Before the British rule, the area formed an integral portion of the
Graeco–Bactrian Empire of Kabul and the Punjab. During British rule, the Indian
empire was subdivided into provinces, divisions and districts; afterward, the
independence of Pakistan divisions remained the third tier of government until
2000. The British had made the town of Mianwali as tehsil headquarters of Bannu
District then part of Dera Ismail Khan Division of Punjab province. The
population of Mianwali, according to the 1901 census of India, was 3,591.
In November 1901, the North-West Frontier Province was carved out of Punjab
and the
