Orakzai
Encyclopedia
Orakzai is a Pashtun
tribe settled in the Orakzai Agency
of Pakistan
. It consists of eighteen clans. Most of the members are situated in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan
.
border of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, near the provincial capital of Peshawar
,. The Orakzais inhabit the mountains to the north-west of Kohat district, bounded on the north and east by the Afridis or Khyber Agency
, on the south by the Bangash
or Miranzai Valley
and on the west by the Zaimukht
country and the Safed Koh
mountains. Due to limited resources and fertile land, many Orakzai have settled in Pakistan's major urban centres such as Hangu
, Rhall, Parachinar
, Peshawar, Attock, (Nowshera-Amangarh), Islamabad
, Sialkot
, Wazirabad
, Lahore
, Abbottabad
and Karachi
.
. He was exiled or lost, and after many adventures he married and settled in Tirah
. One branch, the Ali Khel
, has been traced to Swat, whence they were expelled by the other inhabitants and it is not improbable that the whole tribe consists of refugee clans of the surrounding races. They cultivate a good deal of the Khanki and Kurmana valleys in the winter, but in the hot months retire to the heights of Tirah
, of which they occupy the southern half called the Mastura Valley.
army. The Bhopal State of India was established by Dost Muhammad Khan
, an Orakzai commander in the Mughal army. His descendants, the Nawabs of Bhopal
, were of Orakzai ancestry.
of 1897.
. A teenage suicide bomber
drove an explosives-laden truck into the meeting, killing 85 and injuring more than 200. Following the attack, tribal elders vowed to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
In 2010, Orakzai made headlines as the site of a stoning
.
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
tribe settled in the Orakzai Agency
Orakzai Agency
Orakzai Agency is one of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. It has a population of 450,000 and an area of .- History :The Orakzai tribes take their name, which literally means the lost son , from a romantic legend about their ancestor, Sikandar Shah, who was a prince from Iran,...
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...
. It consists of eighteen clans. Most of the members are situated in the North West Frontier Province 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...
.
Location
The Orakzai are a Pashtun tribe on the KohatKohat District
Kohat is a district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Kohat city is the capital of the district. It is inhabited by various Pashtun tribes such as Afridi,Khattaks, Bangash and the Orakzaies. The main language of the district is Pashto....
border of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, near the provincial capital of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
,. The Orakzais inhabit the mountains to the north-west of Kohat district, bounded on the north and east by the Afridis or Khyber Agency
Khyber agency
Khyber is a tribal area in the FATA region of Pakistan. It is one of the eight tribal areas, better known as agencies in Pakistan. It ranges from the Tirah valley down to Peshawar...
, on the south by the Bangash
Bangash
Bangash is the name of a Pashtun clan. The Bangash clan inhabit regions within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas , the Kurram Agency, the Miranzai Valley bordering the Samana Range, Naryab, Tirah, Kohat and Peshawar within the Sarhad province...
or Miranzai Valley
Miranzai Valley
The Miranzai Valley, also Hangu, is a mountainous valley situated in the Kohat and Hangu districts in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is made up of two valleys, draining from the southwest into the Kunam and northeast into the Kohat Tai. It is divided into upper and lower...
and on the west by the Zaimukht
Zaimukhts
The Zaimukhts are a Pashtun tribe living on the northwest frontier of Pakistan, to the south of the Orakzais on the Kohat border of the North-West Frontier Province. The Zaimukhts inhabit the hills to the south of the Orakzais between the Miranzai and Kurram valleys...
country and the Safed Koh
Safed Koh
Spin Ghar or Safed Kuh or the Indian Caucasus, also known as the Safīd Mountain Range or Morga Range, is a mountain range on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, up to above sea-level at Mount Sikaram, straight and rigid, towering above all surrounding hills...
mountains. Due to limited resources and fertile land, many Orakzai have settled in Pakistan's major urban centres such as Hangu
Hangu
-Places:China*Hangu District, Tianjin, district in Tianjin, China*Hangu Pass, pass in ChinaPakistan*Hangu, Pakistan, town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province*Hangu District , district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province...
, Rhall, Parachinar
Parachinar
Parachinar is the capital of Kurram Agency, FATA of Pakistan. It is about 290 km west of the capital, Islamabad...
, Peshawar, Attock, (Nowshera-Amangarh), Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
, Wazirabad
Wazirabad
AYAZ KHANWazirabad is an industrial city located in Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan. Wazirabad is situated on the banks of the Chenab River nearly 100 kilometres north of Lahore on the Grand Trunk Road. It is 45 kilometres from Sialkot, 30 kilometres from the district capital - Gujranwala...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Abbottabad
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
and Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
.
Religion
The Orakzai's are mostly Muslims from both major sects Sunni and Shia. There are some Sikh's also living along with Orakzai, but they are said to be originally Afridis.Origins
The Orakzai tribes take their name, which literally means the lost son (Wrak Dzoy), from a romantic legend about their ancestor, Sikandar Shah who was a prince from IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. He was exiled or lost, and after many adventures he married and settled in Tirah
Tirah
Tirah is a region located in Kurram and Khyber agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan . It lies between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley. It is inhabited by the Afridi and Orakzai tribes of Pashtuns...
. One branch, the Ali Khel
Ali Khel
Ali Khel is a Pakhtun tribe in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ali Khel belongs to tribe of Ghilzai and clan of Sunne Khel. It is considered a "brother tribe" of the Sulemankhel.- See also:* Ali Khel, Jalandhar a village in Punjab, India...
, has been traced to Swat, whence they were expelled by the other inhabitants and it is not improbable that the whole tribe consists of refugee clans of the surrounding races. They cultivate a good deal of the Khanki and Kurmana valleys in the winter, but in the hot months retire to the heights of Tirah
Tirah
Tirah is a region located in Kurram and Khyber agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan . It lies between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley. It is inhabited by the Afridi and Orakzai tribes of Pashtuns...
, of which they occupy the southern half called the Mastura Valley.
Mughal era
The Orakzais served in the MughalMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
army. The Bhopal State of India was established by Dost Muhammad Khan
Dost Mohammad Khan, Nawab of Bhopal
Dost Mohammad Khan was the founder of the Bhopal State in central India. He laid out the modern city of Bhopal, the capital of the Madhya Pradesh state....
, an Orakzai commander in the Mughal army. His descendants, the Nawabs of Bhopal
Nawab of Bhopal
The Nawabs of Bhopal were the Muslim rulers of the princely state of Bhopal, now part of the modern state of Madhya Pradesh, in India. The last Nawab was Hamidullah Khan, who acceded his state to India in 1947....
, were of Orakzai ancestry.
British era
The government of British India estimated that the tribe had 28,000 fighting men, but this must have been an exaggeration as the area could not possibly support the implied population of over 100,000. They were the object of various British military expeditions, notably in 1855, 1868, 1869, 1891, and the Tirah campaignTirah Campaign
The Tirah Campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah Expedition, was an Indian frontier war in 1897–98. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country.-Rebellion:...
of 1897.
Modern times
In October 2008, with Taliban influence growing in their area, an Orakzai tribal gathering was called to establish a militia to fight the Taliban, part of a growing trend among tribes in the North-west to oppose the former rulers of neighbouring AfghanistanAfghanistan
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...
. A teenage suicide bomber
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
drove an explosives-laden truck into the meeting, killing 85 and injuring more than 200. Following the attack, tribal elders vowed to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
In 2010, Orakzai made headlines as the site of a stoning
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
.