History of Pashtuns-Updates And Discussions

[Talwar e Pakistan]

An interesting excerpt from the British era that I found in my files:

 

[Mirzali Khan]

Quid-e-Azam M. Ali Jinnah with the Pashtun tribal elders who warmly welcomed and hosted the founder of Pakistan on their territory in 1948.

@Sainthood 101 @Imad.Khan @TNT @ziaulislam @Dalit @akramishaqkhan @Muhammad Saftain Anjum @kingQamaR

https://twitter.com/x/status/1500186520980017156

 

[Maula Jatt]

True. I also agree we should open something on Pashto poetry along with Pashto music and culture.

make one in members club

 

[ghazi52]

.,.,.,
Life Among The Pathans (Khattaks).

"Our dealing with Pashtuns was a gentleman's game. No matter how poor a Pashtun was, he might meet the King of England or the Viceroy of India but he'd look him in the eye and shake hands with him as if to say, I'm as good a man as you are."

For over twenty years from 1927, Colonel Buster Goodwin was stationed on the North-West Frontier among the Pathans. His vivid reminiscences include many incidents of his life in this rugged salt-mining country and bring out strongly his respect and affection for the Khattak tribes whose code of honour and character he knew so well.

Life Among The Pathans (Khattaks)
Author - Colonel Buster Goodwin.
Publisher - London, E. Goodwin (October 1, 1969).

To Read Or Download For Free

https://archive.org/details/life-among-the-pathans-khattaks

 

[ghazi52]

.,,..
"Mohmands" From The Album 'The Tribes On Our Frontier', 1880's (c).

The picture is a collage of various photographs taken at different locations of individuals standings with distinctive native hilly tribesman of North-West Frontier Province of late 19th Century. It is a copy paste or cut paste effort of those times.

The tribesman are armed with typical muzzle loaded Flintlock Jezzail long barrelled smooth bore single shot musket. The stock butt is made of Wall Nut wood with a very very decent slight curve at the end. It is decorated with beautiful intricate additions. The sword cum dagger is famous unique Khyberi Chorrey or Khyberi Daggers.

The medium size round shaped shield is favourite of all tribesman which was light weight and handy suited for CQBs in Frontier Warfare. The blue and white lined Shawls are typical of Khyber with long wrapped turbans and loose dress made of cotton in white. The mazarin straw made shoes and some time leather items Panrey (closer to Saleem Shahi Jouta or Khussa) was also common hilly tribesman dress.

The Jezzail were not smooth bored, the barrel bore was rifled, that is what gave Afghans advantage over the British. The British smooth bored had a range of around 400 yards while the Afghan rifle bored rifles could go almost a 1000 yards.

 

[ghazi52]

.,.,.,
Photo of a Pashtun wedding procession in Peshawar, Women were shoulder to shoulder with men as seen in this Picture, 1910 (c).

Photograph By R.B. Holmes Peshawar

 

[Maula Jatt]

I think they are wearing dhotis

maybe a very very loose shalwar?

 

[ghazi52]

I think they are wearing dhotis

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

View attachment 839159

These are long Kameez, not "Dhotis".

 

[ghazi52]

.,.,
The condemned gates tied to the tower. The gates are also known as the weeping willows.

The loneliness and darkness of the cage has such an effect on the heart and mind of the prisoner that the very idea of freedom begins to seem foreign to him. Night and day, all hours feel the same. Especially for a prisoner who doesn't even know his guilt. What was my fault? Finding the answer to this question paralyzes thinking.

Of course, incarceration is a painful experience and is only felt by humans or animals who have gone through this ordeal. But last week, I met a prisoner who is neither a human nor an animal, but the two gates of Shabqadar Fort, which have been bound for 180 years under man-made law for uncommitted crime. It seems that after the end of their imprisonment, they went to the prison of the pages of history, that perhaps only imprisonment is written in the destiny of these doors.

