Kabalgram
Encyclopedia
Kabalgram or Kabal Gram is a village with the largest population in Martung
Tehsil
of Shangla District
, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Pakistan
. It is situated on the extreme right bank of River Indus and is south-east to Kuzkalai, the central village of Martung
. River Indus is the boundary of Shangla with Kala Dhaka, the tribal area of Mansehra
district of Hazara
division.
Kabalgram is relatively at lower altitude (around 510 metres above mean sea level) compared to the rest of Martung
and it remains quite hot in summer at Kabalgram. Being very near to Martung
, Kabalgram is very similar to Martung
in almost all aspects. The community of Kabalgram is however more similar to that of Kala Dhaka and hence have their peculiar traditions. Most of them belong to Akhunkhel and Nasratkhel who are the sub-sects of Yousafzai
tribe of Pathans.
River Indus is the life line of Kabalgram, though there does not exist any proper irrigation system. Some small canals have however been built by the local formers to their fields wherever possible. Most of the people use river water directly for drinking and household using or use the underground water. The water table in Kabalgram is within a few meters because of River Indus.
Kabalgram did not have any road link with any part of the tehsil
or elsewhere till 2002. A jeep track was built by the local people on their own expenses from Kabalgram to the central Martung
, from where they can have access to Mingora
or Buner
. Kabalgram people have been using River Indus as means of communication (traveling and cargo) in summer with the nearby town Darband
of Mansehra
district since Tarbela Dam
was built.
Kabalgram is split mainly in two towns namely Bar-Kabalgram (or simply Kabalgram) and Kuzkabalgram. Kuzkabalgram is at about 2 kilometers in south-east from Barkabalgram and is famous for the shrine of Akhunbaba (Akunbaba Ziarat), the religious scholar and reformer of eighteenth century.
All of the people of Kabalgram are Sunni Muslims, and are comparatively more hardliners. Maulana Waliullah of Kabalgram has been the active member of the Sufi Muhammad
group of Taliban and has led many movements for them. In April and May 2009, his relationships with the well-known terrorist of Swat, Maulana Fazlullah
and his group were noticed and some were even reported in media. After being fully exposed, Waliullah probably felt threat to his life from the army and the anti Taliban people in the area. He thus surrendered himself to the security forces when they arrived in Martung
.http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/10-Jun-2009/TNSM-leader-surrenders It is believed that Maulana Waliullah, before surrendering to the security forces, had been providing shelter and a way of escape to those Taliban who succeeded to reach Kbalgram from Buner
via Martung
. Pakistan army released him in July 2010 but re-arrested him after a few days. He remained in the custody of the army till his death on December 7, 2010.
Martung
Martung , Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and sub tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung is 982 meters above sea level., Being not plain area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 meters above mean sea level...
Tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
of Shangla District
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is situated on the extreme right bank of River Indus and is south-east to Kuzkalai, the central village of Martung
Martung
Martung , Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and sub tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung is 982 meters above sea level., Being not plain area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 meters above mean sea level...
. River Indus is the boundary of Shangla with Kala Dhaka, the tribal area of Mansehra
Mansehra
Mansehra city is located at in Mansehra District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is very near to Abbottabad city. It is a major stop for tourists on the Karakoram Highway which leads to China...
district of Hazara
Hazara District
Hazara District was a district of Peshawar Division in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan until 1976.The Imperial Gazetteer of India described the district as follows..-Khatris and Khokhran:...
division.
Kabalgram is relatively at lower altitude (around 510 metres above mean sea level) compared to the rest of Martung
Martung
Martung , Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and sub tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung is 982 meters above sea level., Being not plain area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 meters above mean sea level...
and it remains quite hot in summer at Kabalgram. Being very near to Martung
Martung
Martung , Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and sub tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung is 982 meters above sea level., Being not plain area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 meters above mean sea level...
, Kabalgram is very similar to Martung
Martung
Martung , Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and sub tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung is 982 meters above sea level., Being not plain area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 meters above mean sea level...
in almost all aspects. The community of Kabalgram is however more similar to that of Kala Dhaka and hence have their peculiar traditions. Most of them belong to Akhunkhel and Nasratkhel who are the sub-sects of Yousafzai
Yousafzai
The Yūsufzai is one of the largest Pashtun tribes...
tribe of Pathans.
