1976 Dir rebellion

May 2024 May 2024 May 2024 1976 Dir revolt refers to a rebellion by Youafzai tribesmen against the government of Pakistan from 3 September to 10 September 1976. The rebellion was suppressed and stabilised government control over the area. 1976 Dir rebellion 3 September 1976 – 10 September 1976 Dir state Pakistani victory Suppression of rebellion PakistanKhyber Pakhtunkhwa Dir Levies Flag of the State of Dir 2.svg Dir rebels Pakistan Flag_of_Pakistan's_XI_Corps.gif XI Corps Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg Armoured corps Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg Artillery regiment Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg Engineer corps PakistanKhyber Pakhtunkhwa Dir Levies Flag of the State of Dir 2.svg Sultan Khel Flag of the State of Dir 2.svg Paidan Khel Pakistan Z.A Bhutto ~10,000 ~2,000 Unknown ~300 killed ~180 killed Background Dir was a Princely state under the British suzerainty and after the Partition of India, it became part of Pakistan. Its autonomy was reduced in 1955 and after a coup by Pakistani special forces in 1960, the area came under de facto Pakistani control. In 1969, the state of dir was officially abolished and it was fully incorporated into Pakistan. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto started a land reform project in which large sections of timber forest was confiscated. It was a vital source of income for the locals and they stated protesting against the reform. Rebellion The rebellion initially started as a protest by the local tribesmen in the Shongan valley south of Dir.https://books.google.com/books?id=pEJuAAAAMAAJ Pakistan under Bhutto 978-0-333-25673-2 Burki Shahid Javed 1980 Macmillan https://books.google.com/books?id=zJEp2I5BIIAC&dq=1976+dir+rebellion+pakistan&pg=PA87 Reassessing Pakistan 978-81-7062-287-1 Verma Anand K. 2001 Lancer Publishers https://books.google.com/books?id=qJwNAAAAYAAJ&q=1976+dir+rebellion+Pakistan relations international 1977 https://books.google.com/books?id=hHxXAAAAIBAJ&dq=1976+dir+rebellion+Pakistan&pg=PA3&article_id=936,23906 250 dead in Pakistan rebellion, tanks and jets used to quell tribesmenhttps://books.google.com/books?id=uhxWAAAAIBAJ&dq=1976+dir+rebellion+Pakistan&pg=PA7&article_id=5099,64013 Protest marchhttps://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/31/archives/250-to-300-reported-killed-as-pakistani-force-fights-revolt-by.html 300 reportedly killed as Pakistani forces fight against rebels The New York Times 31 October 1976 In an effort to disperse the protesters, Dir Levies started firing tear gas shells on the protesters. Upon hearing the sound of shelling, multiple tribesmen including Suktankhel and Paidankhel tribesmen carrying melee weapons from the surrounding areas also entered the battlefield and started attacking the troops of Dir Levies. The situation soon went out of the control of Dir Levies. The tribesmen had blockaded the main road to Dir city and they had put the town under siege. They looted multiple military weapons storehouses, destroyed a government hospital, and lowered Pakistani flags replacing them with the flags of Dir.http://www.rbvex.it/asiapag/paknord.html Dir Roberto Breschi 2013-07-25 The site cites J. D. McMeekin, Arms and Flags of the Indian Princely States, 3, sec. 12, 1990. The Pakistani government decided to deploy the Pakistan army and Pakistan Air Force to quell the rebellion.https://books.google.com/books?id=wCm2DFZblOYC&q=Dir+ The military factor in Pakistan 2008 Lancer Publishers 978-0-9815378-9-4 10,000 troops of Pakistan army entered the area. They faced heavy resistance from the 2000 tribesmen. A team of Pakistani military engineers was ambushed by the tribesmen. Infantry alone failed to quell the rebellion, and so tanks and artillery were used extensively. Sniper positions were established on multiple mountains. Similarly Pakistani Air Force's Sabres also launched multiple air strikes on the tribesmen. Pakistani casualties were about 300 while the casualties for the tribesmen numbered at around 180. The military succeeded in suppressing the rebellion on 10 September. Aftermath Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto visited the area after the rebellion. He expressed sorrow at the loss of life and blamed it on the irresponsible behaviour of Dir Levies. The land reforms went through without further problem. References Category:1976 in Pakistan Category:Battles involving Pakistan Category:Dir District Category:Government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Category:Military operations involving Pakistan Category:Coups d'état in Pakistan