Gazetteer Of The Peshawar District 1897-98

· 1899 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1140

2[ Fnajal) Gazetteer,

3CHAP, in— THE PEOPLE.

4Chapter III, C. the Britisli force on their way to Peshfiwar. J4far KhAn is n

5Tribes and Castes canning and intrigno bat not wholly devoid of

6and T.aaiSiYn > qnalmcationa for chief tat nship, whilst Arstal Khan is both oruol

7Families. and cowardly, and lowly esteemed throughout the country.

8The Khattnks. 'pjig Khattaks, ns n people, ore n most favonrable spccimtii

9of Pathnns, and deservod bettor leaders than have lately been in

10power over them ; they retain all the good qualities for which

11they were renowned under KhnshAl the Great, nre bravo nudin*

12dependent, and the only AfgliAn tribe which can lay clnim to

13faithfalness Active and industrioae, they are lorgely ongngcd

14in trade, and the evil name they sit one time acgairod was

15caused by the Afridis of Bori aiid Janakor, who plundered in

16the liawnipindi and PesliAwar Districts, and found an nsylum

17for themselves and a place of coucealnient rorstolen property and

18imprisoned Hindds, in the Khattak jungles, under the sanction of

19Afzal Khan, against whom the Kliattsiks were powerless as long

20as he exercised anliiniteil control over them. There nre three

21classes amongst the Khnttaks, apart from the gonornl body of

22the people : Ist, the Kbdn Khel, which includes all the relatives

23of the chiefs } 2nd,’ the Fakir Khel ; and, 3rd, tho Kdka Khi’l.

24The leading Khdn Khel families now are those of Akora, Ssidn

25and Manduri. The Fakir Khel are the descendants of tho older

26brother of the renowned Khushal Kbdn, who retired

27from the world at the instigation of liahimkar, tho great

28Khattak saint, since which time they have acquired

29n character for sanctity, and to them is ontrasted tho

30keeping of volnable property in times of public danger or in*

31ternal feuds. The Kdka Kbel are tho descendants of the ahoyo

32saint, whose shrine is seven miles from Norvshora, much resorted

33to as a place of pilgrimage and believed by popular snporati-

34tion to bo tho scene of many miraculous cures. Very' largo

35numbers of people assemble annually from all neighbonriug

36countries in April at a fair held at tho shrine, wliicli is

37picturesquely situated amongst tho low hills skirting the plain,

38covered at this point with douse brushwood. This class has

39acquired a voperation boyond tho district and is respected

40amongst the wildest tribes of Afghdnistdn ; ono instance only

41has occurred of a Kdka Khel being killed oven by tho Kbaibaris,

42who were compelled to pay a large fine on the occasion. Zaid

43wul m this tnbo lived at the foot of the hills to tho south of

44tUo -ti^ot 1 ass, near Fort Mnekoson, and was tho Pir of

45Adam Khel Afndis; other membors of the family are Aftdb Gnl

46TTf* Swat rivor, whose influenco ia the

47U tmdn Khel hills is considerable, and Rahim Shdli and Rdhaf

48onan, well known m connection with Swdt and Cliitriil affairs,

49who now live in Uashtimgar. 'I'ho remainder of tlio Kliattaks

50with tho exception of a

51^all strip on tlio hank of the river, being rugged, fall of

52cultivation. Their hills afford good

53pnsturago for cattlo and goats, of which they have large herds.

54All then- bullocks aro trained to carry loads, and tho Khattaks