Baithak: Cultures & Colors of Pakistan.

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

This thread is all about pashtuns........first i am going to share an article about my favorite personality sher shah suri.



Sher Shah Suri , The Lion King


Today the world is witnessing one of the worst cultural polarisation of its history where the majority of common people are becoming a sandwich between religious fanatics and western imperialists and their allies. The "epicentre" of this conflict is the Muslim world in general and the Af-Pak (Pakistan-Afghanistan and Central Asia) in particular with Pashtuns as the "determining factor" once again in history despite being the worst victims of the Great Games being played on their lands for centuries. Today when Muslims who brought modern sciences, enlightenment and Rule of Law to the World and Pashtuns who introduced the concepts of multicultural/multi-faith welfare states in the age of intolerant imperialistic autocracies are being branded as radical extremists or "Talibanised terrorists", historical personalities like Sher Shah become relevant to fight misconceptions, stereotypes and cliches- a man who didn't just happen to have a "Pathan background" but a leader of Pashtuns who was proud both in values of his faith as a Muslim and Afghan cultural heritage and who transformed these traits and values in the polity and administrative excellence of his statecraft. History describes him essentially an Afghan Muslim emperor of India as historically the term Afghan was used exclusively for Pashtuns (the biggest monolithic cultural group of Afghanistan and Pakistan) before the emergence of today's Afghanistan and subsequent adaptation of term Afghan as a civic identity for all the nationals of the country. He was probably the greatest Muslim ruler after Umar bin Khitab (the second Caliph) in terms of excellence of ruler ship and of introducing new institutions that influenced the civilisations outside Muslim World even more than they influenced the Muslim history. His unique greatness lies in the fact that he rose from the position of an ordinary man to become the most successful ruler in the world of his time and not only conquered the subcontinent in a very short span of just five years (1539-1545) but consolidated his empire with the world first professional and regulated civil service together with a professionally organised army based on merit and excellent administration of justice, rule of law and equal opportunities that won him the admiration of even his worst rivals. His miraculous achievements couldn't be replicated even by dynasties in decades let alone individuals and that makes him a true legend.

Few people know that fictional English characters like Kipling's Shere Khan of the Indian Jungle (later adapted in Disney's animated Jungle Book) were named after Sher Shah Suri. His original name was Farid Khan but he earned the title of Sher Khan when he killed a fully grown tiger during his service with the rulers of Bihar. He was born to an Pashtun feudal of Hisar (Haryana East Punjab) named Mian Hasan Khan Suri son of Ibrahim Khan Suri but left home after differences with his father over the ill-treatment of his mother to build his own career . The exact place of his birth is disputed as some sources claim it to be Sasaram (Bihar India; his burial place). The most contemporary source (Abbas Khan Sarwani 1580) indicate his birth place to be somewhere in present Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in North West Pakistan. His grandfather Malik Ibrahim Suri is said to have died in Surezai near Peshawar in 1498 AD-a village of the settlers of Barakzai (Kakar) tribe from Gramshair (present Afghanistan) in those days and still referred to as Da Sher Shah Suri Kalay (Sher Shah's village) by the locals. Irrespective of his birth place and the fact that he grew up inside India, Sher Khan should NOT be confused with one of the urbanised "Indian Khans" of today who carry the surname to claim some particular ancestry with no particular relevance to Pashtun culture or heritage. In those days of tribal and feudal India, ethnicity not only determined the sole identity (and religion in case of Turks, Afghans and Persian immigrants) but also personal cultural traits and most importantly political strength. Sher Shah gained his strength from the Pashtun tribes settled in India; he gained his inspiration from his cultural heritage and introduced Afghan system of leadership in Indian polity despite the fact that he employed even Hindus on highest positions due to his belief in merit and equality. His most trusted talented minister and accountant general who revolutionised the revenue administration system of India was a Hindu named Tudar Maal who was later appointed by Mughal Emperor Akbar to continue his great work. His military commanders however were from Pashtun tribes for obvious reasons but contrary to the contemporary practices, they were chosen strictly on merit and abilities not matrimonial or blood relations. Haibat Khan Niazi was his most senior commander who encouraged thousands of Niazi Pashtun immigrants from Afghanistan to settle in South West Punjab (Mianwali) on Sher Shah's instruction to strengthen the population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Muslim tribes of Punjab against the rebellious and turbulent Hindu Gakkars who were opposing an organised government and were causing law and order situations. Khawas Khan, his successful operational commander, was originally a poor fox hunter but Sher Shah had an eye for talent so spotted his potentials and elevated him to the position of a general.

