Bajaur
Encyclopedia
Bajaur or Bajur or Bajour (Pashto
: باجوڑ) is an Agency (country subdivision) of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA) of Pakistan
. Smallest of the agencies in FATA, it has a hilly terrain. According to the 1998 census, the population was 595,227 but other more recent estimates it has grown to 757,000. It borders Afghanistan
's Kunar Province
with a 52 km border.. The headquarters of the Agency administration is located in the town of Khar
.
Bajour is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani
(Tarkalani) Pashtuns, and there are there main sub-tribes in Bajaur: Utman Khel, Tarkalanri, Mamund
(Kakazai
, Wur
and Salarzai
) as well as a small population of Safi
s. The Utman Khel are at the southeast of Bajaur, while Mamund are at the southwest, and the Tarkani are at the north of Bajaur. Its border with Afghanistan's Kunar province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistan and the region.
Bajour is about 45 miles (72.4 km) long by 20 miles (32.2 km) broad, and lies at a high level to the east of the Kunar Valley
, from which it is separated by a continuous line of rugged frontier hills, forming a barrier easily passable at one or two points. Across this barrier, the old road from Kabul
to Pakistan
ran before the Khyber Pass
was adopted as the main route.
To the south of Bajour is the wild mountain district of the Mohmands. To the east, beyond the Panjkora river, are the hills of Swat, dominated by another Pashtun group. To the north is an intervening watershed between Bajour and the small tehsil of Dir
. It is over this watershed and through the valley of Dir
, that the new road from Malakand
and the Punjab
runs to Chitral
. The drainage of Bajour flows eastwards, starting from the eastern slopes of the dividing ridge, which overlooks the Kunar
and terminating in the Panjkora river, so that the district lies on a slope tilting gradually downwards from the Kunar ridge to the Panjkora. Nawagai
is the chief town of Bajour, and the Khan of Nawagai was previously under British protection for the purpose of safeguarding of the Chitral road. Jandol, one of the northern valleys of Bajour, has ceased to be of political importance since the 19th century, when a previous chief, Umra Khan, failed to to appropriate himself Bajour, Dir, and a great part of the Kunar valley. It was the active hostility between the amir of Kabul (who claimed sovereignty of the same districts) and Umra Khan that led, firstly to the demarcation agreement of 1893 which fixed the boundary of Afghanistan in Kunar; and, secondly, to the invasion of Chitral by Umra Khan (who was no party to the boundary settlement), and the siege of the Chitral fort in 1895.
Major towns are Khar and Inayat killi.
An interesting feature in the topography is a mountain spur from the Kunar range, which, curving eastwards, culminates in the well-known peak of Koh-i-Mor, which is visible from the Peshawar valley. It was here, at the foot of the mountain, that Alexander the Great founded the ancient city of Nysa
and the Nysaean colony, traditionally said to have been founded by Dionysus
. The Koh-i-Mor has been identified as the Meros of Arrian's history—the three-peaked mountain from which the god issued.
, the area was a critical staging ground for Afghan and local mujahideen
to organise and conduct raids. It still hosts a large population of Afghan refugees sympathetic to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
, a mujahideen leader ideologically close to the Arab militants. Today, the United States believes militants based in Bajaur launch frequent attacks on American and Afghan troops in Afghanistan. There have been some unconfirmed media reports about the possibility of Osama bin Laden
finding refuge in the area. An aerial attack, executed by the United States targeting Ayman al-Zawahiri
, took place in a village in Bajaur Agency on January 13, 2006, killing 18 people. Al-Zawahiri was not found among the dead and the incident led to severe outrage in the area. On October 30, 2006, 80 people were killed in Bajaur when Pakistani forces attacked a religious school they said was being used as a militant training camp. There are many unconfirmed reports that the October attack was also carried out by the United States
or NATO forces, but was claimed by Islamabad over fears of widespread protest similar to those after the US bombing in January 2006. Maulana Liaqat, the head of the seminary, was killed in the attack. Liaqat was a senior leader of the pro-Taliban movement Tanzim Nifaz Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM), that spearheaded a violent Islamic movement in Bajaur and the neighbouring Malakand areas in 1994. The TNSM had led some 5,000 men from the Pakistani areas of Dir
, Swat and Bajaur across the Mamond border into Afghanistan in October 2001, to fight US-led troops. In what is thought to be a reprisal for the October strike in Bajaur, in November, a suicide bomber killed dozens in an attack on an army training school in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
A military offensive by the military of Pakistan was launched in early August 2008 to retake the border crossing near the town of Loyesam, 12 km from Khar
from militants loyal to Tehrik-e-Taliban, the so-called Pakistani Taliban. In the two weeks following the initial battle
, government forces pulled back to Khar and initiated aerial bombing and artillery barrages on presumed militant positions, which reportedly has all but depopulated Bajaur and parts of neighbouring Mohmand
Agency, with an estimated 300,000 fleeing their homes. The estimate of casualties ran into the hundreds. The offensive was launched in the wake of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to Washington in late July, and is believed by some to be in response to U.S. demands that Pakistan prevent the FATA being used as a safe haven by insurgents fighting American and NATO troops in Afghanistan. However, the offensive was decided by the military, not the civilian government. The bloody bombing of Pakistan Ordnance Factories in Wah
on August 21, 2008, came according to Maulvi Omar
, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, as a response to the Bajaur offensive.