It was the reign of Raja Ranjit Singh and in Shabqadar (formerly called Shankargarh) there were fierce attacks by the Mohmand tribes against the Sikh army. During this period, Raja Ranjit Singh ordered his son Sher Singh to build a fort at a safe place in Shabqadar to prevent attacks by the Mohmand tribes. Sher Singh approached Tota Ram, an architect of the time, and after finalizing the design, began the construction of the fort on a relatively high mound at Shankargarh (Shabqadar) in 1835.

The fort was to be used to communicate with Sikh forces in other forts around the city and to monitor the movement of the Mohmand tribes. The construction of the fort was completed in a short span of 2 years and in 1837, the Sikh forces under Sher Singh started regular work here to suppress the Mohmand tribes. Prior to the construction of the fort, Shankargarh was called Sharif Kaur, but after the completion of the construction work, the Sikhs settled around the fort, started their business here and renamed the area Shankargarh.

The purpose of building this fort at a height was to provide long-range surveillance so that it could better line up against possible enemy attacks while also connecting Peshawar and adjoining areas through its Watch Tower. Was done In a short span of 3 years, the Mohmand tribes attacked the fort several times but without much success.
In the winter of 1840, an army of Mohmand tribes led by Saadat Khan attacked the fort of Shankargarh (Shabqadar).

At first, the Sikh forces fought hard but some of the invading lashkar soldiers managed to break through the main gate of the fort and started killing the Sikh soldiers inside the fort. Raja Sher Singh sent a message of help to the troops at Peshawar and Machnai forts, forcing the army of the Mohmand tribes to retreat.

While Sher Singh began to amass an army of his own, the Mohmand tribesmen, after considering the move to break down the gates of the fort, filed a case in the court of the then 'French General Jean Vittoria'. Within two days, the court convicted Tota Ram, the architect who designed the fort, and sentenced him to cut off his hands and imprison him for 100 years. Under this decision, while Tota Ram's hands were cut off, the main gates of the fort were bound with iron chains along with the Watch Tower for a long imprisonment.

 

[ghazi52]

,.,.
Member Of The 15th Punjab Regiment Performing Khattak Warrior Dance, Singapore, April 1941.

Punjab regiment (from India) gives a Khattak war dance. Dance somewhat similar to Highland Fling, but entirely native. Done with flashing swords to rhythm of drums and native clarinets.

Khattak dance (Pashto - د خټکو اتڼ‎) is a swift martial attan dance usually performed while carrying a sword and a handkerchief by the tribesmen from the agile Khattak tribe of Pashtuns in Pakistan and some eastern parts of Afghanistan.

It was performed by Khattak warriors before going to wars in the time of Malik Shahbaz Khan Khattak, and then Khushal Khan Khattak (Pashtun poet, chief, and warrior).

It was used as a war-preparation exercise and is known to be the only dance with swordplay. Aside from the Pashtun's classical literature, popular ballads, the Pashtunwali (the common code of social values), the khattak is part of the group's collective identify.

© Harrison Forman / UWM Libraries

 

[ghazi52]

.,.,
Khushal Khan Khattak "خوشال خان خټک".

Khushal Khan Khattak was born at Akora Khattak, Kabul Province, Mughal Empire in 1613. He was a Pashtun poet, warrior and scholar, and chief of the Khattak tribe of the Pashtuns. Khushal preached the union of all Pashtuns, and encouraged revolt against the Mughal Empire promoting Pashtun nationalism through poetry.

Khushal was the first Afghan mentor who presents his theories for the unity of the Pashtun tribes against foreign forces and the creation of a nation-state. Khushal wrote many works in Pashto but also a few in Persian. Khushal is considered the "father of Pashto literature" and the national poet of Afghanistan.

Khushal's life was spent in struggling against the Mughal Empire who had fluctuating relations with the Pashtuns. In order to restore their freedom, Khushal challenged powers of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and defeated the Mughal troops in many engagements. He was a renowned military fighter who became known as an "Afghan warrior-poet". The stand and fight attitude of Khushal was an important stance in Afghan history, and his opinions and ideas form a new stage in the ideological and intellectual development of the Afghans.

