HISTORY OF KUSHAL KHAN KHATTAK

HISTORY OF KUSHAL KHAN KHATTAK:

Khushal Khan Khattak
Khushal Khan Khattak (1613 - 1689)(Pashto: خوشحال خان خټک) was a famous Pashtun (Afghan) warrior, poet and tribal chief of the Khattak tribe. He wrote in Pashtu and Persian during the reign of the Mughal (Mongol) emperors in the seventeenth century, and admonished Afghans to forsake their divisive tendencies and unite to regain the strength and glory they once possessed. A renowned fighter who became known as the "Afghan Warrior Poet", he lived in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains.

Khushal Khan was born in Akora (today in modern day district Nowshera Pakistan), Malik Akoray, grandfather of Khushhal Khan, was the first Khattak to enjoy widespread fame during the reign of the Mughal King Jalal-ud-din Akbar. He moved from Teri (A village in district Karak) to Sarai Akora, the town was founded and built by him. Malik Akoray joined hands with the Mughals to safeguard the trunk route and was generously rewarded for his assistance. The Akor Khels still hold a prominent position in the Khattak tribe. The Khattak tribe of Khushhal Khan now lives in the areas of Kohat, Nowshera, Peshawar, Mardan in the North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan.

Khushhal Khan Khattak was the son of Shahbaz Khan and was born in 1613. From the very beginning, Khushhal Khan’s life was marked by events of great significance. He led an eventful life that can be divided into three important parts — his youth and adult life during which he was mostly engaged in the service of the Mughal King and finally his old age in which he was preoccupied by the idea of the unification of Pakhtuns.

His first involvement in war occurred when he was just 13 years old. Shah Jehan appointed him as the tribal chief and Mansabdar at the age of 28 after the death of his father. By appointment of the Mughul emperor, Shah Jehan, Khushhal succeeded his father in 1641, but in 1658, Aurangzeb, Shah Jehan's successor, locked him away as a prisoner in the Gwaliar fortress in Delhi.

After Khushhal was permitted to return to Afghanistan, he incited the Afghans to rebel against the Mughal Emperor Aurenzeb. His grave carries the inscription:da afghan pa nang me watarla tura, nanagyalai da zamana khushal khattak yam "I have taken up the sword to defend the pride of the Afghan, I am Khushal Khattak, the honorable man of the age." Khushhal Khan Khattak died on February 25, 1689, in Dambara.

The Mazar of Khushal Khan Khattak is situated near the Railway Station of Akora Khattak in Nowshera district.

Published works

His poetry consists of more than 45,000 poems. According to some historians the number of books written by him is more than 200. His more famous books are Baz Nama, Fazal Nama, Distar Nama and Farrah Nama. Major Raverty was the first British writer who translated ninety eight poetic pieces of Khattak in English, the book is called Selections from the Poetry of Afghans published in 1862 in Kolkata. This was followed by Biddulph’s translation Selections from the Poetry of Khushhal Khan Khattak in 1890 published in London. Then, Evelyn Howell and Olaf Caroe jointly translated and published The Poems of Khushhal Khan Khattak in 1963 from the University of Peshawar. Another translation was the English translation was done by Dr N. Mackenzie (Poems from the Diwan of Khushhal Khan Khattak published from London in 1965). Dost Mohammad Khan Kamil was the first Pakhtoon scholar who initiated research on Khattak along scientific lines and penned down two important and comprehensive books, one in English called On a Foreign Approach to Khushhal and the other in Urdu titled Khushhal Khan Khattak published in 1952. Diwan-i- Khushhal Khan Khattak was published under the directive of H.W. Bellew in 1869 (Jail Press, Peshawar), the manuscript of which was provided by Sultan Bakhash Darogha, an employee of the British government. More recently his poetry has been translated again

HISTORY OF YOUSAFZAI:

HISTORY OF YOUSAFZAI:

Yusufzai, Yusofzai, Yousafzai, Esapzey, or Yusufi:
The Yusufzai (also Yousafzai, Esapzey, or Yusufi) (Urdu: یوسف زئی) are one of the largest Pashtun tribe. The majority of the Yusufzai tribe reside in the North West Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, with some tribal Yususfzais settled along the Afghan border. Yusufzais are the predominant population in the districts of Swat, Mardan, Malakand and Swabi. They speak the northern variant of "Pukhtu" with the hard "kh" replacing the softer "sh" of southern Pashtun tribes. Their manner of speaking Pashto is universally recognised as being the purest among all Pashtun tribes. 

History

In their migration eastward, arrived at Kabul when Mirza Ulugh Beg was governor. He succeeded his father, Shah Rukh, who was a son of Timur (Taimur-e-Lang), in 1446 A.D. In the time of Babur, who first came to Kabul in 1504 A.D. the whole of the Peshawar district had already been colonized by different Afghan tribes; and, on his second visit, fourteen years later, he found the Yusufzais had spread well into Swat. The settlement of the Yusufzais in their present limits, on these data, must, therefore, have been and subsequent to the dates above-mentioned.

An account of the Yusufzai migration from Kandahar, their wanderings, and final settlement in their present limits, is their take over on the lands from the Dilazaks, whom, without much difficulty, they drove across the Indus to the Hazara mountains (now known as the Hazara District where lies the beautiful city of Abbottabad), after a single but desperate and decisive battle fought on the plains between the villages of Gadar and Langarkot.


After settling themselves firmly in the plains, the Yusufzais pushed on into the hill country beyond and in a few years became the masters of Swat and Buner. Three sections of the tribe, the Hassanzai, Akazai and Chagharzai, inhabit the west slopes of the Black Mountain, and the Yusufzai country stretches thence to the Utman Khel territory. The Kamalzai Yusufzais inhabit Hoti of Mardan District. The population demographics of entire Yusufzais (of all linguistic groups but have Yusufzai blood line) is unknown but the Pashtu speaking Yusufzais are from 3-6 million in numbers.


Theories of Origin
The Yusufzais are said to be descended from one Mandai, who had two sons, Umar and Yusuf. Umar died, leaving one son, Mandan; from Mandan and Yusuf come the two primary divisions of the Yusufzais, which are split into numerous subdivisions, including the Isazai, Malizai, Akazai, Ranizai and Utmanzai. There also have been some theories that they are descended from the lost tribes of Bani Israel.


Sub-Tribes
Akazai 
Chagharzai 
Hassanzai 
Isazai 
Kamalzai 
Malizai 
Ranizai 
Utmanzai 

Indian Yusufzais
During the Mughal rule, thousands of Yusufzais migrated to present day India with Mughal and Lodhi dynasties. Some of these families went on to become the ruling Nawab families, such as the Nawab of Rampur's clan who are Yousefzais. The Yousefzais of India settled permenantly in many parts of India, such as Bhopal, Rampur, Tonk, Bareilly and Baroda. The Rohillas were members of Yusufzai tribe. After independence of India in 1947, many of them migrated to Pakistan and settled mainly in Karachi. Their centuries of stay in India has changed their native language from Pashtu to pure Urdu. Now almost none of them can even understand the Pashtu language. They have played a very important role in the promotion of Urdu language.

HSITORY OF TAREEN, TARAKNI, UMERZAI,USTARANA,UTMANKHEL AND WUR TRIBE

HSITORY OF TAREEN, TARAKNI, UMERZAI,USTARANA,UTMANKHEL AND WUR TRIBE.

Tarkani


The Tarkani (or Tarkalanri) are a Pashtun tribe located in Bajaur in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan that number roughly 36,000 people.




Tareen
Tareen (Pashto: ترین) is a prominent Pashtun tribe residing in Pakistan and Afghanistan.



Tareen History
Tareenis the pashtu tribe its an important tribe of pashtun most of them they are in kandahar khushaab near kandahar airport They played a very important role in Sultan Muhammad Ghori's army and showed great bravery. The Tareen tribes of Hazara Division migrated from Kandahar in the 17th century CE under the leadership of Sher Khan Tareen.

