Upper Chitral District ()()() is a district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Chitral River flows throughout the district. Upper Chitral District along with the Lower Chitral District were part of the erstwhile Chitral District which was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, covering an area of 14,850 km2. Likewise, it served as the Chitral princely state that encompassed the region until its direct incorporation into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in 1969. Upper Chitral District and Lower Chitral District were bifurcated from the erstwhile Chitral District in November, 2018.
The town of Buni is the headquarters of the Chitral Upper District. It shares a border with Gilgit-Baltistan to the east, with Badakshan province of Afghanistan to the north and with the Upper Dir District to the southwest and with Swat District to the southeast. A narrow strip of Wakhan Corridor separates Chitral from Tajikistan in the north.
Demographics
At the time of the 2017 census, the district had 22,546 households and a population of 169,297. Upper Chitral district had a sex ratio of 1064 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 67.31% - 80.50% for males and 55.31% for females. The population was entirely rural. 24.20% of the population were under 10 years of age. 16 (0.01%) people were from religious minorities.
99.09% of the population spoke languages recorded as 'Other' on the census. The main language is Khowar, sometimes called Chitrali, spoken by the Dardi Kho. Wakhi is spoken in the northern regions along the Afghan border.
Administrative Divisions
Buni Tehsil
Mastuj Tehsil
Torkhow/Mulkhow Tehsil
National Assembly
The district along with Lower Chitral District is represented by one elected MNA (Member of National Assembly) in Pakistan National Assembly. Its constituency is NA-1.
Provincial Assembly
The district along with Lower Chitral District is represented by one elected MPA in the provincial assembly who represent the following constituencies:PK-1