Allama Muhammad Iqbal called Khushal the Hakeem and Tabeeb (physician) of Afghan Millat and Afghan Shanas. Maj: Roverty and certain other orientalists say that Khushal was not only Afghan Shanas but like Goethe and Shakespeare he was also a great Insan- Shanas (one who knows man) Iqbal expressed his desire that if he knew Pashto he would have translated Khushal’s poetry into Urdu or Persian. Khushal died at the age of 78 on Friday, 20 February 1689 at Dambara.

 

[Mirzali Khan]

Souvenir presented by British Officers who took part in Waziristan operation in 1937 depicting Tribal Marksman in an ambush against British Indian Forces.

@Maula Jatt @Imad.Khan @TNT @ziaulislam @Dalit @akramishaqkhan @Muhammad Saftain Anjum @kingQamaR @Khan_patriot @Khan2727 @WarKa DaNG

 

[TNT]

.,.,
Khushal Khan Khattak "خوشال خان خټک".

View attachment 869871

Khushal Khan Khattak was born at Akora Khattak, Kabul Province, Mughal Empire in 1613. He was a Pashtun poet, warrior and scholar, and chief of the Khattak tribe of the Pashtuns. Khushal preached the union of all Pashtuns, and encouraged revolt against the Mughal Empire promoting Pashtun nationalism through poetry.

Khushal was the first Afghan mentor who presents his theories for the unity of the Pashtun tribes against foreign forces and the creation of a nation-state. Khushal wrote many works in Pashto but also a few in Persian. Khushal is considered the "father of Pashto literature" and the national poet of Afghanistan.

Khushal's life was spent in struggling against the Mughal Empire who had fluctuating relations with the Pashtuns. In order to restore their freedom, Khushal challenged powers of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and defeated the Mughal troops in many engagements. He was a renowned military fighter who became known as an "Afghan warrior-poet". The stand and fight attitude of Khushal was an important stance in Afghan history, and his opinions and ideas form a new stage in the ideological and intellectual development of the Afghans.

Allama Muhammad Iqbal called Khushal the Hakeem and Tabeeb (physician) of Afghan Millat and Afghan Shanas. Maj: Roverty and certain other orientalists say that Khushal was not only Afghan Shanas but like Goethe and Shakespeare he was also a great Insan- Shanas (one who knows man) Iqbal expressed his desire that if he knew Pashto he would have translated Khushal’s poetry into Urdu or Persian. Khushal died at the age of 78 on Friday, 20 February 1689 at Dambara.

Seriously??? Where did u get this crap from? Khushal khattak was pro mughal, he was their pawn. He defended mughals and fought other pashtun tribes like yousafzais. Only when he was kicked out by mughals and betrayed, then he became their enemy but then he was useless. Also he is never referred as father of pashto poetry, that is rehman baba. He was a mediocre poet and mediocre leader. He was defeated by yousafzais.

 

[kingQamaR]

View attachment 875722

Souvenir presented by British Officers who took part in Waziristan operation in 1937 depicting Tribal Marksman in an ambush against British Indian Forces.

@Maula Jatt @Imad.Khan @TNT @ziaulislam @Dalit @akramishaqkhan @Muhammad Saftain Anjum @kingQamaR @Khan_patriot @Khan2727

Haha

In late 1936 there was growing agitation against British rule in Waziristan, led by the Waziri leader Ghazi Mirzali Khan Wazir, 'the Fakir of Ipi'. In response the British launched a military operation into the Khaisora Valley, hoping that a show of strength alone would suffice to reduce unrest. However, the two main columns of troops met stiff resistance and their supply lines were disrupted, forcing them to retire. The operation's failure triggered a wider insurrection and the ensuing guerrilla war drew in more British and Indian forces. Over 30,000 troops, together with aircraft and armoured cars, were deployed to the region. Violence subsided in late 1937 and after brief flare-ups in 1938 and 1939 the North West Frontier was relatively quiet until India became independent in 1947.