History

Nowshera district lies on Grand Trunk road, 27 miles due east of Peshawar. It was formerly a tehsil of Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During British regime, European Officers with the powers of sub divisional officer were in charge of Peshawar city, the Charsadda tehsil and the Nowshera tehsil. In Mardan and Swabi the other two tehsils of Peshawar District, Assistant commissioners were the incharge. Deputy Commissioner as District Magistrate was responsible for criminal work, District Judge for civil judicial work and both were supervised by Divisional & Sessions Judge of Peshawar Civil Division. Assistant Commissioner had the power of subordinate judge and was under District judge in civil capacity. There were also two munsifs, besides an honory munsif at Peshawar. Frontier crimes Regulation was in force and many cases were referred for a decision of council of elders under the aegis, of Deputy Commissioner. Criminal work was heavy and civil suits comparatively less were mostly in the nature of claim from reversionary heirs to cancel alienation of land by widow and daughter of deceased. (Source Imperial Gazetteer of India).