According to the census , it had a population of , Before , Sherani was a subdivision sub-district of Zhob district. The first recorded mention of Zhob dates back to the seventh century, when the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang described it as being inhabited by Pashtuns.
During the reigns of Nader Shah β and Ahmed Shah Abdali β , both extended their influence through Balochistan to include Zhob and Sherani. Consequently, the area remained under the nominal suzerainty of the Durrani and Barakzai dynasties. Sherani was a tribe with a degree of autonomy and resistance to external control until it was brought under British authority in the winter of during the Khiderzai Expedition. The Bargha lands, or highlands, were historically occupied by the Hazaras , who later migrated to Rozgan Urazgan in the northern area.
During the early period, the Bargha land was known for its common incidents of banditry and violence. According to legend, the Sheranis' leader encountered a Syed boy who had migrated from Pishin and possessed a saintly demeanor. Seeking his supernatural assistance, the Sheranis achieved victory over the Baitanis with his miraculous help. As a result, a group of Sherani tribe members, led by the Syed boy, occupied the abandoned lands of Bargha.
Subsequently, the Syed boy married a Shirani woman and became regarded as "the nucleus and progenitor of the Harifal tribe. After taking control of the Bargha land, the prominent members of the Shirani tribe asked him to ride his horse from sunrise to sunset, with the land traversed by his horse becoming his portion of the spoils. This land is currently inhabited by the Harifal tribe. The main appeal of Harif Nika to the Sheranis was the mystical spirituality attributed to him.
As a mark of respect, all Shiranis commonly refer to the Harifals as "Neeka," which translates to "grandfather," a term denoting a status commanding more reverence than even that of a father. When Mountstuart Elphinstone β , [ 11 ] a Scottish statesman and historian associated with the British government of India, visited the region in the early 19th century, he noted that the Shiranis were led by a "Neeka" who received an annual tax of one lamb and one calf from those who owned such animals.