The legendary personality and work of Farid Khan seem like a fairy tale in today's time of scientific empiricism but the legacy of his achievements and the testimonies of even his contemporary rivals besides the fact that he never patronised any "court historians" unlike the rulers of his time leave little space for any exaggeration or fiction. According the Mr. Keene, a British historian, "No government-not even the British has shown so much wisdom as this Pathan." Another important quality of Sher Shah Suri, which made him the best ruler of India even in eyes of Indian historians, was his excellent understanding of Islamic polity and relationship between state and religion in a Hindu majority India. According to Dr. Ishwari Prasad, He was "head and shoulders" above Akbar and Aurangzeb as Akbar alienated orthodox Muslims (or majority of Muslims) due to his ultra liberal un-Islamic religious views and heterodoxy beyond the fundamentals of Islam and that resulted in reactionary policies of successive Muslim rulers and eventually India ended up with a non-tolerant emperor Aurangzeb who persecuted non-Muslims for the "defence of Islam". Akbar was in some ways the equivalent of a brand "liberal Muslims" that normally represent themselves only with no relevance Muslims in wider society where Aurangzeb Alamgir was the roughly the Mughal equivalent of today's radical Islamists. Sher Shah on the other hand was extremely cautious and balanced nevertheless an orthodox practising Muslim himself. He was a strict and learned Muslim, a proud Afghan but at same time not narrow minded towards Hindus or other ethnicities and followed a policy of "Equality and Celebrating Diversity" at that time of authoritarianism and elitist autocracies to avail the full potential of the populace under his rule for the prosperity of his realm.

The visionary Khan built the famous GT Road, the first highway of its kind connecting Peshawar in North West Pakistan to Kolkata in South East India (2600 km later extended to Kabul Afghanistan). The road was constructed for good governance and smooth and efficient administration. The GT Road along with its connecting roads facilitated communication, helped trade and commerce to flourish and made swift dispatch of soldiers from one place to another. The road also helped the Sher Shah Suri in introducing the first organized postal system in the Indian sub continent and best in the World that time. To facilitate the postal runners and the travellers, small inns, called "sarai" were constructed after every 20 miles with separate places of worship for Hindus and Muslims. These inns acted as halting places of government officials moving from one place to another. Each inn had a water pond by its side for drinking water for the animals / horses. Big canopy trees were also planted so as to provide shade lest the water dried up in scorching summers. Remains of these inns, specially the old trees and ponds can still be seen along the modern GT Road. His established an excellent system of local authorities in 47 provinces (or Sarkars) with separation of criminal judiciary from civil executive under Islamic system of social justice. Hindus were exempted from any religious tax levied on Muslims. He also minted the first Rupiya that was the precursor of the modern rupee. The same name and system is still used for the national currency in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Mauritius, Maldives, and Seychelles among other countries and even British rulers borrowed some its characteristics. He organised the first professional non-tribal army based on strict disciplinary code of conduct and well defined salary structure. The symbol of excellence of the great Moghal's taste of construction is Taj Mehal and the manifestation of Sher Shah's thinking is Ruhtas Fort-a great fort built for maintaining order and security in North Punjab. This shows the sharp contrast in attitude. All these tasks were accomplished by him in just under 6 years between 1539 and 1544- a time period equal to today's term of a democratic government that our leaders normally find too short to construct a dam even with modern technology and resources. "Such was the state of safety of the highway," observes Nizam-ud-din (Akbar's Mir Bakhshi), who had no reason to be partial towards Sher Shah, "that if any one carried a purse full of gold (pieces) and slept in the desert (deserted places) for nights, there was no need for keeping watch." Mirza Aziz Koka, son of Ataga Khan, and probably Akbar's closest friend and one of the most important mansabdar's of the Mughal Empire (Sher Shah's arch rivals), wrote this to Emperor Jahangir in one of his personal letters to him: "Specially Sher Khan was not an angel (malak) but a king (malik). In six years he gave such stability to the structure (of the empire) that its foundations still survive. He had made India flourish in such a way that the king of Persia and Turan appreciate it, and have a desire to look at it. Hazrat Arsh Ashiyani (Akbar the great) followed his administrative manual (zawabit) for fifty years and did not discontinue them. In the same India due to able administration of the well wishers of the court, nothing is left except rabble and jungles..."

