SOME ASPECTS OF THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE AN OVERVIEW IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Being the juncture of the three prominent and significant geographical regions and entities of Asia rather the world, namely South Asia, Central Asia and China, the NorthWest Frontier Province of formerly British India and the present-day Pakistan is a significant and geo-strategic area of the world. The settled areas of the Province became an integral part of British India in 1849 when the English annexed them as being a part of the then Sikh Kingdom of Punjab.1 Whereas the tribal areas, both the present-day Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), were later on brought under a sort of British protectorate and loose control. Nevertheless, the then Princely States that existed in the areas of the present-day PATA held somewhat different status. The area remained a part of the province of Punjab of British India, till its separation from Punjab was at last decided, and in November 1901 it was made a separate province, with the name of the North-West Frontier Province, during the viceroyalty of Lord Curzon.2