History of the Pashtun people
Gaju Khan (ګجو خان) was a powerful Pashtun chieftain who headed the Yousafzai and the vassal tribes in mid-16 century and controlled large swathes of what is now Northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Henry George Raverty states that if there was one Pashtun chief who from the extent of his territory, the number of his troops and … Read more
Members of the Mashwani tribe are said to be descendants of Sayyid Muhammad-i-Gisu Daraz by a Kakar woman. According to Makhzan-i-Afghani they were originally Sayyids but being brought up in the tribe of their mother, they were called Afghans. The author of Makhzan-i-Afghani (circa 1610) says that they and other descendants of Gisu Daraz are … Read more
Bangash is the name given to a number of Pashtun tribes, formerly estimated to amount to some 100,000 families, as well as to the tract of mountainous country which they held. This tract was once divided into Bala (Upper) and Pain (Lower) Bangash and was thence called the Bangashat (in the plural) or the two Bangash. … Read more
The coins and currency reforms of Sher Shah Suri are one of his most outstanding achievements. The very nomenclature of his coins as ‘Ashrafis’, ‘Rupaiya’ (Rupee) and Paisa and the principle according to which they were cast, remained the basis of the Mughal currency, the British and even today currency of India and Pakistan (as … Read more
“Balochan-i-Marri bar koh minazand, wa mardumi Khajjak dar maidani goi shujaat mi rubayand” Translated from Persian in English language the- proverb will read as follows – “Marri Baloch are proud of their mountains whereas Khajjaks are proud of their bravery in the plain area. In 1839, Misri Khan Barozai, the head of the Panni tribe, … Read more
Battle of Jamrud (1837)
The Afghan Pir Khan Lodi, entitled Khan Jahan, rose to power under Jahangir and became one of his most esteemed amirs. In 1625 he was made governor of the Mughal territories in the Deccan. However, he endangered his position and reputation when he let himself be bribed by the Sultan of Ahmadnagar, the Nizam Shah … Read more
Bannuchis resisted stoutly any intruders, Mughals, Durranis or the Wazirs. Ghulam Muhammad who visited Bannu in 1782, wrote of them:- “The horses and swords of Bannu are remarkably good; and the people are exceedingly brave and bold. They are Shitaks, the descendants of Sharaf-ud-Din, alias Shitak, son of Karlarnaey”. In 1822 Ranjit Singh began his … Read more
The lineage of Zarkuns is obscure, however, all the evidence leads to their Pashtun origin. The clan is divided into three sub clans, namely, Ghunji , Pirozi, and Sharawani [1]. Zarkuns are offshoots of original Panni stock [2]. According to the District Gazetteers, Zarkuns have features that more closely resemble the Marri than any egalitarian … Read more
The Lunis are to be found in the Duki Tahsil of Loralai. They are descended from Miana and are, therefore connected with Jafars of Musa Khel. Living near the Baloch and being constantly at feud with them, the Lunis appear to have adopted the arbitrary distribution of their component groups into large clans or divisions, … Read more