Sher Shah's life style, leadership and interaction with friends and enemies were a classic manifestation of "Pakhtunwali"-the Pashtun way of conduct. He was not a soldier of fortune and unlike most famous historical personalities of that time whether in Asia or in Europe, he didn't inherit any wealth or power from a royal background. He planned his career carefully and tactfully from a humble position to throne of India as the most popular ruler of his time. He started as the caretaker of his father's estate to learn the basics of administration, joined the services of local courts of Bihar to learn the basics of government and then joined the Mughal court to learn about the weaknesses of Mughals and Rajput Courts (his future rivals) who according to him was far from the populace due to corrupt practices and conspiracies involving women, and undemocratic court structures inherited from Mongoloid and Hindu traditions. The accounts of the contemporary historians speak of his belief in himself and uncompromising pride in his cultural values that made him sure of success and gave him a "killer instinct" of "planning like a fox and attacking like a lion". Like a true Pashtun, he was ruthless in his onslaught, fierce in his defence but extremely forgiving of his defeated enemy-a quality of character unknown at his time when enemies used to be decimated or enslaved. His excellent treatment and respect for ladies of Mughal court was testified by the sister of his worst rival Hamayun (Gulbadan Begum, Emperor Akbar's aunt and author of Hamayun Nama). He excelled himself in the study of his religion and Persian classics of that time but despite being an orthodox Muslim and proud Afghan, he was far from intolerant religious extremism and racist ethno-nationalism. On the contrary, he used the true spirit of his religion and cultural values for the benefit of the region that ruled which happened to have more non-Muslims than Muslims and where his own ethnic nation was an absolute minority. His life and achievements gave birth to an idiom that "A true Khan always excel and is a born king"; that is why we see so many individuals called "King Khans" when they excel in sports or entertainment even if they have nothing to do with being a Pashtun.

Today those who associate Pashtuns with extremist Islamic militancy, intolerance, or ignorance in fact do so either due to ignorance propagated by sections of media or the due to the massive impact created by the actions of the foreign elements and ideas that have victimised Pashtuns and their culture more than they have caused any threat or damage to the rest of the world. The elements in fact are the products of the dirty Great Games brought to lands of Pashtuns by the regional and global powers due to their strategic importance. Whether it was the communist aggression or American invasion or the consequent Alqaida inspired reactionary militancy, Pashtun civilisation has nothing to do it nor has it a lot to do with their Islamic faith. Yes Pashtuns indeed has always jealously defended their independence and in fact defeated every imperialist power of their time but have never been imperialistic or intolerant extremists themselves. Whenever they ruled others, they brought stability and prosperity to the region under their rule and displayed a beautiful shade of Muslim civilisation.

No militant extremist idealise Sher Shah who represent an ordinary Pashtun-the common Khan who is the victim of aggression from every single imperialist of the modern history: from British colonialist to communist expansionist and now the American Imperialist and the cost of their constant fight for freedom left them poor and uneducated. The Khan who is a labourer, a watchman or taxi driver in Karachi and gets killed there in gang wars of rival political parties or in his own lands, get blown up in an attack by a suicide bomber or become roasted sandwich in fight between the army and the fanatic extremists who don't get their inspiration from Sher Khan but from twisted doctrines imported from elsewhere in the sacred name of Islam. Yes Sher Khan did inspire and even today inspires many Pashtuns to achieve excellence in adverse circumstances and rise out of dust to skies. Ahmad Shah Abdali (another great 18th century Pashtun ruler) idealised him and established the last stable and prosperous Muslim Kingdom comprising today's Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir when the existence of Muslims were under threat from the rising Hindu revivalism and militancy after the fall of Mughal Empire hence providing stability to the region. Ahmad Shah Abdali writes in a Pashtu couplet:

د حميد او د فريد داوار به بيا شي
چه په تورو پښتانه کړه غوزارونه
The reign of Farid Khan and Hameed Lodhi will come back
Once the Pakhtuns start showing their skills of sword again
Doctor Khan Saib (first Chief Minister of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and then of West Pakistan-bother of Bacha Khan) was a leftist liberal but considered Sher Shah as his inspiration due for being the first "socialist" king and for his personalised management style nevertheless the liberal secularists/ethnic nationalists have nothing to with do with Sher Shah's or Ahmad Shah's religious views. Even the cricketer turned politician Imran Khan (Niazi) term Sher Shah as his ultimate ideal due to his sense of justice and leadership style. Every ambitious Pashtun to his understanding take inspiration from the Real King Khan except the fanatic militant extremists whom unfortunately many think as representative of Pashtuns.

Source : khyber.org

 

[Spring Onion]

Faqir of Ipi

Mirza Ali Khan (Urdu/Pashto: مرزا علی خان; born 1897, died 1960), known as the Faqir of Ipi, was a Pashtun from today's North-Waziristan Pakistan, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas. His followers addressed him as 'Haji Sahib' (or Respected Pilgrim). The village of Ipi is located near Mirali Camp in North Waziristan Agency, Waziristan, from where the Faqir of Ipi started his guerrilla warfare against the British Empire throughout the 1930s and 1940s until the British departure in 1947.

At one point nearly 40,000 British and Indian troops were reported to be in the field trying to capture him. His own force of armed tribesmen, probably not exceeding one thousand men, armed with rifles and a few machine-guns, and occasionally one or two pieces of antiquated cannon were fielded against this much larger British army equipped with modern artillery, tanks and aircraft. The Faqir of Ipi was always short of ammunition, had no radio communication, and relied upon a traditional network of informants and messengers for his intelligence while the British had much more sophisticated communications and intelligence capabilities developed in World War II.