River Indus is the life line of Kabalgram, though there does not exist any proper irrigation system. Some small canals have however been built by the local formers to their fields wherever possible. Most of the people use river water directly for drinking and household using or use the underground water. The water table in Kabalgram is within a few meters because of River Indus.
Kabalgram did not have any road link with any part of the tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
or elsewhere till 2002. A jeep track was built by the local people on their own expenses from Kabalgram to the central Martung
Martung
Martung , Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and sub tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung is 982 meters above sea level., Being not plain area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 meters above mean sea level...
, from where they can have access to Mingora
Mingora
Mingora is the largest city in Swat District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at an altitude of and lies on the banks of River Swat about from Saidu Sharif, the present capital of Swat. As of 1998, the population of Mingora was about 175,000...
or Buner
Buner
Chinglai Buner may refer to:* Buner Valley in Pakistan.* Buner District in Pakistan....
. Kabalgram people have been using River Indus as means of communication (traveling and cargo) in summer with the nearby town Darband
Darband
Darband may refer to:* Darband, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a Union Council of Mansehra District, Pakistan* Darband , a town or district in Tajikistan's Region of Republican Subordination* Darband , a village attached to Iran's capital Tehran...
of Mansehra
Mansehra
Mansehra city is located at in Mansehra District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is very near to Abbottabad city. It is a major stop for tourists on the Karakoram Highway which leads to China...
district since Tarbela Dam
Tarbela Dam
Tarbela Dam on the Indus River in Pakistan is the second largest dam in the world by structural volume. It is located in Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, about northwest of Islamabad.The dam is high above the riverbed. The dam forms the Tarbela Reservoir, with a surface area of approximately...
was built.
Kabalgram is split mainly in two towns namely Bar-Kabalgram (or simply Kabalgram) and Kuzkabalgram. Kuzkabalgram is at about 2 kilometers in south-east from Barkabalgram and is famous for the shrine of Akhunbaba (Akunbaba Ziarat), the religious scholar and reformer of eighteenth century.
All of the people of Kabalgram are Sunni Muslims, and are comparatively more hardliners. Maulana Waliullah of Kabalgram has been the active member of the Sufi Muhammad
Sufi Muhammad
Sufi Muhammad bin Alhazrat Hassan, born in Dir, is the founder of Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi , a Pakistani militant organisation with Wahabi and Deobandi learnings vying for implementation of Sharia in Pakistan. It operates mainly in the Dir, Swat, and Malakand districts of...
group of Taliban and has led many movements for them. In April and May 2009, his relationships with the well-known terrorist of Swat, Maulana Fazlullah
Maulana Fazlullah
Maulana Fazlullah, nicknamed the "Radio Mullah" or "Mullah Radio", is the leader of Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi , a banned Pakistani Islamic fundamentalist militant group allied to the Pakistani Taliban, that aims to enforce Sharia in the country...
and his group were noticed and some were even reported in media. After being fully exposed, Waliullah probably felt threat to his life from the army and the anti Taliban people in the area. He thus surrendered himself to the security forces when they arrived in Martung
Martung
Martung , Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and sub tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung is 982 meters above sea level., Being not plain area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 meters above mean sea level...
.http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/10-Jun-2009/TNSM-leader-surrenders It is believed that Maulana Waliullah, before surrendering to the security forces, had been providing shelter and a way of escape to those Taliban who succeeded to reach Kbalgram from Buner
Buner
Chinglai Buner may refer to:* Buner Valley in Pakistan.* Buner District in Pakistan....
via Martung
Martung
Martung , Mārtung or Martoong is a highland village and sub tehsil of Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan included in Puran Subdivision. Central Martung is 982 meters above sea level., Being not plain area, some parts of Martung are even more than 1800 meters above mean sea level...
. Pakistan army released him in July 2010 but re-arrested him after a few days. He remained in the custody of the army till his death on December 7, 2010.