Pakhtuns Society and Several Classes Of Marghuz

Pukhtoon Society

A Pukhtoon takes pride in associating himself with his own tribe or branch rather than to the soil. The word pukhtoon is not tied to soil but to a tribe unlike a Punjabi or Sindhi.

The pukhtoon society is suffering from many contradictions which hamper its progress. There is conscious and unconscious effort on the part of close family members to pull down if someone is going up the ladder and able to get an opportunity and go outside to improve his condition. There are never ending family feuds which sap their energy.

It was in late thirties of twentieth century when a young man of a prominent ‘khel’ was killed in some altercation and on some  petty issue. In revenge the  respected elder of the other ‘khel’ was shot dead. This provoked a feud and the two ‘khels’ took positions and a fight was to break out. It was a courageous and bold action on the part of certain ladies to come out from their houses and laid their veils on the ground and besieged both the parties to stop fighting. It was a very wise step on the part of the ladies. All praise to them. In tradition of ‘pukhtoon’ culture this worked out. The fight was not escalated and the standoff between the ‘khels’ was averted.

Word ‘pukhto’ is synonymous with honour, dignity, respect, kindness to the poor, and helpful to the needy. A man’s status in society is directly related how much he is helpful to other fellow human beings. 

Employment opportunities are limited. Finding some gainful economic activity is hard as small businesses in the village are run from father to son bases. With no guidance or counselling coming from any quarter to channelize their energies and learn some other craft enabling them to earn their livelihood, young boys are prone to slip in dark alleys of lawlessness. Off and on some bad elements spring up in the village. Poor people become their immediate prey and are a nuisance to them. Their families / khel carry their stigma and become a burden to own them.

Moral values in the ‘pukhtoon’ society are on the decline but still a certain level of propriety is retained where checks exist on bad behavior. Evil doers and unscrupulous elements have a small circle of influence confined to their ‘bhaitak’ and they have a short span of life. They are weeded out sooner than later. Either they are taken care of by rival group having the same credentials or socially boycotted upon crossing the established norms of decency thus cleansing the society.

Gender segregation is observed and no mix gatherings ever occur. Even on the occasion of family get together ladies and gents don’t come in contact with each other. Marriages are arranged; seldom is it a love affair. In most cases, the bride is not seen by the bride groom till marriage occurs.

Women spend their whole lives inside the boundaries of their homes and remain behind veils. Strict ‘purdah’ is observed from head to toe when stepping out of homes and paying a visit to relatives or participating in social gatherings. In recent past a curtain was hung around the ‘tanga’ when travelling out to another village lest some acquaintance should cast an eye on the woman folk. Now a day, it is not unusual for women to sit facing men while traveling in vans.

Women are relegated a secondary position in ‘pukhtoon’ society and confined to the role of looking after the children, their brought up and performing other household chores. Polygamy is nonexistent and resorted to when someone is longing for a male child provided he is financially secure enough to afford it.  Also no case of a divorce ever occurs except on moral turpitude. Honour killings of women as it is reported in other tribal societies are never heard of.

Parents are now conscious to educate their children both boys and girls. There is open field for boys and girls to excel and get higher education in universities to become doctors, engineers and lawyers according to one’s aptitude.

 In the past when leisure time was available some bully coming of age would venture to pester a young boy normally of a poor family and will take him along as a poodle to satisfy his lust. Physical abuse would also occur in such companionship. No protection coming from any quarter, the boy’s family would suffer the indignation. With ‘hujra’ sittings now curtailed and limited family earnings from land, this specimen of notoriety is fading away. Street urchins are finding it hard and don’t indulge into such practice of showmanship.

Schools provide the best shelter both for boys and girls to guard against waywardness and preventing them into falling in the company of bad elements and bullies.

Because of the absence of the Institution of administering justice to people according to Islamic Sharia or any other established principles, a proper system of governance could not evolve. There is no established hierarchy of Khans and the ‘jirga’ system has since long been abandoned.  Perhaps this was the reason that the Eusafzai / Mandanr tribe could not carve out a state which could last for times to come as no judicial system existed in the lands occupied by them. Malik Ahmed Khan and the other Maliks following him were ignorant of the fact that a Judicial / legal institution is a pre-requisite and Sine Qua Non for establishing and a functioning state. 