After nine months of vigorous clashes between government security forces and Taliban, military forces have finally claimed to have forced militants out of Bajaur Agency, and advanced towards strongholds of Taliban in the region. According to figures provided by the Government of Pakistan, 1,600 militants were killed and more than 2,000 injured, while some 150 civilians also died and about 2,000 were injured in the fighting. The military operation forced more than 300,000 people to flee their homes and take shelter in IDP camps in settled districts of the province. To date, more than 180,000 IDPs have returned to their homes in Bajaur Agency, facing widespread destruction to their lives, livelihoods and massive unemployment.
Sahamsul Wahab Khan, son of Anbaul Subhan Kahan, was killed by the Taliban in 2007. Chief of Mamond, Malik Shah Jihan, was killed by some unknown persons in 2008. He was not only the chief of Mamond tribals, but also one of the powerful personalities of FATA.
of Khar Bajaur used to run this border area nearly autonomously, but he could not rule the Utmankhel Tribe, and they remained as Azad Qabail within the Agency throughout the history of Bajaur. Remnants of the Nawabi system still exists, and the Nawab family is represented by Nawabzada Dawood Khan (Tehsil Khan), Shams-ul-Wahab Khan (the late Paccha Khan), Walayat Khan, Spoo Khan, and their sons. Although the name of their father had a significant impact on the locals, they have yet to establish themselves.
In the present decade, tribal elders, known locally as Maliks, had a great influence in the local politics of the agency. Among the Maliks, famous Maliks include Malik Umar Wahid ALizai,Engineer Muhammad Bahadar Khan of Sadiq Abad Phatak, Malik Mahboob Salarzai, Engineer Said Wahid Alizai, Malik Noor Zada Utmankhel, Malik Gulzada Shamozai, Malik Mohammad Akbar Qazafi, Malik Khan Bahadar Sara Mena, Malik Rehman Batai, Malik Qadar Khan Ghani Adai, Malik Awal Said Barang, Malik Shah Jehan of Larkholozai (late), Malik Ayaz Khan of Barkhalozai, Malik Abdul Aziz of Kamar, Malik Faqir Muhammad of Umaray, Malik Taj of Tarkho, Malik Gulzada of Damadola, and Malik Taj of Lagharai. These elders are Agency Councilors, and their views are taken into consideration in the decision making process of Bajaur.
Utmankhel tribe has a significant impact on the politics of the Agency and history shows that they remained the king makers in the electoral set up of the state, but they have never ruled the Agency.
Traditions and Customs
1.Eid:
Eid is celebrated with warmth and special dress are wore by everyone.
They serve food to the niegbours and friends in three days of Eid.
Bakery sweats are taken with black tea.
Children gets Eidi from elders and enjoy going to hilly stations and local bazars.
Young ones play indoor games and arrange Sobat together
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
: باجوڑ) is an Agency (country subdivision) of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...
(FATA) of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Smallest of the agencies in FATA, it has a hilly terrain. According to the 1998 census, the population was 595,227 but other more recent estimates it has grown to 757,000. It borders Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
's Kunar Province
Kunar Province
Kunar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. It is one of the four "N2KL" provinces...
with a 52 km border.. The headquarters of the Agency administration is located in the town of Khar
Khar (Pakistan)
Khar is a town in the Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. It is the headquarters of the Agency administration of Bajaur. It lies on the border with Afghanistan...
.
Bajour is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani
Tarkani
The Tarkani are a Pashtun tribe located in Kunar province of Afghanistan and Bajaur near Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan...