Ahmed Shah Abdali on his conquest of India deputed powerful tribal chiefs with conquered areas. In Hazara region, amongst these deputed chiefs were Najeebullah Khan Tareen, Sa'adat Khan Swati of Garhi Habibullah, Mir Zabardast Khan Tanoli (also known as Suba Khan Tanoli), and some others. Tareens have some history with other Pashtun tribes of Hazara Division, uniting against Sikhs in the Sikh reign. People like Muhammad Khan Tareen and Bostan Khan Tareen are heroes for their staunch resistance against the Sikh empire, now reverred as heroes of Hazara history.


Tareen Residence
[The base of Tareen tribe is in Pishin near Quetta in Baluchistan province of Pakistan. This area was formerly a part of Afghanistan but was ceded to the British after the Second Afghan War. Some families migrated to [Haripur]] in Hazara in the present North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Tareens are also settled in Quetta,Pishin, Harnai, Dukki (Only the Spin Tareen branch of the tribe), and Gulistan districts in Balochistan and Hazara, North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. They are also present in sizeable proportions in the areas near Kandahar in Afghanistan. A provincial capital in central Afghanistan is also named "Tareen Kot" (Meaning castle of the Tareens). The Tareens have a sizeable presence in Multan since the times of Ahmad Shah Durrani. They are also settled in Sind (Where they only use the Last name as "Khan") and in India in Bhopal and even Banglore. One Abdul Karim Khan Tareen migrated from Multan to Istanbul (Then capital of erstwhile Ottoman Turkey) in mid-nineteenth century and his descendents are living in Turkey but they do not use the Sirname "Tareen", instead they use the name "Bey". Detailed History of Tareens is available in Sir Olaf Caroe's book "The Pathans", Dewan Hakam Chand (Extra Assisatnt Commissioner)'s book "Tawareekh Multan" (Histories of Multan) Published 1878 AD (One volume available in the Multan Public Library, Bagh Langhe Khan, Multan), and the "Imperial Gazetteer of Quetta and Pishin Districts" (Published in late nineteeth century by the Government of Baluchistan at Peshawar).


Subsections and Branches of The Tareen Tribe
The famous khels and subsections of the Tareen tribe are Taur, Speen, Abdaal the most important tribe of tareenz are Ibrahimzai,Most of ibrahim zai are in us near new york and ibrahim zais are from kandahar new kandahar air port khushaab, Taranzai, Mangalzai, Bedalzai and Ferozzai. Mashwanis, Swatis, and Jadoons are the closest Pashtun tribes to Tareen in the region of Hazara division, and in Multan too. they are also living in the district pishin,Mastung, Gulistan, and in Chawtair (district Ziarat).

Jahangir Khan Tareen became Pakistan's Federal Minister for Industries, Production and Special Initiatives in 2004.

Tareens also reside in Multan Pakistan and are well established in the community with many notable citizens including Gul Mohammed Khan Tareen founder of Gultex textile products. Tareens of Multan are mostly landlords, like Abdur Rehmaan Khan Tareen, whose son Tanzeef Khan Tareen holds a prestigious post of a senior civil servant in Dubai. Other notables include Prof. Faizullah Khan Tareen, who is a renowned personality of the region.

Several family's of Tareen's migrated to North America in 1970's and 1980's and are mostly involved in business and technical fields.


Languages
Principal language of Tareens is Pashto while formerly Persian was used as the language for records and correspondence. Tombstones upto late nineteenth century are in Persian. Those who have setteld away from Pishin speak local languages, such as Multani or Sraiki in Multan, Hindko in Hazara, Urdu in Bhopal and Sindhi in Sind.



Umarzai
Umarzai (or Omarzai) is a relatively small Pathan family group found in urban areas in Pakistan. A large group used to live in Jaranwala, Pakistan and Nakuru, Kenya but now most have them have moved to the United Kingdom. A few of them still live in Jaranwala, but all the members from Nakuru have left.



Ustarana
Ustarana is a Pashtoon tribe who were originally inhabitants of Dera Ismail Khan region of North West Frontier Province, Pakistan. Ustaranas were wandering people who undertook mainly pastoral and trading activities, but gradually also settled into agriculture.the origin of ustarana tribes is dera ismail khan and dukki baluchistan.the main sub casta of uatarana tribes are hassan zai,khan zai ,shabay zai,ismail zai,ahmed zai,khawaja khail,toor khail,akhozai,kara zai,etc



Utman Khel
The Utman Khel are a Pakhtun tribe who occupy the hills to the north of Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Their land lies between the Mohmands and the Ranizais of Swat, to the west and south-west of the junction of the Swat and Panjkora rivers. They claim to be descendants of Baba Utman, who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni in his expedition into India in 997. The Utman Khel are a tall, stout and fair race, but their dress and general customs have been assimilated by the neighboring peoples of Bajour. Their land is very hilly and difficult, but well cultivated in terraces. They number some 40,000, and their fighting strength is about 8000 men. The British conducted military campaigns against them in 1852, 1878, and 1898.



Wur
The Wur (also known as Wara), along with the Kakazai and Salarzai, are a division of the Tarkani Pashtun tribe. There are about 3,000 of them living principally in the Watelai valley in Bajaur.

HISOTRY OF SHILMANI, SHINWARI, SHIRANI,SURI,TANOLI TRIBE

HISOTRY OF SHILMANI, SHINWARI, SHIRANI,SURI,TANOLI.

Shilmani

Shilmani or Shalmani is a Pashtun tribe living in Shalman valley in Khyber agency near Peshawar, NWFP, Pakistan.

Shalmani live not only in Shalman valley in Khyber agency, but are also present in numbers in different areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Pakistan, they live in Swat, Dir, Bajour, Bunir, Shangla, Haripur, Malakand agency, Dargai, Sakha Koat, Charsadda, and Umarzai (Hasht Nagar). Shalmani tribes live all over Afghanistan. They were originally brought to Swat by one of the famous Pakhtun conquerors and kings, Shahabuddin Mohammad Ghouri, from Shalman and Karman Afghanistan. But it is to be noted that the present Shalman valley in Pakistan




Shinwari
The Shinwari are an ethnic tribe in Afghanistan.

Shinwari translates into the English language as Simon.

The Shinwari tribe is also found in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas controlled by Pakistan, though there is no longer any true political connection between the Shinwaris of the respective countries.

Among the greatest poets of the Pashto language in the 20th century was the late Ameer Hamza Shinwari, also known as "Hamza Baba" and "Father of the Ghazal".


Shirani

Sherani or Shirani is a Pathan tribe of Pashtun origin, living predominantly in modern Pakistan and Afghanistan.

During early 20th century, the tribal group, also called as "Sheranis", is recorded as living on the Dera Ismail Khan border of the North-west Frontier Province of India during the British Raj, and was a part of "The Sherani Agency". The agency occupied an area of 1500 mile² and had a population of 12,371 according to 1901 census. The Sheranis occupied the principal portion of the mountain known as the Takht-i-Suliman and the country thence eastward down to the border of Dera Ismail Khan district. They were bounded on the north by the Gomal Pass, and beyond that by the Mahsud Waziris; on the south by the Ustaranas and Zmarais; and on the west by the Haripals, Kakars and Mandu Khels.




Suri 

The Suri are a Pashtun tribe. One theory about them is that the Suri Pakhtun were people brought from Syria by the son of Seljuks prince. The Suris and Nuhanis are descended from Ismail's (the son of Ibrahim Lodhi) two sons Sur and Nuh.



Tanoli

The Tanolies (also spelt Tanauli, Tanawali) are a prominent and famous Muslim Pakhtun tribe residing mainly in the Amb, Hazara district of NWFP Pakistan. They have ruled the state of Amb of Hazara whitch started from the beginning of 18th century.During the the late 17th century,Turks were overthrown by swatis in areas of upper Hazara. Tanolis, however, remained loyel to Turks till end of latters rule in Hazara.Tanolis later on put up the vigorous rebellions against the Sikhs in the 19th century. They also allied with Ahmed Shah Abdali in his conquest of India. Many Khans and princes of their dynasty have gained mass popularity as heroes. The origin of the term Tanoli is due to later corruption of the name Tanawali[citation needed]. It is a Hazara custom to change names etc. from the original. For example in Tanawal the name Gohar Aman is usually pronounced as Gohriamaan, Hussain khan to Sain khan, Ahmed khan to madd khan and Mubarak Shah to Marak Shah - there are countless examples of this in different parts of Hazara - this is the most plausible explanation for the term as the oral and written history of Tanawal is fiercely holding on to their age-long belief that they originate from Afghanistan from a pass known Tanaubal or Tanawal [citation needed]. Therefore, to assign any other origin of the name Tanoli is not only against the cultural norms and tribal history of the area but also a distortion of History.