When he died in 1960, The Times of 20 April described him as "a doughty and honourable opponent... a man of principle and saintliness... a redoubtable organizer of tribal warfare...." But only with a tinge of irony could the obituary claim that "many retired Army officers and political agents... will hear the news with the tribute of wistful regret".



Mirza Ali Khan was born in 1897 in Shankai Kairta, which is located near Khajuri Post in North Waziristan Agency. His family was from the Bangal Khel clan of the Haibati Madda Khel section of the Tori Khel Wazirs, which belongs to the greater Utmanzai branch concentrated in North Waziristan. His father was a religious man, named Arsala Khan. Mirza first went to religious schools on the British side of the border, and eventually, to a place near Jalalabad, where he became a Murid (pupil) of the Naqib of Chaharbagh, at the time the most famous and influential religious leader in Afghanistan. In 1923 Mirza Ali Khan performed the Hajj in Mecca and thereafter settled down in the village of Ipi, situated near the British military road connecting Bannu and Razmak. He was known as a peaceful, religious preacher. There he gradually acquired the reputation of saintliness among the clan of Daurs, but not attracting as yet the attention of the authorities as a potential agitator.

(Mr. Jahangir Khan Sikandri, while presenting the story of the Islam Bibi here, has categorically objected that the picture given on this page in the Encycleopedea is not that of the Faqir of Ipi but of Shami Pir who appeared in Kanigram as a pir and was actually plotted by Hitler to rethrone Amir Aman Ullah Khan who was then in exile in Italy. Shami Pir was exiled by the British forcibly from Waziristan and sent back to Iraq.)

[edit] Raising the flag of rebellionIn the beginning of 1936,[1] one Hindu girl namely Ram Kour (also known as Ram Kouri) of Village Jhandu Khel Bannu, fell in love with one Amir Noor Ali Shah (also known as Amir Noor), a Sayyed from the same village. The affections between them were so deep that on the night of 4 th/ 5 th March 1936, Ram Kour eloped with Amir Noor Ali Shah to village Puk Ismail Khel, Surrani, and took shelter at the house of Noor Ali Shah's maternal uncle. On the same day, i.e. on 5 th March 1936, Ram Kour went to the village mosque of Puk Ismail Khel and embraced Islam at the hands of Moulvi Sakhi Din Shah. Their Nikah immediately followed it. Two persons namely Nimble and Mir Ali Khan lambardar of the village were witnesses to the Nikah ceremony. They both remained there at the house of Amir Noor Ali Shah's maternal uncle for a few days. In the meantime, Mansa Devi, the mother of Ram Kour, registered an FIR at Domel Police Station alleging Amir Noor Ali Shah etc. for abducting the girl. The SHO of the police station did not take abrupt action as he had confirmed through his own sources that the girl had eloped with Amir Noor Ali Shah at her own free will.

Amir Abdullah Shah, the elder brother of Amir Noor Ali Shah started negotiations with the mother and uncle of the girl and dissuaded them from pursuing the case in the court of law. Both the parties reached an understanding that if the girl was returned to her mother, the case would be withdrawn. Subsequently, an agreement was signed between Amir Abdullah Shah and Mansa Devi and it was mutually agreed upon that Amir Abdullah Shah would return the girl to her mother, on 23 March 1936 . Accordingly, when Amir Abdullah Shah asked the willingness of Ram Kour (then known with Islamic name of Marjana alias Islam Bibi), the girl flatly refused to go to her parents and told Amir Abdullah Shah:

"I would prefer to die if I am not with my husband; I, under no circumstances will go back to my parents or reconvert to Hinduism".

Amir Noor Ali Shah also stood by her and Amir Abdullah Shah had no option other than to support Amir Noor Ali Shah and Islam Bibi and face the consequences. Accordingly, he did not return the girl to her mother and persuaded Amir Noor Ali Shah to take Islam Bibi to South Waziristan and cross the border to Afghanistan where he would be safe from the clutches of the British law.

Amir Noor Ali Shah and Islam Bibi decided to leave for Tank, on 24 March 1936 . Mst. Jamala, the stepmother of Noor Ali Shah, along with her minor son Qamar Ali Shah (aged 3½ years), also got ready to go with them. In the meantime, on 24th morning, the mother of Islam Bibi made a report at City Police Station Bannu for the recovery of her girl. Amir Noor Ali Shah, Ram Kour alias Islam Bibi, Mst. Jamala with her minor son Qamar Ali Shah and their relative namely Haleem Khan, got into a car (which was hired by them up to Tank) at a place 1½ miles away from Bannu City on Bannu-D.I.Khan Road. When the car reached Ghoriwala Police Station, it was stopped and searched by a police party. They and all other occupants in the car were arrested and brought to City Police Station Bannu. The same evening Noor Ali Shah, Islam Bibi etc. were sent to jail.