Pukhtoon code of conduct much talked about is not in a written form. Its provisions are unknown to a wide spectrum of society. Land disputes and other feuds amongst people are decided in Courts according to the legal system as introduced by the British after colonizing this part of the country. There is a plethora of lies spoken in Courts. Cases are adjourned and long delays occur to decide the disputes. People have little patience with the system. Those who avoid going to Courts to settle their disputes, opt for arbitration selecting men of piety known to them for decision making. 

 

How to define a pukhtoon? Are all those, whose mother tongue is Pushto and live here since time immemorial are Pukhtoons? No, they are not. A pukhtoon is by birth. It is hereditary.  One who was bestowed land by Shaikh Malli on defeat of Dalazak tribe.

Khels / Family units are tightly woven. No inter marriages ever occur between the lineage / segmentary pukhtoons and others the landless class except under extraordinary circumstances.  This barrier will exist till some more technological progress is made and people start and value a man on personal abilities rather than a scion of a family. Or a revolution comes shaking the whole fabric of the present tribal based family system and turns it into a society of individuals.

With the rise in population the land holdings per family unit shrank and reduced. Income from land cultivation no more remained the only means of livelihood. People diverted their attention to other vocations to earn their livelihood.    

To supplement and increase their earnings almost every household had someone employed in Frontier Constabulary or Border Police. The requirement for recruitment in these forces was not stringent and only body fitness was enough. Illiterate people could also find their way in service and could go up to higher ranks ‘Subedar’ / ‘Subedar Major’

Hindki: the landless class

Not all people living in Marghuz are lineage pukhtoons (land owning class). Other people practicing different professions craftsmen and artisans also live here. They follow the same customs and traditions. Their mother tongue is Pashto and speaks it with the same accent. When the means of earning livelihood were limited, these people were at the mercy of land owning class. They worked as vassals for them throughout the period. They lived a life of serfdom. They were equated with Hindus and discriminated in all walks of life including education in Government run Schools. There were different fee slabs for land owning class and others. They could not buy land to build a house for themselves. This restriction was put on them at the time of Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum (1864-1937) who as Chief Minister (1937) decreed that no non-lineage pukhtoon and Hindu could buy land even for building a house. Pukhtoon nation is ever grateful for the services he rendered along with a British George Roose Keppel to establish Islamia College Peshawar (1913) and will be remembered but for the restriction he put that a non-lineage pukhtoon could not have a shelter of his own is unforgivable. Poor people were pushed behind for decades to come.

Dr Khan Sahib (1882-1958) also did not undo this discriminatory law during his three stints as chief minister 1937, 1939 and then 1943-47.

Non-lineage pukhtoons are called ‘hindki’ a helot class in local dialect. The class of people performing religious rituals ‘mulla’ and ‘syed’ are excluded. Hindki were discriminated in all walks of life, education and services and continue till to day. Shaikh Malli was wise to give small narrow pieces of land to the ‘mulla’ and ‘syed’ in between the lands of the lineage pukhtoons to check encroachment of one another’s land. This piece of land was hardly sufficient and this class of people ‘mulla’ and ‘syed’ depended on charity from those who had landed property.

Mullah and Syed

This sect of people is not segmental / lineage ‘pukhtoons’ but enjoy their status being the off springs of some men of piety in times gone by. Shaikh Malli had included them when ‘wesh’ was done of lands conquered from ‘Dalazak’ tribe.

Mullah plays a very prominent role in ‘pukhtoon’ society. He is a prayer leader in mosque and at the time of funeral. He solemnizes the knot at the time of marriage and giving Azan on new arrival in a family. He gives sermon on ‘Juma’ Prayers.

He performs all religious rituals. His penetration in ‘pukhtoon’ society is to the maximum. For good or bad, he is the man who has played with the destiny of ‘pukhtoon’ nation.  Mullah and Syed are not considered equal to segmentary ‘pukhtoons’ but intermarriages do occur and are not frowned upon.