(Tarkalani) Pashtuns, and there are there main sub-tribes in Bajaur: Utman Khel, Tarkalanri, Mamund
Mamund
The Mamund are a Pashtun tribe who are one of the four clans of Tarkanis. The tribe is located principally in the Watelai valley, but also owns villages on both sides of the Durand Line. Majority of Mamund live in one of the seven tribal regions of Pakistan "Bajaur Agency", although Mamund also...
(Kakazai
Kakazai
The Kakazai , also known as Loye Mamund , are a Pashtun tribe originally from the Laghman province of Afghanistan.They came to South Asia during Afghan invasions such as those of Mahmud of Ghazni, settling in various regions....
, Wur
Wur
Wur are Pakhtun tribe in Pakistan and Afghanistan.Wur along with the Kakazai and Salarzai, are a division of the Tarkani tribe...
and Salarzai
Salarzai
Salarzais, along with the Kakazai and Wur, are one of the four clans of Tarkanis. There were around 8,000 members in the Babukarrah and Charmung valleys in Bajaur and 150 members in Bara Banda of Nowshera District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 1910....
) as well as a small population of Safi
Safi
Safi may refer to:*Safi Airways, an Afghan Airline based in Dubai*Safi, Morocco*Safi of Persia, a Safavid Shah of Iran*Safi, Malta, a local council on Malta*Safi , an Unani herbal medicine...
s. The Utman Khel are at the southeast of Bajaur, while Mamund are at the southwest, and the Tarkani are at the north of Bajaur. Its border with Afghanistan's Kunar province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistan and the region.
Geography
Kunar Valley
Kunar Valley or Chitral Valley is a valley in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Afghanistan the length of the valley is almost entirely narrow with steep and rugged mountains on both sides. The center of the valley is occupied by the Kunar River flowing south where it joins the Kabul River...
, from which it is separated by a continuous line of rugged frontier hills, forming a barrier easily passable at one or two points. Across this barrier, the old road from Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
ran before the Khyber Pass
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass, is a mountain pass linking Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road. It is mentioned in the Bible as the "Pesh Habor," and it is one of the oldest known passes in the world....
was adopted as the main route.
To the south of Bajour is the wild mountain district of the Mohmands. To the east, beyond the Panjkora river, are the hills of Swat, dominated by another Pashtun group. To the north is an intervening watershed between Bajour and the small tehsil of Dir
Dir, Pakistan
Dir is a town in Upper Dir District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It is sometimes known as Dir Proper or Khas Dir to distinguish it from the district. It lies at the foot of the Lowarai Pass, the main motor road to Chitral, on the Dir River, a tributary of the Panjkora River.Dir was...
. It is over this watershed and through the valley of Dir
Dir, Pakistan
Dir is a town in Upper Dir District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It is sometimes known as Dir Proper or Khas Dir to distinguish it from the district. It lies at the foot of the Lowarai Pass, the main motor road to Chitral, on the Dir River, a tributary of the Panjkora River.Dir was...
, that the new road from Malakand
Malakand District
Malakand District is a district of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan.The District was formed in 1970 as a Provincially Administered Tribal Area, It had previously been a Tribal Area known as the Malakand Protected Area, part of the Malakand Agency...
and the Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
runs to Chitral
Chitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
. The drainage of Bajour flows eastwards, starting from the eastern slopes of the dividing ridge, which overlooks the Kunar
Kunar River
The Kunar River is about 480 km long, located in eastern Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan. The Kunar river system is fed from melting glaciers and snow of the Hindu Kush mountains....
and terminating in the Panjkora river, so that the district lies on a slope tilting gradually downwards from the Kunar ridge to the Panjkora. Nawagai
Nawagai
Nawagai is a town in the Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. It lies on the border with Afghanistan. Bajur scouts headquarters is also located in the town.civil colony is located in this town and this place is the court of bajour controlling by political agent....
is the chief town of Bajour, and the Khan of Nawagai was previously under British protection for the purpose of safeguarding of the Chitral road. Jandol, one of the northern valleys of Bajour, has ceased to be of political importance since the 19th century, when a previous chief, Umra Khan, failed to to appropriate himself Bajour, Dir, and a great part of the Kunar valley. It was the active hostility between the amir of Kabul (who claimed sovereignty of the same districts) and Umra Khan that led, firstly to the demarcation agreement of 1893 which fixed the boundary of Afghanistan in Kunar; and, secondly, to the invasion of Chitral by Umra Khan (who was no party to the boundary settlement), and the siege of the Chitral fort in 1895.
Major towns are Khar and Inayat killi.