The conversion of Ram Kour to Islam and getting married to a Muslim was proclaimed throughout Bannu. Hindu communities favoured Mansa Devi whereas Muslim community stood by the side of Islam Bibi. The Hindu community was led by Rai Bahadur Kanwar Bhan Bagai, Kanwar Rai and the Hindu lawyers, whereas, Muslim community was led by Faqir Abul Hassan, Nawab Zafar Khan Marwat and Muslim lawyers. Communal riots between Hindu and Muslim were expected to rise. Hence, FC and army troops were made alert in Bannu. The Hindu community extended all possible support to the Hindu Lawyers, i.e. Chaman Lal, Melawa Ram, Hukam Chand and Ladha Ram. Whereas, the Muslim community supported Mohammad Jan Khan (Bar-at-law), Mohammad Nawaz Khan Kundi Advocate, Habibullah Khan Meena Khel Advocate, Maqsood Jan Khan Mira Khel Advocate, Sardar Luthfullah Khan Pleader and Eid Akber Shah Advocate, in pursuing the case in the court. 7 April 1936 was fixed as the date of hearing in the court of I.D.Scott, Assistant Commissioner Bannu.

On 6 April 1936, a large crowd of about 2,000 Muslims gathered outside the bungalow of Captain E. H. Cobb, Deputy Commissioner Bannu, raising slogans of 'Allah-o-Akber' 'Islam Zinda Bad'. They demanded the return of Islam Bibi to the Muslim community. Till sunset, they took siege of his bungalow but dispersed with a unanimous decision that on the following day, the bungalow of DC would be encircled again. On the same day, an application was submitted to DC Bannu by some Muslim notables of Bannu through the Defence Council composed of lawyers, namely Luthfullah Khan, Maqsood Jan Khan, Habibullah Khan and Mohammad Jan Khan, stating that Ram Kour had converted to Islam hence she should be given in the custody of some responsible Muslim notable. They further demanded that the case of Islam Bibi should be transferred from the court of Mr I.D. Scott and Captain E. H. Cobb, the Deputy Commissioner, should himself carry out the trial as the District Magistrate.

On 7 April 1936, just an hour before the beginning of trial, another application was submitted to DC Bannu by five Muslim religious leaders of Bannu, namely General Sir Guli Khan of Qamar Killa, Moulvi Mohammad Aslam of Village Shahbaz Azmat Khel, Qari Abdul Ghaffar, Moulvi Mohammad Ayub of Village Bazar Ahmed Khan and Mullah Mir Kazim of Village Jhandu Khel. In this second application, they had requested that Islam Bibi should be kept in the custody of any Muslim notable since she had been placed in the custody of Dr. Benjamin (a Christian lady). On the same day, I.D Scott, Assistant Commissioner Bannu, instituted the court and proceedings in the case (case No.1/2 of 1936) started. When the court was in progress, a letter was received by DC Bannu, from the Faqir of Shewa, North Waziristan, apprising him of the dangerous consequences that might arise if the case would not be decided according to Shariyah. A large crowd of Muslims was also trying to reach the District Courts Bannu on the day of hearing but the Frontier Constabulary closed all the roads leading to the court premises. None, except the Muslims and Hindu lawyers, the District Court servants, the prosecution and the defence witnesses in the case, were allowed to enter the court premises. Islam Bibi was brought to the court in a van, in the custody of a large police party. No serious incident occurred. However, the District Administration felt very tense atmosphere in the District. The same day, Home Member Sir George Cunningham and Khan Bahadur Rana Tala Mohammad Khan Commandant FC, reached Bannu and in the afternoon called for the Muslim notables of Bannu so as to dissuade them from interference in the case. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Bannu handed over the control of the city to the Army. A squadron of light tanks took position on all the vital points inside Bannu City . A show of force of army units was also carried on main roads of Bannu city, followed by imposition of Section 144 in District Bannu for an indefinite period.

The Deputy Commissioner Bannu issued instructions to the Assistant Commissioner Bannu to carry out day to day proceeding of the case and then submit the complete proceedings to him before 20 April 1936 . He also looked into the application that was submitted to him by the Muslim notables and informed both the communities that after the completion of the proceedings, he would himself issue the judgement in the case. Accordingly, Mr. I.D. Scott completed the proceedings by 15 April 1936 . Captain E. H. Cobb went through all the proceeding and then at the request of the Muslim community decided to re-examine Islam Bibi since her statement carried weight on the case.