Mosque like ‘hujra’ is a central place for congregation where all Muslims come together to say their prayers. This is a place which unites all segments of society irrespective of their social status and is a guard against fragmentation of society. Every ‘khel’ / ‘cham’ / sub-tribe has a mosque of their own.  Previously prayer leadership was hereditary. Now no more.  There is abundance of graduates from religious Madrasahs spread in every nook and corner of the country who are fully equipped to perform this service.  

The traditional and hereditary Mullahs are not opting to become prayer leader because of meager income from performing the service being a full time job and as more and more boys equipped with the instruments required for the profession are available.
What role Syed (descendants of the Holy Prophet PBUH) played or service performed in a 'pukhtoon' society is not known to me. 

 

Mla-tar

Besides this there is another class called ‘mla-tar’ meaning supporters. Survival of family and to look after one’s lands was a difficult task if it was short of young men to fight when a feud broke out between neighboring families. In that case a family would rent some other people mostly non-lineage pukhtoons. In case of a feud the renters would fight alongside and provide protection against the other khel making encroachment upon their lands. For sustenance ‘mla-tar’ were shared lands owned by the family in return for utilizing their services. With time ‘mla-tar’ were amalgamated with the family renting them and became one unit. Inter marriages occurred and they adopted their family name. In a modern state Government is responsible to provide security of life and property. Support Services (mla-tar) are no more in demand; hence this class is now extinct.

Hindkis constitute about ten percent of total population. Having no means to contest elections and inferior status they have no representation in Local Councils, Provincial and National Assemblies. They have no free choice but follow the dictate and vote in line with the landed clan with whom they are attached.

Centuries of subjugation and serfdom of these landless people have blunted their faculties of thinking. When and from where they entered this area is not documented. But they are here in Marghuz and all pukhtoon inhabited areas along with other lineage puktoon families since the date they conquered this land. May be they are the survivors of Dalazak, Mushwani or other conquered tribes. They are staunch Muslims like the rest of lineage / segmentary pukhtoons. Certainly they are not the offspring’s of Hindus or any other non believers. They could not move with the defeated tribes fleeing the area and stayed behind. But this is a speculation and not authenticated information.

Here I must mention that landless people were not allowed to join the FC or for that matter Police and Army. If by luck someone from the landless class was educated, he could become a teacher in a school and that is all. Other avenues of progress and to better his lot were closed upon him.

The condition of landless class could be compared to the ‘dalits’ in Hindu society with the one exception that they can go to mosque to say their prayers and offer ‘janaza prayer’ for their dead and bury them in the same graveyard. They are meted the same treatment as ‘dalits’. To go up the ladder in order to better his/her lot it is a herculean task for a boy/girl from landless family unless he/she is exceptionally bright and is on top.

Nation wins freedom  

It was after partition of the Sub Continent (1947) when the Chief Minister Abdul Qayuum Khan (1901-1981) amended the law and non-lineage pukhtoons / craftsmen could have a house / shelter of their own.

Abdul Qayyum Khan took immense interest in development works. Free education for all girls up to Matric and up to Middle for boys irrespective of discrimination in fee slabs for landed and other people go to his credit. He established Peshawar University laying a strong foundation for modern education leading to Medicine and Engineering and other Sciences. A no of students from Marghuz are luminaries of Peshawar University.

Warsak dam and Hydel power station (1958) so also Malakand and Dargai Power Stations were constructed in his tenure as Chief Minister. He played a pioneer role in village electrification. I was a child when he had come to Marghuz to inaugurate the electrification of Marghuz in ‘hujra Habib Khan Aka khel’. Habib Khan is the grand uncle of the present Speaker of Provincial Assembly Pukhtoon khwa Asad Qaiser.

Lift irrigation pumping station at ‘kade’ on ‘Badri Nala  and Pehur canal on Indus River were constructed when he was the Chief Minister.

Education

          Marghuz Centennial Model High School where the writer got his early education

Middle School for boys later upgraded to Centennial Model High School completing hundred years, played a vital role in the progress of Marghuz. There was a primary school for girls in a mohalla house. Now a girls Degree college has been established in Marghuz.