An interesting feature in the topography is a mountain spur from the Kunar range, which, curving eastwards, culminates in the well-known peak of Koh-i-Mor, which is visible from the Peshawar valley. It was here, at the foot of the mountain, that Alexander the Great founded the ancient city of Nysa
Nysa
- People :*Nysa , daughter of Laodice IV and Antiochus, wife of Pharnaces I of Pontus* Nysa of Cappadocia, daughter of Pharnaces I of Pontus and Nysa, wife of Ariarathes V of Cappadocia and mother Ariarathes VI of Cappadocia...
and the Nysaean colony, traditionally said to have been founded by Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
. The Koh-i-Mor has been identified as the Meros of Arrian's history—the three-peaked mountain from which the god issued.
Babur's attack on Bajaur
The Gazetteers and Reports contain nearly all the modern information available about Bajour. The autobiography of Baber (by Leyden and Erskine) gives interesting details about the country in the 16th century.Recent decades
During the Soviet invasion in the 1980sSoviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
, the area was a critical staging ground for Afghan and local mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
to organise and conduct raids. It still hosts a large population of Afghan refugees sympathetic to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is an Afghan Mujahideen leader who is the founder and leader of the Hezb-e Islami political party and paramilitary group. Hekmatyar was a rebel military commander during the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan and was one of the key figures in the civil war that followed the...
, a mujahideen leader ideologically close to the Arab militants. Today, the United States believes militants based in Bajaur launch frequent attacks on American and Afghan troops in Afghanistan. There have been some unconfirmed media reports about the possibility of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
finding refuge in the area. An aerial attack, executed by the United States targeting Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri is an Egyptian physician, Islamic theologian and current leader of al-Qaeda. He was previously the second and last "emir" of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, having succeeded Abbud al-Zumar in the latter role when Egyptian authorities sentenced al-Zumar to life...
, took place in a village in Bajaur Agency on January 13, 2006, killing 18 people. Al-Zawahiri was not found among the dead and the incident led to severe outrage in the area. On October 30, 2006, 80 people were killed in Bajaur when Pakistani forces attacked a religious school they said was being used as a militant training camp. There are many unconfirmed reports that the October attack was also carried out by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or NATO forces, but was claimed by Islamabad over fears of widespread protest similar to those after the US bombing in January 2006. Maulana Liaqat, the head of the seminary, was killed in the attack. Liaqat was a senior leader of the pro-Taliban movement Tanzim Nifaz Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM), that spearheaded a violent Islamic movement in Bajaur and the neighbouring Malakand areas in 1994. The TNSM had led some 5,000 men from the Pakistani areas of Dir
Dir, Pakistan
Dir is a town in Upper Dir District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It is sometimes known as Dir Proper or Khas Dir to distinguish it from the district. It lies at the foot of the Lowarai Pass, the main motor road to Chitral, on the Dir River, a tributary of the Panjkora River.Dir was...
, Swat and Bajaur across the Mamond border into Afghanistan in October 2001, to fight US-led troops. In what is thought to be a reprisal for the October strike in Bajaur, in November, a suicide bomber killed dozens in an attack on an army training school in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
A military offensive by the military of Pakistan was launched in early August 2008 to retake the border crossing near the town of Loyesam, 12 km from Khar
Khar (Pakistan)
Khar is a town in the Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. It is the headquarters of the Agency administration of Bajaur. It lies on the border with Afghanistan...
from militants loyal to Tehrik-e-Taliban, the so-called Pakistani Taliban. In the two weeks following the initial battle
Battle of Bajaur
The Battle of Bajaur or Operation Sherdil was a military offensive in the Bajaur region of Pakistan launched by the Frontier Corps supported by a Combat Brigade of the Pakistan Army. The Bajaur area had been under Taliban control since early 2007, and was said to be Al-Qaeda's main command and...
, government forces pulled back to Khar and initiated aerial bombing and artillery barrages on presumed militant positions, which reportedly has all but depopulated Bajaur and parts of neighbouring Mohmand
Mohmand
The Mohmand are a clan of Sarban Pashtuns, living primarily in the FATA & Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan & northeastern Afghanistan.- Demographics :...
Agency, with an estimated 300,000 fleeing their homes. The estimate of casualties ran into the hundreds. The offensive was launched in the wake of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to Washington in late July, and is believed by some to be in response to U.S. demands that Pakistan prevent the FATA being used as a safe haven by insurgents fighting American and NATO troops in Afghanistan. However, the offensive was decided by the military, not the civilian government. The bloody bombing of Pakistan Ordnance Factories in Wah
2008 Wah bombing
The 2008 Wah bombing was a double suicide attack on the Pakistan Ordnance Factories in Wah, Pakistan, on 21 August 2008. The attack, which killed at least 70 and wounded over 100, is the deadliest on a military site in Pakistan's history...
on August 21, 2008, came according to Maulvi Omar
Maulvi Omar
Maulvi Said Muhammad, better known as Maulvi Omar or Maulvi Umar, is a senior Taliban commander who was captured by the Pakistani security forces in August 2009. Omar, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan , was a close associate of Baitullah Mehsud...
, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, as a response to the Bajaur offensive.
After nine months of vigorous clashes between government security forces and Taliban, military forces have finally claimed to have forced militants out of Bajaur Agency, and advanced towards strongholds of Taliban in the region. According to figures provided by the Government of Pakistan, 1,600 militants were killed and more than 2,000 injured, while some 150 civilians also died and about 2,000 were injured in the fighting. The military operation forced more than 300,000 people to flee their homes and take shelter in IDP camps in settled districts of the province. To date, more than 180,000 IDPs have returned to their homes in Bajaur Agency, facing widespread destruction to their lives, livelihoods and massive unemployment.
Sahamsul Wahab Khan, son of Anbaul Subhan Kahan, was killed by the Taliban in 2007. Chief of Mamond, Malik Shah Jihan, was killed by some unknown persons in 2008. He was not only the chief of Mamond tribals, but also one of the powerful personalities of FATA.
Local Politics
The NawabNawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
of Khar Bajaur used to run this border area nearly autonomously, but he could not rule the Utmankhel Tribe, and they remained as Azad Qabail within the Agency throughout the history of Bajaur. Remnants of the Nawabi system still exists, and the Nawab family is represented by Nawabzada Dawood Khan (Tehsil Khan), Shams-ul-Wahab Khan (the late Paccha Khan), Walayat Khan, Spoo Khan, and their sons. Although the name of their father had a significant impact on the locals, they have yet to establish themselves.
In the present decade, tribal elders, known locally as Maliks, had a great influence in the local politics of the agency. Among the Maliks, famous Maliks include Malik Umar Wahid ALizai,Engineer Muhammad Bahadar Khan of Sadiq Abad Phatak, Malik Mahboob Salarzai, Engineer Said Wahid Alizai, Malik Noor Zada Utmankhel, Malik Gulzada Shamozai, Malik Mohammad Akbar Qazafi, Malik Khan Bahadar Sara Mena, Malik Rehman Batai, Malik Qadar Khan Ghani Adai, Malik Awal Said Barang, Malik Shah Jehan of Larkholozai (late), Malik Ayaz Khan of Barkhalozai, Malik Abdul Aziz of Kamar, Malik Faqir Muhammad of Umaray, Malik Taj of Tarkho, Malik Gulzada of Damadola, and Malik Taj of Lagharai. These elders are Agency Councilors, and their views are taken into consideration in the decision making process of Bajaur.
Utmankhel tribe has a significant impact on the politics of the Agency and history shows that they remained the king makers in the electoral set up of the state, but they have never ruled the Agency.
Traditions and Customs
1.Eid:
Eid is celebrated with warmth and special dress are wore by everyone.
They serve food to the niegbours and friends in three days of Eid.
Bakery sweats are taken with black tea.
Children gets Eidi from elders and enjoy going to hilly stations and local bazars.
Young ones play indoor games and arrange Sobat together
See also
- Damadola airstrikeDamadola airstrikeOn 13 January 2006 the Central Intelligence Agency fired missiles into the Pakistani village of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal area, about seven kilometres from the Afghan border, killing at least 18 people. Originally the Bajaur tribal area government claimed that at least four foreign members...
of January 13, 2006 - Chenagai airstrikeChenagai airstrikeThe Chenagai airstrike took place on October 30, 2006, around 5:00 am. local time. Missiles were fired at a madrassa in Chenagai village in Bajaur region of Pakistan. An eyewitness has stated that the madrassa was filled with local students who had resumed studies after the Eid ul-Fitr holiday. 82...
of October 30, 2006 - Bajaur offensive
- KakazaiKakazaiThe Kakazai , also known as Loye Mamund , are a Pashtun tribe originally from the Laghman province of Afghanistan.They came to South Asia during Afghan invasions such as those of Mahmud of Ghazni, settling in various regions....
- SalarzaiSalarzaiSalarzais, along with the Kakazai and Wur, are one of the four clans of Tarkanis. There were around 8,000 members in the Babukarrah and Charmung valleys in Bajaur and 150 members in Bara Banda of Nowshera District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 1910....