Kakul
Kakul | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 34°11′N 73°15′E / 34.183°N 73.250°E | |
Country | Pakistan |
Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
District | Abbottabad |
Tehsil | Abbottabad |
Government | |
• Nazim | Syed Shah Sultan[1] |
• Naib Nazim | Naveed Khan |
Kakul is a hamlet and union council in the Kakul Valley of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is 5 km north of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills at a height of 1300 metres. The Pakistan Military Academy is also located here.
History
[change | change source]Kakul was historically a small village in the suburbs of Abbottabad, close to the larger Nawanshehr hamlet, which was owned by the Jadoon Pashtun tribe.[2] When the Hazara region was annexed to British India in 1849, the then District Commissioner Major James Abbott decided to build a cantonment town which was founded in 1853 as Abbottabad;[3] and at that time, a smaller military station or tented garrison was set up close to Kakul. In 1900-1901 this site became one of the first 'concentration camps' for Boer Prisoners of War (POWs) from the Anglo-Boer War, where some 400 such prisoners were held until 1903.[4] In 1904-1905, a part of this camp became the British Indian Armys Mountaineering and PE Camp, whereas the rest was made into the zonal headquarters of the Royal Indian Army Supply Corps(RIASC).[5] This position lasted until 1947, when after Independence the new Pakistan Army decided to set up the Pakistan Military Academy here, which was done in 1948.
Administration
[change | change source]The small township of Kakul is the capital of Kakul Union Council. The Union Council is divided into the following areas: Balolia, Kakul, Mandroch Kalan, Mandroch Khurd, Nawansher Janoobi and Nawansher Shamali.[1]