Piczo

THE PUKHTOONS-CULTURE AND TRADITIONS

The first reference to Pukhtoon nation was made in the books 'Ragvon Pakht' and 'Pakhta' which states that Pukhtoon were Aryan by caste. Later on in 500 AD, Roman historians referred to Pukhtoon as Pukhtoonwali and their abode as 'Pakteen'. All there indications made it clear that the history of Pukhtoon and Pukhtoonwali is older than 500AD.
The word 'Pathan' has Arabic roots and is derived from the word 'Batan', meaning the important part of a worship that faces all odds if any in the water flow. It was for these martial qualities, that the Arabs gave the pukhtoons the name 'Batan', which later become 'Pathan' in the course of time. Pathans comprising Afridi, Mohmand,Yousafzai, Shinwari, Malagori, Bangash, Khattak, Orakzai, Wazir, Masud, Awan and Kakars. These different tribes are pukhtoons by origin. The pukhtoons have fought heroically against the English, the Sikhs, the Marhatas and the Mughals. They have always preffered death over disgrace for the sake of country. Pakhtoons follow some simple principles in their life, which is called "Pukhtoonwali" means "Pukhtoons code of life" or " the way of the Puktoons". It consists of the centuries old customs and traditions. But the enforcement of Civil law by Britishers and after ward by Pakistani rulers in the settled areas of Pukhtoons replaced these customs to some extents. However in the Federally administered areas of the country these customs are still in vogue. Overall Puktoons are individualists so their every custom represents individualism. The first principle of Puktoonwali is Badl. Badl means revenge without thinking about its consequences and harms. There is no concept of specific space and time for taking Badl. Some times murders in the non-Puktoon environments of Calcutta and Singapur are the results of bloodshed initiated in Khyber Agency or Gomal. A person who cannot take revenge from his enemies cannot be considered a real Pukhtoon.

Mailmastia is the second important principle of Pukhtoonwali. Mailmastia means hospitality and protection of guests. Richard Temple while expressing his hatred about the tribals writes,''they can do any thing for money except disgracing their guest." The strangers especially foreigner guests feel uneasy with the protocol offered by tribals. The group of armed tribals who protect the guest is called Badraga. It is the duty of the host to take revenge (Badl) on the behalf of guest.

The most prominent institution and the most powerful one of the Pukhtoon people (tribal especially) is Jirga. It is 5000-year-old institution of Pukhtoons. Its simplest form is only an assembly of few tribal men. It resembles the democracy of Athens in nature. It works as administrative body, Judiciary and Parliament at the some time. The Mughal Ambassadors, Sikh Generals, British Rulers, Pakistani Politicians and Famous American personalities attended tribal Jirgas at different times. Famous Historian and politician Alphinistan (1809) considers Jirga the best organization of tribal peoples. According to him the assembly( Jirga) of a family sends its representatives to Jirga of the village and the same sends its representatives to the Jirga of the Khel (Sub tribe) which again nominates some people for representation in the Jirga of the tribe while the Jirga of all the tribes is called loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) Which has the power to dethrone the King (Amir) of Afghanistan and make a new Amir. But all the representative are nominated on the spot and they are not permanent representatives. They can be selected any time they are needed and any one can represent the Jirga. Jirga is a round table conference without a president or chairman. Every one can speak but mostly the old people and the person whose interest is affected speak on the occasion. Decision is made on majority basis without voting. Only the sense of meeting together works as voting. At the end of the Jirga a religions scholar prays for the success and fulfillment of the decision. Jirga can be called every where, under a tree in hilly area of Waziristan and on the green lawn of Khyber House in Peshawar. With the difference of language and dress Jirga looks like the floor of an American Political convention. Jirga Selects place for a new mosque and decides the dispute of murders. Now the official Jirga is also introduced in tribal areas, which consist of people working for government as an official jury. However Jirga is the most sacred institution, which solves every problem with out difference between petitioner and respondent. Nanawatey is a special type of Jirga.

Most of the foreigner's writers confuse Mailmastia with Nanawatey. Even Dailaice and Olf Cairo could not differentiate between Nananwatey and Mailmastia. they considered Nanenawatey a type of refuge. Actually Nananawatey means to admit the defeat and to go to the house of the enemy with the holy book. Sharmala is also a special type of Jirga, which is called by an accused to solve the problem and finish the enmity. He often offers sheep and some time a woman of his family for marriage with the family of the petitioner. Such woman is called "Swara" The most interesting and famous phenomenon in tribal areas is Lashkar. The best suitable English word for Lashkar is "war party". The group of a dozen people who go out to steal sheep of the other tribe is also a Lashkar and those thousands people who fought in Kashmir during 1948 was also a Lashkar . Another feature of Pukhtoonwali is toar which means the accusation of illegal Love.Punishment for both the parties (man and woman) is death. Ghag is also a custom creating feud and enmity among the tribals. Ghag means to call some one or claim something. When a man wants to marry a woman but his social status does not allow him to do so. He announces the same woman as his wife. Often he fires some aerial shots with the announcement. This announcement stops other people to marry that woman. But mostly he himself cannot get her instead a series of bloodshed starts between him and the family of the woman. Britishers implemented frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) in 1872 in all Pukhtoon living area later on amended in 1887. The present form of FCR was amended in 1901 and 1940, which is invogue only in Tribal area now a day.

The purpose of FCR was to keep the Pukhtoons suppressed as it empowered the political agent to decide the disputes of the tribals peoples, punish them collectively and even destroy the whole village to punish a single individual. However FCR permitted the practice of calling Jirga under the auspices of Political Agent, which showed their respect for Pukhtoons tradition and also highlighted the weaknesses of the British judicial system. But the peoples of tribal area say that a Jirga under the auspices of P.A is not a natural Jirga it is only a tempered shape of Jirga. FCR remain always a hot topic for politicians and Pakistani rulers The Britishers and Pakistani officers consider FCR the only way the control these "Uncivilized tribal". On the other hand ordinary tribals term these regulations as undemocratic, inhuman and contrast with Pukhtoon traditions.