Deputy Commissioner Bannu, Captain E. H. Cobb, after analysing the tensed atmosphere in Bannu, issued court orders that during the trial, Islam Bibi should be retained in jail, in the public interest. On 29 April 1936, he himself went to Bannu Jail to record her statement in the presence of some Muslim and Hindu notables of District Bannu. In her statement, Islam Bibi told the court that she had embraced Islam at her own and would not go back to her mother. She wished to return to Amir Noor Ali Shah. The statement was read over to her in vernacular that she signed as correct. Deputy Commissioner, after recording of her statement, issued an order that since she did not wish to go back to her mother hence she should be sent to the house of Khan Bahadur Ghulam Haider Khan, Member legislative Council and Honourary ADM, a trustworthy and most respectable person of Village Bazar Ahmed Khan. At a later stage of the trial, the proceedings were carried out in the bungalow of Deputy Commissioner Bannu. On the day of decision by the court, Islam Bibi was brought to the court by Taj Ali Khan s/o Khan Bahadur Ghulam Haider Khan in his car.

The court gave decision in words to the following effect.

"It has been conclusively proved by the Prosecution witnesses that Mst. Ram Kour alias Islam Bibi was a minor girl of 15 years 4 months and 8 days on March 5 th, the date on which she was kidnapped from the lawful custody of her mother without her permission, as she will attain the age of 16 years on October 27 th, 1936, having been born on October 27 th, 1920. There is only the evidence of the minor girl that she went of her own free will being in love with Amir Noor Ali Shah accused. The question of the minor's attitude however is immaterial to the charge under Section 363 I.P.Code if the minor is kidnapped without the consent of her lawful guardian. I find him guilty of the charge and I convict him accordingly under section 363 I.P.C and sentence him to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 2 years. - Captain E. H. Cobb Dated 25-4-1936

After the announcement of the judgement of the court, Islam Bibi was escorted to the house of Khan Bahadur Ghulam Haider Khan for safe custody till further orders, whereas Amir Noor Ali Shah, Makhar and Amir Abdullah Shah were transported to Haripur Jail, Hazara.

Late on, when all petitions at the Court of Civil Judge Bannu(Gul Mohammad Khan,District Judge) as well as subsequently at the court of Judicial Commissioner Peshawar were dismissed in favour of Mansa Devi, Captain E. H. Cobb, alongsith Superintendent of Police Bannu and 200 policemen, went to Village Bazar Ahmed Khan on the night of 20 th / 21 st August 1936, and laid a siege to it from all sides. No one was allowed to leave the village. Commander Bannu Brigade was also made alert to deal with any unforeseen situation arising during the takeover of the girl from the house of Khan Bahadur Ghulam Haider Khan. At 10:00 p.m. Deputy Commissioner Captain E. H. Cobb and Superintendent of Police Bannu knocked at the house of Khan Bahadur Ghulam Haider Khan, who along with his son Taj Ali Khan, came out of the house and were taken aback seeing such a big police force with the Deputy Commissioner who told him that the girl should be handed over to the Superintendent of Police Bannu on the spot without any confrontation by him or his men otherwise the entire village would face dire consequences. The girl was handed over to the police party after half an hour without resistance. Soon after Islam Bibi was recovered from the house of K.B Ghulam Haidar Khan, she was handed over to her mother (Mst. Mansa Devi) and uncle (Harnam Das) at the bungalow of Deputy Commissioner Bannu. Rai Bahadur Kanwar Bhan Bagai, a leading Hindu and famous transporter of Bannu, took Islam Bibi, her mother and uncle to Hoshiarpur in his personal car on the same night.

Mr. Taj Ali Khan did not leave the matter and went to Hoshiarpur to contact Islam Bibi when a commission was detailed by the Civil Court Bannu to take statement of the girl since it was stated before the court by the Hindu notables that Islam Bibi had re-converted to Hinduism and did not want to be returned to Amir Noor Ali Shah. However, the girl who was produced before the commission at Hoshiarpur was not Islam Bibi and some other girl who pretended to be Islam Bibi had appeared before the Commission. This was seriously objected by Mr. Taj Ali Khan and Mst. Jamala who told the commission that the girl was someone else and not Islam Bibi. However, they returned to Bannu unsuccessful. They told the Bannuchi notables at Bannu that Islam Bibi did try to contact Malik Taj Ali Khan but the Hindu community didnot let her do that.

In August 1937, some of the Hindu notables were heard saying that Ram Kour alias Islam Bibi could not sustain further physical tortures at the hands of the Hindus; and when all efforts to re-convert her to Hinduism had failed, she was poisoned to death by the Hindus at Hoshiarpur. The Hindus cremated her dead body. Her love story has become a part of the folk songs of Bannu and she would be remembered by the Bannucis for her valour and love for the religion of Islam as well as her faithfulness towards her husband. These events followed the rise of the Faqir of Ipi against the British Raj.

