Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a province of Pakistan, located in the north-western part of the country where it borders Afghanistan. Internally, it has provincial borders with Balochistan, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad Capital Territory, and Azad Kashmir. Its capital is Peshawar. A largely mountainous region, it is geographically the smallest Pakistani province but has the third-largest population and has been economically successful. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is ethnically diverse; its population mostly comprises Pashtuns, Hindkowans, Saraikis, and Chitralis.

The province was formerly known as North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) until April 2010 when it was reconstituted. It was enlarged in May 2018 when the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) were merged into it.

History

The region has a long history beginning with the Indus Valley Civilisation in the Bronze Age. It was conquered by Alexander the Great in 327 BC and was subsequently incorporated into other empires and regimes including the Maurya Empire, the Indo-Parthian Kingdom, the Kushan Empire, the Mughal Empire, and the Sikh Empire.

In 1849, forces of the British East India Company defeated the Sikhs in the Second Anglo-Sikh War and parts of the region came under British Raj control within its Punjab province. The Pashtun tribes had hated the Sikhs and consequently supported the British during the Indian Mutiny when, apart from some minor disturbances in Peshawar, the region was quiet. It was not until 1893 that Britain and Afghanistan agreed upon demarcation of the border under the terms of the Durand Line.

Sport

Cricket and squash have long been the two most popular sports in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The region has produced several top-class performers including Shahid Afridi (cricket) and Jahangir Khan (squash). The NWFP cricket team was founded in 1887 and joined the Ranji Trophy in 1937. After Partition, it played in various Pakistani competitions until 2010 when it changed its name to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The team has played at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar since it opened in 1985. This venue staged several international matches to 2006 but has since been downgraded because of necessary, but delayed, renovation work. As Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the team reached the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 2021 and the match ended somewhat sensationally in a tie, so they and their opponents, Central Punjab, were declared joint champions. In 2022, KP reached the final again and this time won the trophy outright, defeating Northern by 169 runs. Domestic cricket in Pakistan underwent another of its periodic revamps in 2023 and the KP team has been reconstituted as Peshawar Cricket Club, who will play in the next Quaid-e-Azam.