HSITORY OF SWATI AND SALARZAI TRIBE

HSITORY OF SWATI AND SALARZAI

Salarzai,

along with the Kakazai and Wur, are one of the four clans of Tarkanis. There are around 8,000 members in the Babukarrah and Charmung valleys in Bajaur and 150 members in Bara Banda of District Nowshera in Pakistan.

The Khans of Pashat and Khar have some control over the tribe.



Swati

This is about the tribe in Pakistan. For the unrelated African language, see Swati language. 

The Swati are a famous Pashtun tribe, dwelling in the districts of Batagram and Mansehra of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, a mountainous area that contains such historical places as Pakhli, Agror, Thakot, Balakot, Kaghan, Black Mountain of Hazara and Allai and in sizable number in upper Dir and Sama(lower) Swat. Swatis also ruled Kashmir from 14th-16th century A.D. The first ever muslim ruler of Kashmir was Shah Mir Baba a Swati, by whom Islam became major religion of Kashmir.


History and origin of the name
The term "Swati" refers to Pashtun tribes which occupied the area of Swat before the arrival of the Yusafzai.

The Swati moved from Swat to fight the Sikhs in Sikh-ruled areas of present-day Pakistan. According to some authorities, when the King of Kabul, Mirza Ulagh beg pushed Yousafzais from Kabul, they took refuge in Swat, Bajawar and Peshawar of Swatis and Dilazaks country, due to conspiracies of Mughals, the tribes fought an intense guerilla war against each other for more than two decades, culminating in the withdrawal of the Swatis from their lands, and had been migrated to east into the land of Hazara Division, where they perdominated. King Babar himself took part in conquering their strongholds.

The late Pashto poet and philosopher Abdul Ghani Khan shares that opinion. He considers the Pashtuns a mixture of various races that came through their territories from Central Asia. Suddum (mardan), Khyber (Peshawar) and Elum (Swat) have place names resembling those of bani Israel, and Mir Afzal Khan Jadoon asserted that the features and habits of the Pashtuns resemble those of the Jews. Apart from the clans of Karlanr and Mati, Swati, Tanolis and Jadoons have similar dwellings and clothes resembling those of Jews of the past.

A Thirteenth-century book, Tabakat-e-Nasiri, by Minhajuddin Josjani mentions the fort of Gabar in the reign of Mahmood Ghaznavi, later on we founded the names of Gabri/Jahangiri Sultans of Swat amongst Swatis of Bajuar and Swat in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth centuries.

The name Swat cannot be found in ancient history. Early peoples called the area by various other names. For example, some 3,000 years ago, it was called Udhyana ("Garden"). In the writings of Chinese travelers, the name Soto is mentioned (the name which comes closest to Swat), while in Greek accounts the name Asoconoi is given. Mahmood Ghaznavi called it Qerat.

Others believe the name is of Arabic origin. Some authorities say the word Swat is derived from Aswad ("black") because the hills and mountains of the area are covered with thick forests, which appear black.

Still another account relates that when Mahmood Ghaznavi conquered the land, he wanted to settle some of his people to keep control of it, so he settled two tribes, the Swati and Dalazak, in the territory. As the Swati tribe was larger, the area took its name from that group.

Batagram was a tribal area until 1958, when the people of that district themselves wished to be a part of Pakistan. Authors also mention them, in the times of Mohammad of Ghor they came to conquered Swat from Afghanistan, as the frontline soldiers and Chiefs of the Army. Other historians say Swatis were great Assakenois and It's subsection Aspasios as Yousafzais, who fought great wars against Alexander the Great in 326-27 BC.

Swati is one of the largest land-owning tribes of Pashtun in the Northwest Frontier Province. The population is widely spread from Mansehra, Balakot, Kaghan and Batagram all the way to the eastern slopes of the Black Mountain of Hazara and the mountains of Allai. Politically and economically, they have very strong hold in the region.

Swatis have ruled Swat, Malakand, Dir and other regions for more than 300 years. They also ruled Kashmir from 1339 to 1561. They took Pakhli ( Hazara Division ) from the Turks in 1703 under the leadership of Syed Jalal Baba.Turks ruled Hazara for more than two and half centuries and their rule came to an end when Syed Jala Baba invited Sawatis to attack Mansehra.He was son in law of last Turk ruler of Hazara.The last Turk ruler of Pakhal Sarkar(the name of Sarkar of Turks in Hazara)was Sultan Mehmud Khurd.

Sa'adat Khan Swati was the first ruler of Pakhlai (1762-1780), during the reign of Durranis. One of his ruler sons, Najeebullah Khan Swati, was martyred in the famous War of Mangal against the Sikhs.

According to some authors, the Swatis are descended from Bitan of Ghilzai, one of the sons of Pashtun, a mythical and whimsical ancestor of the Pashtun people. Another account claims they originated in the Ranizai section of the Yousafzai.

Some well-known khels and subsections of the Swatis are Jahangiri, Malkals, Deeshan, Akhun Khel, Beror, Jadoor, Najabat Khel, Khan Khel, Kuchelai, Madda Khel, Musa Khel, Narors, Tirimzai, Samkori, Sana Khel, Sumla Khel, Warozai, Khazan khel, Sherkhani, Gabarzai or Gabri, Barkhan khel or Barkhani and Ghoris. Pashto is spoken in the whole region among them. Three other Pashtun tribes of the Hazara division are the Jadoons, Tareens, and Mashwanis.

HSITORY OF ORAKZAI,POPALZAI,ROHILLA TRIBES

HSITORY OF ORAKZAI,POPALZAI,ROHILLA TRIBES

Orakzai

Orakzai is a Pashtun tribe settled in Pakistan.it consists of eighteen subsects.Most of the members are situated in the northwestern frontier of pakistan. The Orakzai are a Pathan tribe on the Kohat border of the NorthWest Frontier Province of India. The Orakzais inhabit the mountains to the north-west of Kohat district, bounded on the N. and E. by the Afridis, on the S. by the Miranzai valley and on the W. by the Zaimukht country and the Safed Koh mountains. Their name means "lost tribes," and their origin is buried in obscurity; though they resemble the Afghans in language, features and many of their customs, they are rejected by them as brethren. One branch, the Ali Khel, has been traced to Swat, whence they were expelled by the other inhabitants and it is not improbable that the whole tribe consists of refugee clans of the surrounding races. They are very wiry-looking mountaineers, they are fine men and brave fighters just as their neighbours the Afridis. They cultivate a good deal of the Khanki and Kurmana valleys in the winter, but in the hot months retire to the heights of Tirah, of which they occupy the southern half called the Mastura valley. They have been estimated at 28,000 fighting men, but this estimate must be largely exaggerated, as the country could not possibly support the consequent population of over 100,000. They have been the object of various British military expeditions, notably in 1855, 1868, 1869, 1891, and the Tirah campaign of 1897.

Popalzai

or Popalzay is the name of the Pashtun clan that is part of the larger Durrani tribe from which the first king of Afghanistan Ahmad Shah Durrani originated. The current President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, is also a Popalzai.






Rohilla

For the eponymous steamship, see Rohilla (steamship) 
Rohillas (Urdu: روہِلا, Hindi: रोहिला) are Muslim highlanders (Roh means mountains and Rohilla literally means mountaineer) of Pashtun origin. Roh corresponded to the mountainous region stretching from Swat and Bajaur in north to Sibi and Bhakkar in south and Hasan Abdal in east to the Kabul and Kandahar in west. The Rohillas currently reside in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.