A primary school teacher named Ahmed Din (he came from some outside place) is remembered who thought students in 1920-30. A devoted person, he took immense interest to teach his students. Some of the old people might know more about him.

A few names who studied in Government School Marghuz:

·        Abdul Waris Khan got his early education from this school. He is the first Electrical Engineer of Marghuz Village from Engineering College Peshawar University.

·        Dr Abdul Samad from Bam Khel now a Cardiologist was a student of this school.

·        Dr Kamal Khan ex-Nazim-e-Aala Jameeat-ut-Tulaba now in active politics and a prominent leader of Jamaat-e-Islami.

·        Dr Faham Dil Khan an educationist was a student of this school.

·        Brigadier Dr Habib-ur-Reman got his early education from this school

·        Dr Mohammad Rauf a Professor in Peshawar University had studied in this school.

There are a number of other luminaries and exalted personalities who distinguished themselves and belong to Marghuz but because of my scant contacts and secluded life I find myself handicapped to recall and mention their names. 

Some more prominent people worth mentioning though not studied in Marghuz High School but never the less have links with Marghuz are;

·        Lady Dr Nusrat first qualified MCPS, FCPS Gynecologist

·        Dr Abdul Khaliq a gold medalist from Engineering College Peshawar University and a PhD from Georgia Tech USA now President of an Engineering University for Post Graduate Studies are proud to be resident of Marghuz.

Welfare Works

         Dr Sohrab Khan Memorial Hospital donated by the Khan Brothers of Marghuz

It was in 1955-56 when (Rtd) Major Mohammad Akbar Khan donated land and constructed a Hospital near the villages ‘Dhok’ and ‘Eusephe’ on the southern side of Marghuz Village. I think the hospital is still functional and provides medical services to the needy people of the surrounding areas.

Later the Taj brothers heading the Khan family of Marghuz (Grand Sons of Khan Bahadur Taj Mohammad Khan) constructed a Children and Maternity Hospital in the memory of Late Dr Sohrab Khan son of one of the Taj Brothers. The hospital is equipped with stat of the art appliances and rendering valuable services to the people. The illustrious brothers made the hospital functional and handed it over to Government to be run in Public Sector. The brothers are a beacon light and role models for all. Despite their professional duties serving the humanity, they keep themselves attached with the affairs of Marghuz and take keen interest in the welfare of the people. They are the torch bearers of their elders and always ready to help the poor people. Other philanthropist must come forward to emulate their example.

Some of the prominent personalities who have their imprint on Marghuz Village are;

Jarnail Khalil-ur-Rehman:

A great freedom fighter. Every marghuzwal is proud of him. A true son of Marghuz. He spent most of his adult life in jails while making the long struggle for freedom from English. He was steadfast in his resolve and did not succumb to all sorts of vagaries in jail. He was a disciple of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan popularly known as Bacha Khan.  He devoted all his energies and wealth in freedom movement ‘khudai khidmat Gar’

Gul Ahmed Ustad:

A revolutionary poet. He was a khudai khidmat Gar. He recited poems in the public gatherings addressed by Bacha Khan. His verses have been quoted by Roshan Khan of Nawan kali Swabi in his book on the History of Eusafzai.

Mohammad Idrees alias Gul Bacha:

A religious scholar of repute practicing ‘Unani Tib’ also who got his religious education from Devband Madrassa now in India. People listened to him. He gave sermons and preached people and tried to clean the society of some of the bad customs practiced by the people.

Feroz Khan:

A very loving personality. He taught pushto language to English who were sent on deputation to Frontier Province in FC and Border Police services. He was always ready and served the poor in his own humble way.  He was seen in the company of Gul Bacha sitting in his clinic ‘matib’ in Marghuz Bazaar.

Sobat Khan:

A legendary Pashto singer of pre-partition days, having the singular honor of popularizing the name of Marghuz. His gramophone records are played to this day where at the end he pronounces his name and that of Marghuz. ‘Sobat da Marghuz hale Mardan’ meaning: Sobat belongs to Marghuz but now lives in Mardan.

