Parachinar is the capital of the Kurram District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located west of Peshawar, it borders Afghanistan’s Paktia, Logar, and Nangarhar provinces. At just 110 kilometers from Kabul, Parachinar is Pakistan’s closest city to the Afghan capital, serving as an important link between the two countries.
bbc.comHistory
The British soldier and historian C. M. Enriquez described the early history of Parachinar in his book The Pathan Borderland. He writes that Malak (leader) Pare was a reputable Malak of the Pare Khel tribe, a sub-tribe Turi (Shia) tribe, planted Poplar trees some 200 years ago. Before much settlement, the area was mostly arid. In terms of distribution, the ancient Poplar tree and the surrounding land belonged to the Parakhel tribe. This ownership is still authentic in official records or deeds of property. 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.2
Durand Line Agreement
Main article: Durand Line
In 1893, during the rule of Abdur Rahman Khan (Barakzai dynasty) of Afghanistan, a Royal Commission for demarcating a boundary between Afghanistan and the territory of British governed India 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.3
2007 Kurram Agency conflict
Intermittently, conflicts arise stemming from personal issues(mostly religious ones) within this region. In instances where one sect initiates an attack on another, it often leads to retaliatory actions by the aggrieved party.4
Main article: 2007 Kurram Agency conflict
Violent clashes in the region occurred in the following week until a ceasefire was reached on 12 April 2007.5
Terrorist incidents
Main article: Bomb blasts in Parachinar since 2007
See also: List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001
Parachinar has been the target of several terrorist attacks from 2007 to 2014 in which over 3000 people have died, making it the second-most targeted Pakistani city by militants after Peshawar.6
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)78 | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1959-1967, daily sun 1971-1990),9 Meteomanz (extremes since 2000)10 | |||||||||||||
Demographics
Population
Historical population| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | ... | — |
| 1961 | 22,953 | — |
| 1972 | 9,069 | −8.10% |
| 1981 | ... | — |
| 1998 | 8,042 | — |
| 2017 | 5,502 | −1.98% |
| 2023 | 5,583 | +0.24% |
| Sources:1112 | ||
As of the 2023 census, Parachinar had a population of 5,583.1314
Education
FATA University plans to open a sub-campus at Parachinar.15
Transportation
The Thall-Parachinar road is the main road connecting Parachinar to the rest of the country.16
Parachinar has an airport but currently it is non-functional. In the past there was a flight service between Peshawar and Parachinar.1718
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parachinar.References
"Suspected suicide blast in Parachinar; 15 killed". Samaa TV. Pakistan. March 31, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2018. https://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/2017/03/blast-hits-parachinar-over-30-injured/ ↩
Enriquez, Colin Metcalfe (2020-02-10). The Pathan Borderland: A Consecutive Account of the Country and People on and Beyond the Indian Frontier from Chitral to Dera Ismail Khan. Alpha Editions. ISBN 978-93-5400-030-0. 978-93-5400-030-0 ↩
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. http://aaiil.org/text/snd/jalsa/2003/sahibzadaabdullatifshaheed100anniversary.shtml ↩
"Deadly clashes rage in Pakistan". BBC News. April 7, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2018. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6534473.stm ↩
"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. https://www.dawn.com/news/242135 ↩
Khan, M. Ilyas (January 26, 2017). "The little boy killed at the market". BBC News. Retrieved April 10, 2018. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38733520 ↩
"Parachinar Climate Normals 1971-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (FTP). Retrieved January 16, 2012. (To view documents see Help:FTP) ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/PK/41560.TXT ↩
"World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 2 August 2023. https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Pakistan/CSV/Parachinar_41560.csv ↩
"Klimatafel von Parachinar (Flughafen) / Pakistan" (PDF). Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. Retrieved September 17, 2016. http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_415600_kt.pdf ↩
"Parachinar - Weather data by months". meteomanz. Retrieved 12 May 2025. http://www.meteomanz.com/sy3?l=1&cou=2200&ind=41560&m1=05&y1=2000&m2=05&y2=2025 ↩
"Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/1998/administrative_units.pdf ↩
"Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Lahore School. https://repository.lahoreschool.edu.pk/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/13673/Administrative%20Units.pdf ↩
"URBAN LOCALITIES BY POPULATION SIZE AND THEIR POPULATION BY SEX, ANNUAL GROWTH RATE AND HOUSEHOLD SIZE : CENSUS-2023, KPK" (PDF). https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_2_kp_districts.pdf ↩
"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. https://www.citypopulation.de/en/pakistan/cities/khyberpakhtunkhwa/ ↩
Mir, Rukhshan (July 25, 2017). "FATA University To Establish Sub Campus At Bajaur Agency". UrduPoint. Retrieved April 11, 2018. https://www.urdupoint.com/en/education/fata-university-to-establish-sub-campus-at-ba-166686.html ↩
Mashal, Mujib (June 25, 2011). "A community under siege in tribal Pakistan". Al Jazeera. Doha, Qatar. Retrieved April 11, 2018. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/06/2011622182410260797.html ↩
Ali, Zulfiqar (January 17, 2008). "Airfield in Wana, Miramshah upgraded". Dawn. Karachi, Pakistan: Pakistan Herald Publications. Retrieved April 11, 2018. https://www.dawn.com/news/285188 ↩
Ashraf, Syed Irfan (November 9, 2011). "The Kurram blockade". Dawn. Karachi, Pakistan: Pakistan Herald Publications. Retrieved April 11, 2018. https://www.dawn.com/news/672192 ↩