Origin
Most Rohillas belonged to Yousafzai tribe of Pathans, mainly of Mandanr sub-section. The term Rohilla was used for all Pathans, except for the Bangashes who settled in the Rohilkhand region, or men serving under Rohilla chiefs . They were awarded the Katehr region in northern India by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir (ruled 1658-1707) to suppress Rajput uprisings. However most of them settled in the Katehar region during Nadir Shah's invasion of northern India in 1739 increasing their population up to 100,000. Due to the large settlement of Rohilla Afghans, the Katehar region gained fame as Rohilkhand. Bareilly was made the capital of the Rohilkhand state. Other important cities were Moradabad, Rampur, Shahjahanpur, Badaun, and others. This region is nowadays located in modern Uttar Pradesh state of India.

Rohillas were distinguished from local peoples by their fair complextion, tall stature, muscular physique and by their separate language and culture. They spoke Pashto among each other but gradually lost their language over time. Nowadays most of them are living in the region between Rampur and Bareilly and speak the Urdu language.

Some Rohillas are descendants of Hindu Rajputs who ruled Rohilkhand from 1702-1720. Bareilly was the capital (1707-20) of the Hindu Rohilla kingdom. The region is named for the Rohilla tribe, and was known as Madhyadesh in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Dr. K. C. Sen has written a book on the history of Rohilla Rajputs. The book is available for view and download at: http://rajputrohilla.googlepages.com.


History
The founders of the Pathan state of Rohilkhand were Daud Khan and his adopted son Ali Mohammed Khan. Daud Khan arrived in 1705 in India along with a band of his tribe. He was succeeded in 1721 by Ali Mohammed Khan, who became so powerful that he refused to send tax revenues to the central governament. Safdar Jang, the Nawab[1] of Oudh, warned Mughal emperor Mohammed Shah[2] of the growing power of the Rohillas. This caused Mohammed Shah to sent an expedition against him as a result of which he surrendered to imperial forces. He was taken to Delhi as a prisoner, but was later pardoned and appointed governor of Sirhind. In 1748, he returned to Rohilkhand and recovered his lost possessions. Later that year Ali Mohammed Ali Khan died, leaving six sons. However, two of his elder sons were in Afghanistan at the time of his death while the other four were too young to assume the leadership of Rohilkhand. As a result, power transferred to other Rohilla Sardars, the most important being Hafiz Rahmat Khan and Dundi Khan.


Following the Battle of Panipat in 1761
In the third battle of Panipat (1761) one of the Rohilla Sardars, Najib-ul-Daula, allied himself with Ahmad Shah Abdali[3] against the Marathas. He not only provided 40,000 Rohilla troops but also 70 guns to combined forces. He also convinced the Nawab Shuja-ul-Daula of Oudh to join Ahmad Shah Abdali's forces against the Marathas. In this battle, the Maratha's were defeated and as a consequence Rohilla increased in power.

Rohilkhand was invaded by the Marathas to retaliate against Rohillas paticipation in the Panipat War against Marathas. The Marathas entered the jagir (land) of late Sardar Najib-ud-Daula which was now held by his son Zabita Khan. Zabita Khan gave tough resistancs but was defeated and forced to flee to the camp of Shuja-ud-Daula and his country was ravaged by Marathas. The principal remaining Rohilla Sardar was Hafiz Rahmat Khan and through him an agreement was formed with Nawab of Oudh Shuja-ud-Daula by which they had to pay 4 million rupees in return to their military help in defeating Marathas. However, after the defeat of the Marathas, the Rohillas refused to pay. The Wazir (minister) then decided to annex the country of Rohilkhand but he was unable to fight the Rohillas alone. Therefore he sought assistance from Warren Hastings of the British East India Company (the company had been trading in India since 1600), promising 4 million rupees in return for their military aid.

The joined forces of British and Oudh invaded Rohilkhand. Rohillas fought fiercely but when their leader Hafiz Rahmat Khan was killed, they faced defeat in April 1774. the whole Rohilkhand was plundered and hundreds of thousands of Rohillas flee to jungles across Ganges to save their lives. Later Rohilla began a guerilla war against British occupation. In response, the Rohillas were hunted down and slaughtered by the British and were subsequently scattered in the countryside and settled in many small towns. Later charges of destroying a nation (ethnic cleansing or genocide) were brought against Hastings by Edmund Burke and Thomas Babington Macaulay. Later, the British transferred Rohilkhand to the British Empire in 1774. The Rohillas took an active part in War of Independence in 1857 against British imperial forces (referred to as the Mutiny by the British historians, or the War of Independence). The revolt was bitterly suppressed, and in its wake the British dramatically reorganized the government of South Asia, bringing an end to the British East India Company's regime and leading to almost a century of direct rule of the South Asia by Britain under the British Raj.


Other Rohilla Notables

Nawab Amir Khan of Tonk 
Nawab Faizullah Khan 
General Bakht Khan 
Mohammed Ali Jauhar 
Maulana Shaukat Ali 
Sahabzada Yaqub Khan 

HSITORY OF MOHMAND,NIAZI AND NOORZAI.

HSITORY OF MOHMAND,NIAZI AND NOORZAI.

Mohmand 

is one of the strongest Pashtun tribes, living in Afghanistan and western North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. Abdul Ahad Mohmand who spent nine days aboard the MIR space station in 1988, becoming the first Afghan Pashtun cosmonaut in space is also one of known mohmand . Mohmands still live under "strict" medieval tribal laws, and follow the customary feudal "code of honour", Pashtunwali. Like all Pashtun tribes, they are extremely primitive and backward, living a wild and violent life in mountain wastelands, with material standards a little better than that of the [[stone age].though there is some sects that rely on crime to earn a living - indulging in smuggling, banditry, kidnapping, gun running, narcotics production, car theft, counterfeiting and forging. Their "legal" jobs consist mainly business,industrail and goverment officials and also daily wage labour in the urban areas. They pay no taxes at all, and insist on the use of free electricity. Literacy and education are extremely low, but healthy shift is taking place toward education now . Pakistan and Afghanistan are both unruly and lawless societies to begin with, but even their regular laws don't apply in their autonomous Pashtun tribal territories. For this reason, the Pashtun tribal areas also welcome and give refuge and protection to all kinds of fugitives and outlaws from "settled" (i.e. regularly policed) districts. Although the Mohmands and other Pashtun tribesmen belong basically to the ancient pastoral cultural way of life, their continuous petty clan rivalries, blood feuds and and tribal clashes involve the use of the most sophisticated heavy artillery, mines and rockets - most of which have come to them from the Afghan civil war and jihad - and which they use without compunction. Since they look down upon modern official state and civil laws, their disputes are decided by the informal, customary jirga gatherings, which closely resemble an amerindian pow wow. It is a gathering in which a large number of rough, mostly illiterate tribal elders sit on a circle on the ground chewing snuff and drinking tea - and can decide any thing which may seem right to them. Also anothter term is practised called "bramtha" which includes keeping some one captive if the person ows him money or any other obligation which he hasnt fulfilled untill the demands are satisfied and captive is released to go.

In Pakistan the Mohmand Agency (the term "tribal agency" denotes a special tribal district, approximating a tribal reservation in Pakistani nomenclature) is an abode for Mohmands, further migrations from Afghanistan and Mohmand Agency have occurred and continue down to the plains of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Also mohmands are scaterd through out pakistan in urban areas like karachi,Lahore,Quetta e.t.c.

Sub clans in Mohmands are. Tarakzai, Baizai, Halimzai, Khuwazai, Dawezai, Atman Khel, Bazid Khel, Kuda Khel. Kasam khel.

The mohmand are divided into three main clans
Tarakzai,
Baezai,
Khwaezai.


The Tarakzai are again divided into:


Tarakzai proper.
Halimzai.
Momand of Ghazni Musa khel.-----Esa Khel-----Tarakzai-----Dado khel-----Mansur khel-----Masum khel
Burhan khel.

And then there are the afilliated clans:

Dawaezai.
Utmanzai.
Kukuzai.

