Paniala


Paniala is a small town located in the north of Paharpur District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa about 55 km away from Dera Ismail Khan and approx 300 km from provincial capital Peshawar. The Link Road from main Indus Highway that connects with Paniala is of about 18 km. It is a submontane settlement and one of the oldest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan.

Etymology

The name Paniala originated from "Panjh Naala", which means 5 Naalas, stemming from Oobo Sir, which means "head of water", and then combines into one form. The water is then supplied to whole of the village and nearby towns for feeding and cultivating the fields. And then from passage of time the name Panjh Naala changed into Paniala.

Demographics

Population

As of the 2023 census, Paniala had a population of 11,669. The green grassland comprises sandy area and a population of a hundred thousand citizens. The main tribes comprises Bluch lodi Hashmis, and Qureshis marwat. Main local language spoken is Pashto.

Notable places

The prominent shrine of Haji Baba and two important graves of Sahabis are also situated. Fruits of the town include mangoes and dates. "Dhakki" is a major part of export. The nearby picnic spots are TOY and the mountainous hilly region of Sheikh Badin that comprises lush green forest, an old nonfunctioning post office and police station of British time.

Facilities

Paniala town is facilitated with a government hospital, a degree College for male, and high schools for both male and female and higher secondary school for girls. There are five private institutions, Al-Hira Model High School, Pakistan Campus School & College, Muslim Public High School, City Grammar School and Paniala Science School & College. Also there is a Montessori School named The Guardian Montessori School Paniala started in 2017. There are 3 primary schools for boys and 3 primary schools for girls. A post office, a bank HBL, an agriculture office and Lari Adda are also in Paniala.

Sports

There is one football stadium & many popular football clubs in Paniala, which produced many talented players like Jaffar Khan, former captain of the Pakistan national football team.

Notable people