He is buried in Marghuz. Music lovers come every year and sing near his resting place. His son Shama and another scion in the family Gul Rez now living in Peshawar the winner of Pride of Performance have carried forward his profession. Shama has been a Producer/Director at Radio Station and TV Station at Peshawar.

Abdul Qader:                              

The world renowned leg spin cricketer now residing at Lahore is a progeny of Marghuz. His father a prayer leader went to Lahore and stayed there perhaps forever. His relatives live in tapa Aka khel.

Commercial Activity

Building of Tarbela Dam and Hydel Power Station on the right bank of river Indus has brought immense commercial activity and progress in the area including Marghuz. A no of people from Marghuz were employed at the time of construction of the Dam and also in Power Station now.

There is no industry or industrialist in Marghuz Village. Daily commodities are brought from Islamabad and Peshawar.  No ‘ghala mandi’ (grain market), no fish farms, no cattle farms in Marghuz. There is no surplus grain Wheat, Corn etc for export. Mostly Hindus were engaged in business. On their departure to India on eve of Partition, this vacuum was filled by non-lineage pukhtoons. As hand craft work is no more in demand, the craftsmen and artisans associated with it earn their livelihood by doing small businesses. These downtrodden people are no more dependent on land owning class. The dark night of their serfdom is coming to an end. Some changes are visible. A few of them are able to buy a house for themselves and educate their children in Schools.  The slum dwellings of Karam Baba Banda made on marsh land of Jabba and Main Baba Banda in the out skirts of Marghuz Village belong to them. One room houses and narrow streets but they are proud that it belongs to them.

Joining of service in forces and have equal opportunity in all walks of life like the lineage / segmentary pukhtoons, is still a dream.

The traditional land owning class did not enter into commerce and looked down upon it something inferior to their status. They took pride and rightly so by associating themselves with cultivation. The production from small land holdings is not sufficient for the family units.  Besides cultivation, land owning class has adopted other professions. More and more people enter the commerce and have started small businesses of their own.

Diesel Engine driven flour crushing plants were introduced and installed in Marghuz Bazaar in fifties  relieving the people from going to ‘Bata Kara’ village where water mills existed on river Indus. Donkeys were used to take the grain for crushing to watermills. Diesel Engines have now been replaced with electric driven induction motors. Wheat and Corn was also crushed in homes on a grinding stone rotated by hand. This was the first item for the day on ‘work to do’ list for the woman. This grinding stone ‘mechana’ was a dowry item. Its utility is gone and perhaps no more seen in homes.

I remember a steam engine driven bus plying between Marghuz and Mardan. ‘Kasht kare’ was the name of the driver. In late fifties when I used to go to Islamia College Peshawar there was only one bus run by Government Transport Department between Topi and Peshawar. For local transportation between adjoining villages ‘tangas’ driven by horses were used. Now a day a ‘Tanga’ is seldom seen on road. This has been replaced by rickshaw and ‘chanchi’ to the advantage of the people. Times have changed. Now, one can travel to Peshawar, Mardan and Islamabad the surrounding cities any time of the day. Movement of goods was carried usually on donkeys. Camels were also seen bringing wood from nearby hills to be used as fuel for cooking food. Movement of goods on roads is a common sight. Transportation of goods from one place to another in trucks, wagons and horse/donkey driven carts is seen on village road playing a role for boosting the economic activity in the area. 

Crops

There is plenty of water for irrigating the lands through canals emanating from river Indus. Also underground water is not brackish and tube well irrigation is extensively used. Wheat and Corn is the main grain product.

Marghuz is also known for another cash crop ‘tobacco’. It is grown on fertile lands surrounding the village. Laborious job but the yield are easily sold and readily gives cash to the farmers. Sugarcane is also grown but on limited area. It is not transported to Sugar Mills (nearby sugar mill is at Mardan some 60 KM away). It is locally crushed in improvised crushers and juice extracted is heated and converted in to ‘gur’. Tractors and tube wells have replaced bullocks for sowing and harvesting of crops and irrigation purposes.