  

Niazi
(Pashto: نیازی ) is a famous Pashtun tribe with a rich history and culture. The family head of Niazi tribe was known as Ibrahim. The word Niazi is basically derived from the word Niazai like the other forms of Pashtun tribes, for example Kakayzai and Baburzai. The Moghul emperor Babur wrote in his book about the Niazi tribe being settled in the Mianwali near the Indus river, so this confirms that the Niazi tribes started settling in the Mianwali district before Mughul rule. Niazi people currently live mainly in the Mianwali, Khanewal, Multan, Muzzaffargarh districts and Bhakkar districts of Punjab (Pakistan), Bannu and Kohat (togh sarai) districts of North-West Frontier Province and as well as in parts of Afghanistan. Some Niazis have also settled in Karachi and other cities such as Lahore. Niazi's can also be found in parts of Afghanistan and in Turkey.

Most Niazis speak the Mianwali form of Seraiki dialect which is influenced by Pashto, while the rest speak Pashto. Niazis strictly observe Pashtunwali, the Pashtun code of honor. The Niazi tribe is an influential player in the politics of Pakistan especially Punjab. The Niazi tribe is divided into various sub-tribes and most Niazi's have settled in Mianwali which has three tehsils: Mianwali, Isa Khel and Piplan. The major sub-tribes of Niazis are Watta Khel, Balo Khel, Esa Khel, Punnu Khel , Pai Khel and Musa Khel.Each major sub-tribe has many minor sub tribes named after the famous personalities and elders of the tribe. Each subtribe is considered as a specialist in its own field and are seen with the same respect. The original dialect of Niazis is supposed to be Pashto but as time has passed in Mianwali (as the major Niazis live in Mianwali district) their mother tongue and skin colour have been changed according to the environment of the Indus valley.



Noorzai 

or Nurzai are one of the major tribes of the Pashtun. Although it is not really proven which two branches (Durrani or Ghilzais) of Pashtuns they are related to, most of them believe they are descendants of the Durrani as they have been living in Afghanistan for hundreds of years. The Noorzai live in places such as Kandahar, Kabul, Farah, Helmand, Herat, Nimroz, and some parts of Pakistan.These tribes are greatly akcnowledged in Afghan society.

HISTORY OF MASHWANIS AND MOHAMEDZAI

HISTORY OF MASHWANIS AND MOHAMEDZAI:

Mashwanis

The Mashwani (also Moshwani, Mishwani, Miswani) are a tribal group, living predominantly in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The progenitor of the Mashwanis was a Syed, that is a descendant of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, Sayed Muhammad Hamzah married a Pashtun woman of Kakar Tribe and he has a son name Sayed Masud (Moshwani). While Verdak and Honey from an another woman of Pushtoon Tribe and Sherani. Since the Pashtun lineage traditionally stems from the father, this tribe is not recognised as Pashtun according to Pashtunwali. Mashwanis names frequently have the prefix "Syed", meaning belonging to the family of Muhammad.

They are well settled in large numbers in the district of Haripur N.W.F.P of Pakistan and in Dir. They are still good in numbers around Kabul and more than one hundred families in Gandghar. Also they are settled in Daccan Hyderabad of India Mashwanis are brave people with some great history. They have played a brave role against Sikhs and British with Pashtun tribes of the region like Swatis, Tareens, Shalmani, and Jadoons. People like Salim Shah Mashwani, who was martyred by Sikhs, are heroes of Pashtuns.

Their spoken language is Pashto and some of the famous Khels and susbsections are Lodin, Matkani, Roghani, Kazyooni, Ghareeb, Yousafkhel, Moosakhel, Adamkhel, Sakhar, Hasanhhel (Sindh), Azadkhel, Murjankhel, Bhatal, Amanikhel, Janikhel, Rahati and senkhel duarakhhel and also japani

Syed Umer Khetab of District Haripur Gallai has researched for the last 30-35 years how the Moshwani came to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Sirikot at the edge of Islamabad and Punjab but actually serikot is situated in hazara division district haripur. In hazara the main district are mansehra, abbottabad, haripur, kohistan etc. in all these district most of the people speek HINDKO. The MASHWANI living in hazara but we can proudly say that we are pathan and all mashwani who are living in haripur are 100% pushto speeking .Serikot is in tehsil ghazi but another most populated area of mashwani's is goodvalley 14 km from haripur and 15 km from Punjab (hassanabdal).Goodvalley behind the serikot and in the bottom of high hills of serikot toward haripur. other important areas of mashwani's are basu mera, bugnian and baka. Other then haripur mashwani are living in the quetta also                              

Mohamedzai

The Mohammadzai are a Pashtun tribe centered around Qandahar, Afghanistan. Many Mohammadzais can also be found in Afghanistan near Kabul And also Charsadda Pakistan. The tribe that took the throne from the Sadozais after they lost control of the government were the Mohammadzais, both of whom are part of the larger Abdali (Durrani) tribe. The Mohammadzai tribe is one of the most politically active tribes among the Pashtuns. People from this tribe usually have the southern dialect of Pushto and take pride in their Pashtun inhertence. Mohammadzais who live in the vicinity of Kabul, speak Dari rather than their native Pashto. Mohammadzais have been known to be one of the most educated tribes in Pushtun society. The current living king of Afghanistan Mohammad Zahir Shah is also a member of the Mohammadzai tribe. The tribe which lost power from the afghan communist government was the Mohammadzai. All of the Kings and presidents before the Communist Regime all the way up to Payinda Khan was Mohammadzai from Barakzai Lineage. Most Mohammadzais are Landowners, very successful businessmen, and political or philosophical thinkers. During the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan Most Mohammadzais were sent to Northern Afghanistan for more tribal influence on the Uzbek, Tajik, and hazara clans. Therefor creating a more broad based support for his self and his tribe. You can locate Mohammadzai tribes in Herat, Kundoz, Takhar, Rostak, Maimana, Faryab, Mazar I Sharif, Faryab, Baghlan and other area's of Afghanistan.

Here is an example of some Barakzai/Mohammadzai leaders:


List of Mohamedzai Leaders

Leaders of Afghanistan
Emir Abdur Rahman Khan (October 1879/July 22, 1880-October 3, 1901) 
King Habibullah Khan (October 3, 1901 - February 20, 1919) 
King Amanullah Khan (February 28, 1919 - January 14, 1929) 
Queen Soraya Tarzi (w. of King Amanullah Khan) (November 29, 1899 - April 20, 1968) 
King Inayatullah Khan (January 14, 1929 - January 17, 1929) 
King Mohammed Nadir Shah (October 17, 1929 - November 8, 1933) 
King Mohammed Zahir Shah (November 8, 1933 - July 17, 1973) 
President Daud Khan (July 18, 1909 - April 28, 1978) 

Other Prominent Leaders

Mahmud Tarzi - Poet, Author, Ambassador, Minister of Foreign Affairs 
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan - Afghan thinker, Leader in the anti-British movement in India's Northwest Frontier, Advisor of Gandhi 


Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan 

(Pashto/Arabic: خان عبد الغفار خان) (b. at Hashtnagar in Utmanzai, Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, India, c. 1890; d. in Peshawar, NWFP, Pakistan, 20 January 1988) was a Pashtun (Afghan) political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule during the final years of the Imperial rule in the Indian sub-continent. He was a lifelong pacifist and a devout Muslim. He was known as Badshah Khan (sometimes written as Bacha Khan), the King of Chiefs, and Frontier Gandhi.

HSITORY OF MARWAT TRIBE

HSITORY OF MARWAT TRIBE:

Marwat

Marwat مروت, a well known branch of Pashtun tribe, are the direct descendents of a Persian Prince Shah Hussain of the house of Ghor (Afghanistan) and Bibi Mato (Daughter of Sheikh Baittan). The clan is named after 'Marwat', who was the great grandson of Ibrahim Lodhi or Lodi (second son of Prince Shah Hussain/Bib Mato and younger brother of Ghiji or Ghilzai). Their primary abode is District Lakki Marwat in the southern NWFP of Pakistan. They are also settled in other places such as Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts. Other tribes which live around them are Khattak, Wazir, Betani, Mahsud, Banuchi, and Niazi.


