ECP Splits Paharpur District Across Three National Assembly Seats
The ECP Paharpur notification divides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s newest district across three National Assembly constituencies. The Election Commission issued the revised descriptions after administrative changes in the province.
The most significant change involves the newly established Paharpur district. Created in 2025, the district has now been divided among three National Assembly constituencies through an official notification.
Paharpur no longer in a single constituency
Under the revised arrangement, Paharpur district is no longer confined to a single National Assembly constituency. Its territorial areas have been distributed among NA-43, NA-44 and NA-45.
Panyala tehsil and part of Paharpur tehsil now fall in NA-43. Band Kurai Qanungo Halqa of Paharpur tehsil has been placed in NA-44. The remaining larger portion of Paharpur tehsil has been incorporated into NA-45.
The notification revises the composition of National Assembly constituencies covering Dera Ismail Khan and the newly established Paharpur district.
NA-43: Tank-cum-Dera Ismail Khan-cum-Paharpur
NA-43, now named Tank-cum-Dera Ismail Khan-cum-Paharpur, comprises Tank district in full. It also includes Kulachi and Daraband tehsils, along with Darazinda subdivision, excluding Koh-i-Bahara in Dera Ismail Khan district.
In the newly created Paharpur district, the constituency includes Panyala tehsil and part of Paharpur tehsil.
NA-44: Dera Ismail Khan-cum-Paharpur
NA-44, named Dera Ismail Khan-cum-Paharpur, comprises Yarik and Shorkot Qanungo Halqas. It also includes Chahkan Qanungo Halqa, excluding Hassani and Shero Khona.
The constituency further includes Muryali Qanungo Halqa, excluding Muryali, Shero Nau, Mapal, Fatah and Kotla Habib. It also covers Ratta Kulachi Patwar Circle of Dera Ismail Khan tehsil.
From Paharpur district, the constituency includes Band Kurai Qanungo Halqa of Paharpur tehsil.
NA-45: Dera Ismail Khan
NA-45, named Dera Ismail Khan, comprises Census Charge No. 5 of Dera Ismail Khan Municipal Committee. It also includes Census Charge No. 1 of Dera Ismail Khan Cantonment and Dera Ismail Khan Qanungo Halqa.
Several areas are specifically excluded from NA-45. These include Ratta Kulachi, Muryali Patwar Circle, Parowa tehsil and Fatah Patwar Circle of Muryali. Koh-e-Bahara in Darazinda subdivision is also excluded, along with Hassani and Shero Khona in Chahkan Qanungo Halqa, and Shero Nau, Mapal and Kotla Habib in Muryali Qanungo Halqa.
ECP Paharpur: re-description, not re-demarcation
The ECP has clarified that these changes amount to a re-description of constituencies, not a fresh delimitation. The commission recently stated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s National Assembly seats were only re-described under Rule 15 of the election rules. The boundaries drawn in 2024 remain unchanged.
This distinction matters. A re-description updates the written description of a constituency to reflect administrative changes, such as the creation of a new district. A delimitation would involve redrawing the actual boundaries, which is a more extensive exercise.
The creation of Paharpur district in 2025 made the update necessary. Without a revised description, the official record would not match the ground reality of the new administrative unit.
Why this matters
For voters in Paharpur, the change clarifies which National Assembly constituency they belong to. This is essential for electoral rolls, polling station assignments and candidate nominations in future elections.
The detailed exclusions and inclusions show how carefully the ECP has tried to avoid overlap between the three constituencies. However, the complexity of the notification — with its long list of qanungo halqas, patwar circles and census charges — may confuse ordinary voters.
The ECP will need to run a public awareness campaign to ensure residents of the new district know where to vote. Clear maps and village-level lists would help prevent disputes on polling day.
For background on the ECP’s constituency work in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, see our earlier report on how the commission re-described rather than redrew KP’s National Assembly seats.