Flash floods were a usual occurrence in Monsoon months July-August and played havoc in ‘Jabba’ and surrounding areas. With no proper drainage system, the storm water would flow down and inundate the bazaar (dheera) where from it would flow to ‘Parto gha khai Nala’ on the western side of neighboring village Thand koi. ‘Parto gha khai  Nala’ falls into river Indus which flows on the southern side of Marghuz / Thandkoi. Storm water is now evacuated to ‘Parto gha khai Nala’ in canals dug for the purpose by passing the Marghuz Village. It no more finds its way through the Marghuz Bazaar.

Floods would play havoc and mud houses would raze to the ground. With the exception of a few houses made of stones brought on donkeys from the hills in nearby village ‘Baja, Bam Khel and lime used as binding material, all the rest of the houses were made of mud. Use of bricks, sand, crushed stone, steel and cements for construction of houses is a recent phenomenon.

Storm water would accumulate and remained ponded throughout the year in low lying areas of the village. Buffaloes would swim in it and had good time staying in water in hot season.

Ponds in and around Marghuz were:

‘Khar Gaade’ a pond in between village Klabat and Marghuz.

‘Khoone Dand’ (bloody pond) a pond located on the eastern side of Khan khel Mosque. Why the name ‘khooni’? I don’t know of any causality occurring in this pond. But in rainy season the Khwedad Khel and Khan Khel tapa were cut off for days till the water level sub-sided and came down on account of evaporation.

Pond in front of ‘Kamral tapa’ on road side.

Pond in Karam Baba Banda/

All these ponds are now filled with earth and because these were ‘shamilat lands’ schools have been constructed upon these pieces of land for boys and girls. ‘Shamilat’ is a term used for the land belonging to all. Nobody had the sole claim upon it.

A religious Madrassa has been established on Karam Baba Banda Pond. I don’t know anything about Karam Baba but have seen oil lamps when oil was cheap lit on the grave. 

Mama-de:

This is an earth mound some 40 feet high, steep and spread over an area of one square kilometer at a distance of 3 kilometer from the center of Marghuz Dr Sohrab Hospital. Appears to be ruins of some past human habitat destroyed when river Indus was in flood and later changed its course. River Indus flows nearby at a distance of one and a half kilometer from the mound. Occasionally people find pieces of kiln baked pottery. The land is not ‘shamilat’ and is owned by individuals.   

Traditions and Customs

No sittings after ‘isha’ prayers in ‘hujra’ as it used to be up to sixties. Now after a day’s work people like to spend the evening time in front of TV in company of their children rather than sitting in ‘hujra’ and discussing happenings of the day smoking tobacco and taking puff of ‘chilam’ (hubble bubble). Now the ‘Hujras’ give a deserted look. Affluent have constructed their own guest houses and sit there to entertain guests on ceremonies and receive visitors who come to offer ‘fateha’ on the occasion if a death occurs in the family.

Musical troupe used to be called from ‘Mardan Kalpani’ on ceremonial occasions by those who could manage and afford it in a ‘hujra’. This is a thing of the past. Dancing girls ‘kanjrai’ were an attractive item in this musical group. Sobat Khan has entertained the Marghuz people in all ‘hujras’ of Marghuz on the eve of his son’s marriage. This festivity in no more seen for a number of reasons, inclination of people towards religion, cost prohibitive, leisure time is not available with the people and above all other entertainment means are accessible. The musical function was open and free to all.

After the harvesting season of Wheat and Corn was over there used to be another sport called ‘ma-kha’. Actually this sport had its root in practice of the use of bow and arrow to prepare the youth for war. The mark men would shoot his arrow at a target fixed in mud. The game was played with some rules. There was competition between two teams. The team with higher no of points would win. This was a healthy sport and everybody young and old enjoyed. This sport is no more played and will be soon forgotten.

Dog fight (bull dog, bull tier) in ‘Bata-rail’ ground in between Marghuz and Doodher village, Rabbit/Hare  hunting with special breed of dogs (afghan hounds fast running, thin, long) in deserted areas,  Cock Fight and Quail Fight in a ‘hujra’  were pastimes games after harvesting season.