Origin Of Marwat
Most of the Pashtoons trace their origin from Qais. It is said that he had gone to Makkah where Muhammad gave him the name of Abdur Rashid. Due to his piety, decency, wit and wisdom he was widely known and respected in the area. Abdur Rashid (Qais) had three sons. Named Baittan, Ghorghust and Sarban. Baittan was the third. Most of the Pashtuns tribes trace their origin from Sheikh Baittan or Bait Baba.

However, some scholars challenge his theory. Bahadur Shah Zafar Kaka Khel, A renowned historian has discussed in detail various theories in his voluminous book "Pukhtane Da Tareekh Pa Rana ke" (Pakhtoons in Historical Perspective). Syed Awar-e-Haq Jeelani has translated his work in Urdu under the title of "Pushtun Tareekh Kay Ayeenay Main" (Peshawar, University Book Agency, 1964).

Some theoreticians consider that before the coming down of the Saka tribes of Aryans from the Central Asia, people were already living in the area now called Afghanistan. Those people were skilled in fighting and diplomacy that compelled the invaders to mention them in their epics.


[edit] Baittan Baba and Prince Shah Hussain
Baittan baba was a puritan and pious saint of this region. His daughter, named Matto, was married to one Syed Shah Hussain, known as a prince of Persia. In a state of distress, Shah Hussain came to seek the blessing of Baittan Baba. Here, he took to worship and prayers and earned the favour of his mentor. The marriage of Shah Hussain and Matto generated some romantic stories. The oft-repeated story says;

"A Persian prince, Shah Hussain, on account of intense penury and indigence, was driven to the necessity of seeking succour from Bait Baba. He also remained engaged in singing hymns and worship. Finally, he was enamoured of the beautiful tresses of a beautiful maiden, the daughter of the Bait Baba. He fell deeply in love with the Baba’s daughter, captivating belle. Bulk of work of piety did not thwart the emotions of love to avoid the scandal of their secret marriage. The first issue of Bibi Matto was named as Ghalzae, the thief son, and the other was named Ibrahim Lodhi."

"One day, Ibrahim brought meal to his grand father, Baittan, who was so pleased that he uttered these words for him "loe-day" (he is a great one). This word later on became on Lodhi."

Shah Hussain had another wife; name Mahi. She was the daughter of Kaaghdoam who was a Karlanee Pashtoon. The offspring of these two (Mahi and Matto) were known as Mathi tribes. Some other scholars believe that the name of the tribes became popular after the name of Bibi Matto.

Shah Hussain, a Persian Prince, was a Syed. Due to the atrocious attitude of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties, many Syed families immigrated and settled in Persia and Khurasan (other parts of Afghanistan). On account of the defaulting attitude of the rulers towards the Sadat, the puritans kept their identity secret. It is just possible that predecessors of Shah Hussain, although Syed they were, might have arrogated for themselves the status of “Princes' of Persia”. But in common parlance, Pukhtuns call a Syed as Bacha or Shahji (king) owing to deference.


[edit] Bibi Matto
Bibi Matto had six sons. Amongst them, Ghalzai and Ibrahim Lodhi became more famous. Their genealogical tree shows that Ibrahim Lodhi had three sons; each founding a sub tribe after his respective name. Among those sub tribes, the Lohani became more famous. Marwats are descendants of the Lohani sub tribe. They are subdivided into four clans (also known as Khels) known as Salars, Tappay, Mussa and Nuna.

Some writers reject this theory and try to malign the pious person of Baittan Baba. Raverty leads the Group that has spared no chance to sling mud on this noble personality. Disparagement of such a pious man in fabulous stories is highly objectionable and does not appeal to the sound mind. The romantic story of Shah Hussain and Bibi Matto is a creative ingenuity. Shah Hussain was allowed to live in the house of Baittan. He won the heart of his host who felt strong desire to give daughter’s hand in marriage to him.

The Marwats form one of the four Great sub-tribes of the Lohani tribes and are also known as Speen Lohani (white Lohanis). However, it is evident that the Marwat and the rest of Baittan tribes are the combination of the three best ancestries of Asia. In their veins, flows the Persian, the Israeli and Turkish Blood. The history of the Marwat tribe is old, interesting and revealing. The recent research in the field highlights a fascinating story of this tribe, The Lineage of this tribe goes back to the Pre-Islamic era.

Following interpretations have been made in this connection by Dr Chiragh Hussain in his book Dood-e-Chiragh:

The predecessor or the ancestor of the Marwat was named as Marwat. 
There is a hill in Katwaz. Afghanistan, which is called Marwati. The Marwat tribe formerly inhabited there, and so they were named Marwat. 
The word Marwat is derived from Arabic word “Murrawat”, which means compassion, generosity and manliness. This really reflects and interprets the word Marwat on account of their moral values, habits, social contacts and hospitality even to day. In the past, the Aryan Chiefs took oath in the name of the Marwat tribe’s modesty, when they were sworn as leaders of their tribe’s. 
The modern Western historians are of the view that all these old names are of geographical importance. For instance, Bait is the center of river Dajla and Farrat, and Haroot and Maroot are the names of two tribes. They were famous in the past for their purity. In the ancient religious books they have been mentioned in literary and allegorical sense. 

[edit] Exodus from Katawaz
The original homeland of the Marwat's was Katawaz, South of Ghazni in Afghanistan. Now the Sulaiman Khel Tribe occupies this land. The Marwats migrated to Daman (present day Tank) and settled in this area. Under the stress of adverse circumstances some of them moved to other lands in the subcontinent.

Writers have expressed different views regarding the exodus of this tribe from Katawaz. One version goes as:

"A petty servant of the Sulaiman Khel tribe abducted a woman form the house of Azad Sultan Khel and sought asylum with the Marwat Tribe; who provided asylum to them under their convention (Nanawati). The Sulaiman Khel demanded extradition and handing over of the culprits, which the Marwat declined as they were bound by traditions to protect the honour and life of refugees under their protection.

On refusal of several requests, the Sulaiman Khel were left with no other option but to attack the Marwats with full force. The Marwat were strong enough to withstand and repulse their initial attack. Then the Sulaiman Khel sought the help of other clans of the Ghilzai tribe, who answered the call positively. The combined force of the Ghilzai clans overpowered the Marwat tribe. To avoid the constant threat from the rival clans, the Marwats decided to migrate to some remote parts. Hence their subsequent migration to the Daman Area."

We cannot ignore the fact that permanent settlement in old days was difficult. The whole tribe travelled and settled at places where better grazing grounds were found. Furthermore, as “might is right” goes, tribes with less fighting strength had to leave the place for stronger invaders. The Marwat, being less in number, migrated to safer places; Hence their migration to the Tank area.

Dr. Syed Chiragh Hussain says, "The early history of the Marwat is cloudy due to non availability of proper record like other Pashtoon tribes. However, in 1451 AD when the Delhi Sultanate was captured by Lodhis, then the trace of the Marwat is to be found in his reign. Bahlol Lodhi’s call for getting land (Jagirs) in Hindustan was warmly received here. Khawas Khan Marwat was one of the famous Generals in Sher Shah Suri’s reign. He had lost his life during the war of succession won by Salim Shah Suri.”

According to an account, the settlement period of the Marwat in the Daman area is probably during the reign of Lodhis. Sir Denzil Ibbitson does not agree to it. In his view the Marwat settled here in the reign of Moghul Emperor Akbar.

However, their stay in the Daman area was not long. They took new feuds on distribution of water with the Raees (Chief) of Tank, Shah Nawaz Khan Katti Khel. The Katti Khels were also their cousins. Marwats came around Tank and were in a position to drive the Katti Khels out of it. However, Shah Nawaz Khan sought help from the Gandapur and Mian Khel families and repulsed the Marwat attack. As a result, they were driven out of Daman and forced to migrate towards the Baeena Pass (Dara Pezu - the current site of Lucky Cement Factory).

Thus for one reason or the other they migrated to Daman and then Pezu via Gomal Pass. “Most of them ultimately settled in Tank with Niazis (also a branch of Lodhi group) who had been in the past driven in the same manner from their original lands”.


