeing to the Durand line.

From the British side, the camp was attended by Sir Mortimer Durand and Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, assistant political agent, Khyber Agency. The Afghanistan interest was represented by Sahibzada Abdul Latif and the governor of Khost, Sardar Shireendil Khan, represented King Amir Abdur Rahman Khan.

2007 Kurram Agency conflict

Parachinar has seen Shi'a–Sunni conflict in the recent decades between the Shi'ite Turi tribe and their Sunni neighbours. Violent clashes in the region occurred in the following week until a ceasefire was reached on 12 April 2007.

Terrorist incidents

Parachinar has been the target of several terrorist attacks from 2007 to 2014 in which over 3,000 people have died, making it the second-most targeted Pakistani city by militants after Peshawar.

Climate

Parachinar has a moderate humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). Although the city's southeasterly aspect relative to the valley in which it is situated allows it to receive on occasions significant monsoonal rainfall, the most frequent source of rain is western depressions and related thunderstorms. During the winter, snowfall is common, and frosts occur on most mornings. Snow closes the Peiwar Pass, located on the Paktia border just over 20 km west of Parachinar, for up to five months per year.

Climate data for Parachinar (1991-2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 20.6
(69.1)		 22.0
(71.6)		 29.0
(84.2)		 34.0
(93.2)		 37.4
(99.3)		 39.0
(102.2)		 36.4
(97.5)		 34.6
(94.3)		 36.2
(97.2)		 32.5
(90.5)		 26.3
(79.3)		 23.0
(73.4)		 39.0
(102.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9.9
(49.8)		 10.8
(51.4)		 15.3
(59.5)		 21.1
(70.0)		 26.4
(79.5)		 31.3
(88.3)		 30.9
(87.6)		 29.1
(84.4)		 26.6
(79.9)		 22.4
(72.3)		 16.8
(62.2)		 12.4
(54.3)		 21.1
(70.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.0
(35.6)		 3.6
(38.5)		 8.7
(47.7)		 14.1
(57.4)		 19.0
(66.2)		 23.8
(74.8)		 24.0
(75.2)		 22.5
(72.5)		 19.6
(67.3)		 15.1
(59.2)		 9.5
(49.1)		 4.6
(40.3)		 13.9
(57.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −6.5
(20.3)		 −3.8
(25.2)		 1.4
(34.5)		 7.1
(44.8)		 11.6
(52.9)		 16.1
(61.0)		 16.9
(62.4)		 15.8
(60.4)		 13.0
(55.4)		 7.8
(46.0)		 2.3
(36.1)		 −3.0
(26.6)		 6.6
(43.9)
Record low °C (°F) −15
(5)		 −18.2
(−0.8)		 −7
(19)		 0.0
(32.0)		 2.8
(37.0)		 8.0
(46.4)		 13.3
(55.9)		 12.8
(55.0)		 6.1
(43.0)		 3.4
(38.1)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 −7.2
(19.0)		 −18.2
(−0.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 69.1
(2.72)		 129.1
(5.08)		 174.6
(6.87)		 146.1
(5.75)		 106.6
(4.20)		 69.9
(2.75)		 114.1
(4.49)		 134.6
(5.30)		 80.8
(3.18)		 60.0
(2.36)		 36.8
(1.45)		 28.1
(1.11)		 1,149.8
(45.27)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6.3 — 12.5 12.1 10.8 8.8 10.7 12.3 8.8 5.6 4.1 3.8 —
Average relative humidity (%) 47 53 56 54 46 38 54 63 53 45 53 48 51
Mean monthly sunshine hours 214.5 198.8 209.4 233.5 292.1 297.3 285.7 280.6 270.2 284.3 260.1 199.2 3,025.7
Mean daily sunshine hours 6.9 7.0 6.8 7.8 9.4 9.9 9.2 9.1 9.0 9.2 8.7 6.4 8.3
Source 1: NOAA (extremes, sun 1971-1990)
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1959-1967, daily sun 1971-1990), Meteomanz (extremes since 2000)

Demographics

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1972 9,069—    
1998 8,042−0.46%
2017 5,502−1.98%
2023 5,583+0.24%
Sources:

As of the 2023 census, Parachinar had a population of 5,583.

Education

FATA University plans to open a sub-campus at Parachinar. Parachinar also host KMU Institute of Health Sciences as an affiliated institute of Khyber Medical University. The institute is offering BS-Nursing and BS-Surgical under the umbrella of KMU.

Transportation

The Thall–Parachinar road is the main road connecting Parachinar to the rest of the country.

Parachinar has an airport but currently it is non-functional. In the past there was a flight service between Peshawar and Parachinar.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD DETAIL FROM BLOCK TO DISTRICT LEVEL FATA (KURRAM AGENCY)" (PDF). KURRAM_AGENCY_BLOCKWISE.pdf. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 3 January 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "Suspected suicide blast in Parachinar; 15 killed". Samaa TV. Pakistan. March 31, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Enriquez (1910). Pathan Borderland. pp. 117–.
  4. ↑ Hafiz, Anees (2021-11-10). "The Durand Line - Legend and Legacy". Defence Journal. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  5. ↑ Rehman, Lutfur (2024). Revising the Durand Line Historical and Legal Perspectives (1st ed.). Islamabad Pakistan: IPS Press. p. 74. ISBN 9789694488363.
  6. ↑ Ahmad, Sahibzada Zahoor (Speaker) (July 13, 2003). "100 Years of the Martyrdom of Sahibzada Abdul Latif of Khost, Afghanistan (14th July 1903 to 14th July 2003)". Hazrat Sahibzada Abdul Latif Shaheed (MP3) (Audio) (in Urdu). Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Deadly clashes rage in Pakistan". BBC News. April 7, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Jirga negotiates truce in Kurram Agency: Forces from across border blamed for unrest". Dawn. Karachi, Pakistan: Pakistan Herald Publications. April 13, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  9. ↑ Khan, M. Ilyas (January 26, 2017). "The little boy killed at the market". BBC News. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Parachinar Climate Normals 1971-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (FTP). Retrieved January 16, 2012. (To view documents see Help:FTP)
  11. ↑ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  12. ↑ "Klimatafel von Parachinar (Flughafen) / Pakistan" (PDF). Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Parachinar - Weather data by months". meteomanz. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  14. ↑ "Pārāchinār: Population Statistics". City Population. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  15. ↑ "URBAN LOCALITIES BY POPULATION SIZE AND THEIR POPULATION BY SEX, ANNUAL GROWTH RATE AND HOUSEHOLD SIZE : CENSUS-2023, KPK" (PDF).
  16. ↑ "Khyber Pakhtūnkhwā / incl. FATA (Pakistan): Province, Major Cities, Municipalites & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  17. ↑ Mir, Rukhshan (July 25, 2017). "FATA University To Establish Sub Campus At Bajaur Agency". UrduPoint. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Khyber Medical University - Institute Details". kmu.edu.pk. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  19. ↑ Mashal, Mujib (June 25, 2011). "A community under siege in tribal Pakistan". Al Jazeera. Doha, Qatar. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  20. ↑ Ali, Zulfiqar (January 17, 2008). "Airfield in Wana, Miramshah upgraded". Dawn. Karachi, Pakistan: Pakistan Herald Publications. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  21. ↑ Ashraf, Syed Irfan (November 9, 2011). "The Kurram blockade". Dawn. Karachi, Pakistan: Pakistan Herald Publications. Retrieved April 11, 2018.