In 1945, Amir Noor Ali Shah left Bannu, to search for Islam Bibi; hoping that she might be alive. He did not return. His whereabouts are not known. It is believed that had been in tomb of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (in India) as Mujawar. He never contacted his brothers or relatives. He would be over 90 years of age if still alive.[2]

[edit] Battle against the Bannu Brigade in KhaisoraThe verdict 'enraged' the Muslims - especially the Daur tribesmen, Faqir Ipi's kinsmen, the Daur Maliks and mullahs left the Tochi far the Khaisora Valley to the south to rouse the Torikhel Waziris. The enraged tribesmen mustered two large lashkars 10,000 strong and battled the Bannu Brigade, with heavy casualties on both sides. Widespread lawlessness erupted as tribesmen blocked roads, overran outposts and ambushed convoys. The British retaliated by sending two columns converging in the Khaisora river valley. They suppressed the agitation by imposing fines and by destroying the houses of the ringleaders, including that of the Faqir of Ipi. However, the pyrrhic nature of the victory and the subsequent withdrawal of the troops was credited by the Wazirs to be a manifestation of the Faqir's miraculous powers. He succeeded in inducing a semblance of tribal unity, as the British noticed with dismay, among various sections of Tori Khel Wazirs, the Mahsuds and the Bhittannis. He cemented his position as religious leader by declaring a Jihad against the British. This move also helped rally support from Afghan tribesman across the border.Khan Gul Mohammad Khan

[edit] QuagmireSoon after the Khaisora campaign a general uprising broke out throughout Waziristan campaign, realising the futility of confronting the British Army directly especially with their advantage of air power, tribesmen switched to guerrilla warfare. Squadrons of the two air forces (RAF and RIAF) tried many tactics including scorched earth retaliation involving the burning of standing crops with jerry can petrol bombs and the killing of cattle with strafing attacks.[citation needed] This situation continued till Indian independence and the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

[edit] Pakistan Independence

The creation of Pakistan in 1947 significantly dulled the Faqir's insurgency. As the government was Muslim led, the religious grounds for the insurgency had been lost. This did not stop the Faqir from causing problems for the Pakistani government until his death. On 4 November 1954 his Commander-in-Chief, Mehar Dil, surrendered himself personally to the Deputy Commissioner Bannu, and this, in effect, brought the Waziristan insurrection to an end.

[edit] DeathThe Faqir of Ipi died at night on April 16, 1960. A long term sufferer of asthma during his last days, he became so sick that it was not possible for him to walk for a few steps. People from far away often used to come and see him and ask for his blessing. His funeral prayers or Namaz-I-Janaza was held at Gurwaikht led by Maulavi Pir Rehman. Thousands of people came for his Namaz-I-Janaza. He was buried at Gurwaikht.

 

[A.Rafay]

this pushtoon corner should be closed down, luffy we already have Naswar corner why create more divide??

this should be renamed pakistan corner so people from all over pakistan should not feel left out.

 

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

this pushtoon corner should be closed down, luffy we already have Naswar corner why create more divide??

this should be renamed pakistan corner so people from all over pakistan should not feel left out.

Yar what does naswar corner means? Creating thread on ethnic stereotyping is so wrong and you are equating pashtuns with naswar-khors. Any way naswar corner thread is not about pashtuns, it is just a gupshup thread of hyperion and his friends.
And you should be sorry for saying that writing any thing about pashtuns would bring division of pakistan. People like you alienate bengalis from pakistan because you were discouraging their langauge, culture and identity. You are indirectly telling me that "pashtuniyat" has not place in pakistan and that afghanistan is for that. @haviZsultan you should read what he is saying.
This is a informative thread, read it for information, but if you still feel left out, then go check other threads. And by the way this whole forum is pakistan corner...

 

[Safriz]

I disagree with any ethnic thread...
we are already so full of ourselves and so puffed up with regional/ethnic pride that there is no room for something called "national pride".
Far right nationalism is equivalent to Neo-Nazi-ism ...Dont want that...

 

[Safriz]

Luffy the website Khyber.org you Quote is the website which has nothing to do with Pakistan..Its a Nationalist website which considers KPK part of Afghanistan on Ethnic/Linguistic grounds..Pakistan's failure to Block Af-PAk border can be attributed to this mentality as the tribes on the Af-Pak border wont stop crossing the border saying similar things that "Pakistan divided us" the Afghans are our Brothers and such...
This open Af-Pak border is the source of most evil in Pakistan for the past few decades...