[edit] Arrival Period
Mira Jan Sayal writes in his book "Da Pukhtano Qabilo Shajare" that, "The Marwat arrived in this area during the early years of the reign of the Mughal King Akbar (1556-1605). They took advantage of the internal dissension among the Niazis, expelled them from this area and settled on the right bank of river Gambilla. Mayar, a branch of Niazis, sought help from the Marwat against its fellow Niazis Clan, Sarhang. The Marwat attacked the Niazis under Malik Qatal Khan and other Maliks. In a severe battle near Tatti Michan Khel, the Niazis were completely defeated and pushed towards Esa Khel. Among them, only the Michan Khels were spared due to their neutrality and religious position."

With the conquest of such a vast area, the Marwats dropped the idea of taking back Tank form Shah Nawaz Katti Khel, who extended his hand for friendship. This was accepted for the sake of guarding that Frontier.


[edit] Occupation of Lakki Marwat
For some time the Marwats confined themselves to pastoral pursuits. When their number increased, groups of families went out of the close settlement and spread over the vast plain - each within rather undefined limits of the allotment of the section to which it belonged. Such groups in turn became centres from which further migration took place. Thus in course of time the whole plain became populated. A large proportion of the Marwat settled down as agriculturists. Each community cultivated and held its land according to the "Wesh Tenure".

During the Mughal period, the Marwats; being little interrupted by others and being strong and united enough to defy any encroachment by other neighbouring tribes, enjoyed the singular good fortune of being left to themselves, and this developed and worked out their ancient communal institutions.

Meanwhile, the Mughal Empire, which was already on decline received a deathblow as its province on the right bank of the Indus River was conquered by Ahmed Shah Durrani in 1756. The whole territory of the Marwats came under the Kingdom of Afghanistan. It was ruled by the Durani King for more than 70 years; although practically they remained independent. In fact, this area was not regularly occupied because at that time, the Marwats lived a nomadic life. When attacked from any side they would simply migrate towards the hills with all their goods and cattle. During such visitations the material loss was not great, as those who led nomadic pastoral life retired with their flocks and herds into the hills, and those who tilled the soil either remained with the royal revenue collectors or fled to the hills. Thus beyond a partial destruction of his crops, no Marwat lost much as the stay of the Kabul troops was never long and the burning of his house only gave him an extra trouble of procuring a few ox-loads of reeds from the marsh and twigs from the jungle and building a hut of them.

In the words of Ghulam Habib Afghani, for the Marwats, the capturing of such a vast area was greater than their needs and they did not feel sorry for Tank which they had lost earlier. This vastness of land was the reason why there was no internal conflict. But the Niazis and the Ghazni Khel Khattaks from the east, and Kati Khel, Sulaiman Khel Wazir and Mahsoods from the south repeatedly attacked the Marwats. But due to their unity, they succeeded every time to repulse these attacks. They opposed any type of intervention from any tribe till Edward took the whole area under his control for his political objectives.

The Marwats fought almost sixty battles against different tribes for safeguarding their frontiers. Sarfaraz Khan Khattak admits this fact in his book, “Tareekh-e-Khattak”.


[edit] Disunity and Division
Gund bazi (tribal jealousy)

Unluckily this unity could not remain for a long time. The Marwats were divided into two gawands (groups) known as Speen-Gund (the white group) and Tor-Gund (the black group). This division among the Marwats is known as Gund Bazi (internal rivalry). The Speen-Gund includes Mama Khel, Begu Khel, Maidad Khel etc, whereas the Tor Gund includes Isa Khel, Ghazni Khel, Adam Zai, Tatter Khel etc.

Initially all Maliks accepted the eldest man as the leader and considered his decision final and followed that. During the conflicts with Ghiljis, Wazirs, Dawars, Masoods, Niazis and Daulat Khels, decisions were taken by the headman and they were obeyed. However, in the wake of Gund Bazi the Marwat clans split into two groups. The leader of each Gund was supported by the allied Maliks. Basically the Gund Bazi started with a conflict between Begu Khels and Isak Khels. Maidad Khels joined the Begu Khel Gund and Ghazni Khel joined the Isak Khel Gund. Meena Khels held an important position due to their occupation of the Lakki City.

The Gund Bazi started when Salar Khan Maidad Khel; being proud of his Maliki (Chieftancy) tried to destabilize the Maliki of Sikandar Khan Azghar Khel with respect to Lakki City. Sikander Khan along with Sadar Khan Isak Khel attacked Salar Khan near village Dalo Khel (presently located on Tajazai-Lakki Highway). Salar Khan, his two brothers and five other men were killed. As a result of this Gul Rang Khan; son of Saleem Khan Miandad Khel became the Malik. He was bold, courageous and dashing and he fought several battles against the Khattaks.

Another Malik who was aspiring to share the Maliki with Gul Rang Khan was Gulan Khan of Tatter Khel. Gul Rang Khan had him killed on the plea that Gulan Khan showed cowardice during the Khattak campaign. When Almar Khan Isak Khel came to Sardar Samand Khan Begu Khel, he sided with Gulrang Khan. From that time, the Marwat tribe was divided into two groups.

“Any type of attack on one man was considered an attack on the whole Gund and it was responded to by the whole Gund. The whole Gund became a party to the happiness and sadness of a member of his own Gund”.

In the words of Ghulam Habib Afghani, other tribes took great advantage of this disunity because a lot of money and resources were spent on the procurement of weapons. Due to this Gund Bazi, Nawab Hafeez Ahmed Khan of Mankera was invited in 1819 to capture this area and secure taxes. Later on, the Nawab abandoned this area in favour of the Sikhs in 1823.


[edit] The People
Majority of the Marwats reside in and around Lakki Marwat, which had been a Tehsil of District Bannu for more than 132 years but became a district in early nintees of 20th century. A small proportion of other tribes also settled here. The main reason is that the area had remained economically un-developed through the ages and had a little attraction for new settlers.

The people of the Marwat tribe are strong, sturdy, and tall, of very sound physique and fair complexion (many are blonde with either green or blue eyes). About the people of this area Sir Herbert says, “the Marwat descend from the pure and nice generation of the trans-Indus area, tall, stout, handsome, candid with rosy cheeks generally. These entire features are due to their pure and nice Afghan origin and probably this is the reason that they are very dignified and generous and meet the strangers with great courtesy, They are very generous towards their woman folk as compared to the other tribes of Pathans”.

Like other Pashtoons, Marwats are also divided into numerous Khels. The tribe is territorially divided into three great Tappas, viz, Dreplara, Musakhel-cum-Tappi, and Behram (subdivided into minor tappas Umar Khan Khel and Tatezai)

The two branches of Salar, i.e. Khado Khel and Achu Khel, along with Aba Shaheed Khel Sadat family, are known as dreplara. (Children of three parents). According to the distribution of land (Wesh System), Tappa Musa Khel and Noona Khel settled in the western part of Lakki Marwat. Behram in the middle and Dreplara in the eastern part.

Since most of the territory occupied by the Musa Khel (Kot Kashmir, Gandi Khan Khel. Mama Khel, Bayist Khel, Takhti Khel, Bragi, Shatoora), Noona Khel and Tapey is Pakha (solid) area, therefore they are called Pakha Marwat (Solid Marwat). The area occupied by Dreplaree is sandy. Hence they are called Saga Marwat (Sandy Marwat).

Some important Khels are:

1. Musa Khel with sections Takhti Khel, Januzai and Pasanni

2. Achu Khel with sections Begu Khel, Isak Khel, and Ahmad Khel

3. Khadu Khel with sections Sikandar Khel, and Mammu Khel

4. Nawab Khel with Nar Muzzafar Khan

5. Bahram Khel with sections Umar Khan Khel and Totezai; the latter with sub-sections Tajazai, Dilkhozai, Ghazni Khel, and lastly Tappi.

6. Mina Khel who live in the heart of the city with a strong hold.

They speak softer Pashto which is very simlar to the Pashto spoken in Qandahar (Afghanistan) and Quetta (Pakistan).

HISTORY OF MAHSUD AND MAMUND TRIBE

HISTORY OF MAHSUD AND MAMUND TRIBE:

Mahsud 

is a famous Pashtun tribe in Waziristan, Pakistan. Mahsud tribe lives in the very centre of Waziristan being hemmed by in on three sides by the Darwaish Khel Wazirs, and being shut off by the Bhittanis on the east from the Derajat and Bannu districts. Two Pashtoon tribes, Ahmadzai Wazir and Mahsud, inhabit and dominate South Waziristan. There are also some Burkis, a small ethnic group that has been living in between mahsud tribes and speaks there special language "burki". The Waziris live on both sides of the Durand Line that serves as a border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Usually they pronounce their name "Mahsid". They are divided into three great clans namely Alizai, Bahlolzai and Shaman Khel. Mahsud tribe is that tribe who can never even think of submitting to a foreign power that stepped on their land. These are the words of Sir Olaf Caroe who acted as the former governor of the Frontier. From 1860 to 1937, the English forces constantly attacked Mahsood positions in order to subdue them but never got a foothold in the area. It was 1860 when 3000 Mahsud tribesmen attacked the British regiment base in Tank (Present South Waziristan). The British had a tough time handling them.

After the end of the 1st world war in 1919, the British again headed towards Waziristan. This time, they built roads and forts throughout the land. It was during this time that the name of Powenda Mullah emerged. He would later on bask in fame and glory the likes of which no other tribesman of the area will experience.

Powenda means nomad in Pashto. Soon in 1897 AD Mujahed tribesmen again stood up against the British all the way from Chitral to Quetta and the British were again given a serious head ache of dealing with them.

Day after day, Mullah Powenda became even more popular and famous. He had attained a legendary figure status among the people from far and wide. There even was a time when he was considered as the sole leader of all the Waziristan country by the British.

His followers would kill an English officer sometimes here sometimes there. And the British would not be able to nab them because the attackers would swoop back to their mountain hideouts like eagles. Many things were tried to stop such acts but to no avail.

In 1907 AD, the Wazir and Mahsud tribesmen were blocked from entry into any government controlled territory. Economic sanctions were placed on them so that even basic amenities of life like food and medicine could be blocked from going into their hands.

The English commander of that time, Timothy Blockaded the areas of Makin and Kaniguram. Various areas were searched to arrest Powenda Mullah But to no avail.

The English thought that the tribesmen were receiving weapons from the Indian ocean at the south by the Balochistan lands. For this, they affixed check posts far and wide but again, no benefit was obtained.

When the First World War started in 1919 AD, the English were concerned that they would be engaged in battle on more than one fronts which was not a good omen for their safety and their economy; hence they decided to close those fronts of less significance. For this, they abandoned their ‘Forward Policy’ for the time being and sent a message of friendship and peace to the tribes. The Tribes did not trust the British and that was the reason that they rejected any such peace proposals. Instead, the Mahsuds put in place a Lashkar to attack the British. By this time, the British had established an Air Force in the sub continent. Their Air force would bombard the whole countryside of Waziristan thus killing and maiming thousands of Tribesmen. All this was an open message of hatred on behalf of the British to the Tribes. The tribes got this message and their hatred for the British grew as well. Due to their sufferings, they were bent upon taking revenge and hence their moral increased. A series of attacks were made by the Mahsuds inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. One attack was that on the Marhatta Regiment in which hundreds of sepoys and 5 British Officers were killed. Another was that on the Punjab regiment in which the Ghazis slaughtered everyone. The aerial bombardments had inflicted staggering losses on the tribesmen but they were content that they were also doing well and had killed around 250 of the enemy forces.

The sophistication acquired by the British (air force) helped create a secure atmosphere for the ground troops because they would constantly patrol the sky’s. With this sense of security, the British Army constructed a metalled road from Jandola to Ladha. At Razmak, they constructed a cantonment for their army officers and soldiers.

By 1922-23, all the British Army had moved from Wana to Razmak. They had also constructed an airport in Razmak. Instead of flying all the way from India, their aircraft would fly from Razmak Airport and bombard the countryside. Because of this, the countryside of Makin was totally devastated. The Mahsuds deemed it appropriate at this time to agree to a ceasefire because this new tactic adopted by the British was inflicting wide scale losses on their side. The ceasefire would also enable them to devise a strategy of how to counter the latest British advances.

Mulla Powenda died in 1913 AD. It can be said without doubt that he was the crown-less emperor of one of the most fierce some of Pashtoon Tribes; the Mahsuds. Upon his death, his son Shah Fazal Din was given leadership whereas his Son in Law Mulla Abdul Hakeem was appointed adviser. Mahsud tribe is divided in three subtribes, Mahsud's usually call it as dray maseed. Each tribe has his own KHAN i.e ELDER, GEE KHAN LANGERKHEL is one of the most prominent personality of the Mahsud tribe.

Historically, the Wazirs and Mahsuds have always looked toward Afghanistan as their real home, and throughout the British Colonial period, they supported Afghan kings in their wars against the British.

‘They are poor but brave… and although turbulent and difficult to deal with, still have a great love of their country and cherish their independence, possessing qualities that we admire ourselves, and which deserve consideration and respect’. 
John Ayde describes Mahsud in above words.

Mahsud are very good marksmen and have the reputation of trustworthy. Mahsud is the most independent of all the tribes. Even their own maliks have a very limited control over these independent spirits. However, since independence, Mahsuds have been increasingly integrated with the Pakistani society. 
Since independence, many social, economic and demographic changes have occurred in Waziristan. The large number of Mahsuds has joined the mainstream Pakistani society. When the Hindu traders of Tank left after the partition in 1947, most of their shops were taken over by Mahsuds. Now Mahsuds are employed in militia and regular army, state bureaucracy and involved in business all around the country. Many of them are now living far away from their native lands. 
Immediately after independence, Mahsuds raise tribal lashkar which entered Kashmir. They quickly reached the outskirts of Srinagar defeating the Maharaja’s troops. The home of Mahusd is an inhospitable mountainous terrain bordering between Afghanistan and Pakistan. This location has given them the flexibility to maintain some independence from central authorities of both countries. Like all other tribes, Mahsud cherish their independence and are fully conscious of their reputation of ‘honour’ and ‘bravery’. They use these qualities to convey their ethnic superiority. Mahsud efforts to resist any penetration of their enclave was due to their intense independent spirit which almost borders on anarchy. In this ‘the Mahsud effort was inspired by a deep-seated instinct which drove the tribe at all costs to resist subjection and to preserve their own peculiar way of life’. Every Mahsud considers himself as an equal to other Mahsud. The sentiment was well expressed by a Mahsud leader GEE KHAN LANGERKHEL who told Evelyn Howell that ‘Let it be field’. Blow us all up with cannon, or make all eighteen housand of us Nawabs’ suggesting that all were equal. Gradual change has occurred in Waziristan due to increased interaction of tribes with government and settled districts adjoining them. The most significant experiment of British was raising of Militias (later called Scouts) from the area. It gave the tribesman an alternative to boring life of tending the fields. The system has all the incentives which a tribesman can enjoy. He is clothed, fed and given cash. He is given a good rifle, the prized possession and he lives in his own hills with opportunities to use his rifle. In last fifty years, the region has seen a dramatic change where the tribal society is increasingly attached to the settled area both economically and socially. This has limited some of the independence which the tribesman’s forefathers enjoyed. If he chooses to challenge the central authority, he has to suffer more than his forefathers. On the other hand the government’s authority to punish the whole tribe is also restricted to some extent due to increased integration of tribesmen into settled districts. In modern times, a more imaginative policy is needed to handle this delicate situation.

‘They fight for the love of fighting, and though at the moment they are contented and peaceful, they say openly that they must soon relieve the monotony by having a rising’. Wife of Viceroy Lord Minto after the visit to the frontier tribes April



Mamund

The Mamund are a Pashtun tribe of around 12,000 people and are one of the four clans of Tarkanis. The tribe is located principally in the Watelai valley, but also own villages on both sides of the Durand Line.