 

[Armstrong]

Yar what does naswar corner means? Creating thread on ethnic stereotyping is so wrong and you are equating pashtuns with naswar-khors. Any way naswar corner thread is not about pashtuns, it is just a gupshup thread of hyperion and his friends.
And you should be sorry for saying that writing any thing about pashtuns would bring division of pakistan. People like you alienate bengalis from pakistan because you were discouraging their langauge, culture and identity. You are indirectly telling me that "pashtuniyat" has not place in pakistan and that afghanistan is for that. @haviZsultan you should read what he is saying.
This is a informative thread, read it for information, but if you still feel left out, then go check other threads. And by the way this whole forum is pakistan corner...

Yaraaa qasaam sehh kiyaaa teriii 'insecurity' hai...he said 'one thing' & you'd extrapolate it to mean 'Pashtuniyat has no place in Pakistan & Afghanistan is for that' !

Khan tuuu bhiii Buttt hiii haiii !

 

[Safriz]

This Nationalist mentality will eventually lead us to this.

Or has it already led us there?

 

[AUSTERLITZ]

Respect for sher shah from an indian.He did actual work for the people,not just exploit the country like most rulers of the period did.

 

[Armstrong]

@Safriz : Sir jee...tabyaaat sahii haiii ?

Let them have the space to express themselves ! Saying that we're Pashtuns & we're Punjabis or we're *insert any ethnicity* never broke Pakistan apart & never will...its the doing of the exact opposite that did !

 

[Safriz]

@Safriz : Sir jee...tabyaaat sahii haiii ?

Let them have the space to express themselves ! Saying that we're Pashtuns & we're Punjabis or we're *insert any ethnicity* never broke Pakistan apart & never will...its the doing of the exact opposite that did !

It is breaking Pakistan...
Which planet you live on?

In Pakistan we take ethnicity,language,regional history way too seriously..
Its not Britain where Scotts left their Gaelic and adopted Engliush for the sake of National Unity..welsh still speak welsh but keep that to themselves and every welsh can also speak English perfectly...
In Pakistan You go Interior sindh,Tribal areas of KPK and Some parts of Baluchistan and you are looked at as alien from mars...

 

[A1Kaid]

It's fine if he wants to have a Pashtun corner or Pashtun bakery that's fine let him have it and those who wish to participate step forward.

 

[Redbull]

Best thing to do is ignore it and let it die down.

 

[Sedqal]

This Nationalist mentality will eventually lead us to this.

I think such threads should be allowed. Lets celebrate the differences.

 

[Armstrong]

It is breaking Pakistan...
Which planet you live on?

In Pakistan we take ethnicity,language,regional history way too seriously..
Its not Britain where Scotts left their Gaelic and adopted Engliush for the sake of National Unity..welsh still speak welsh but keep that to themselves and ever welsh can also speak English perfectly...
In Pakistan You go Interior sindh,Tribal areas of KPK and Some parts of Baluchistan and you are looked at as alien from mars...

And I mourn for the Scotts & the Welsh - their were two beautiful languages born out of their Saxon-Celtic past ! Thank God we don't have anything like that over here with each ethnicity & each linguistic group being proud of where they come from & proudly transmitting it to their posterity !

I think that letting people have the right to express their ethnic & linguistic identities & encouraging them to nurture them is the 'key' to a more 'cohesive' Pakistan because these 'Pashtunistans' & these 'Azad Balochistan' pop up when people feel neglected not only in an economic or administrative sense but also in terms of them loosing their identities within Pakistan & being asked to conform, whether explicitly or implicitly, to the dominant culture & language of the land.

Thankfully we never did that & our lack of government patronage to local languages & cultures was because of negligence, corruption & plain bad governance than anything malicious !

Thankfully still, with the passage of time & with the advent of a civil society that cares & has roots in many of these ethnicities & linguistic groups, this trend is reversing & our local languages are being slowly integrated back into the larger Pakistani narrative of 'who were are' !

I would agree with you that if one were to go to the backward areas in Pakistan, whether in interior Sindh, in the rurual areas of feudal Punjab or parts of FATA, you are indeed looked upon as an alien but this trend isn't there in most of the bigger cities never mind the really big ones like Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan etc. & this is because of unavoidable interactions with each other !

The areas where you're looked upon as an alien exist in a world of their own & should be integrated back into Pakistan but that must never mean that you do that by bull-dozing over centuries of traditions, customs & the culture of those areas. Just ease them in by developing those areas, by providing the basic necessities of life to the people of those areas, by bringing education to those areas & by taking the people on board so that they have a sense of ownership to what is happening there.

You don't build a nation up by forcing them to see things your way...you build it up by being genuinely sincere to the dozens of ethnicities & linguistic groups who inhabit that area by showing them that you really...really care about them ! Do that & Pakistan will be impregnable...force them & you risk bad-blood for generations to come !