History of pashton struggle for Freedom
History of pashton
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Struggle for Freedom
When Sindh and Multan
were conquered by the Muslim army under the inspiring leadership of the
young General Mohammad bin Qasim, in 711 A.D. this part of the South
Asian Sub-Continent was still ruled by a Hindu Shahi dynasty. Subaktagin
was the first Muslim ruler who crossed swords with Jaipal, a powerful
ruler of the Hindu Shahi dynasty in 997. Later, the Muslims under the
command of his illustrious son Mahmud of Ghazna invaded the
sub-continent as many as seventeen times and fought fierce battles
against Jaipal, his son Anandpal and other Hindu rulers and Rajas of
Northern India. He was followed by Shahabud Din Mohammad Ghori,
Qutb-ud-Din Aibak and other sultans and finally the great Mughals who
ruled the sub-continent for centuries. Things, however, began to change
after the death of Aurangzeb Alamgir, the last powerful ruler of the
Mughal dynasty. The internal disputes, court intrigues and feuds of
rival factions weakened the Mughal Central Government and the
centrifugal tendencies of the Mughal Governors sounded the death knell
of the mighty Mughal Empire.
The way was thus
paved for the rise of Ranjit Singh, who eventually extended his military
sway from Lahore upto the foothills of Khyber in the first quarter of
the 19th century. The Sikh advance was, however, checked by the
tribesmen who did not allow them to encroach upon their independence.
The Pukhtoons fought several battles against them and finally measured
their strength of arms with the militant Sikhs in a battle fought within
the environs of Jamrud in 1837. In this pitched battle the Sikhs
sustained heavy casualties. It was here that their famous General Hari
Singh Nalwa, was killed.
Twelve years later the
superior and disciplined forces of the British defeated the Sikhs in
successive battles and annexed the whole of the territory beyond the
Indus river and ruled over the North West Frontier for about a century.
The
Pukhtoons resisted violently all attempts by the British to subjugate
or turn them into docile and obedient members of an enslaved community.
They offered stubborn resistance to the British forces and Inspite of
their meager means and resources, the Pukhtoons carried on an un-ending
war against them for the preservation of their liberty. The British,
proud of their glory and might, sent about one hundred expeditions one
after the other against the Pukhtoons to subdue them by force but they
did not yield to the enemy's military might. According to Col. H.C.
Wylly 62 military expeditions were despatched against the tribesmen
between 1849-1908, besides every day small skirmishes. These included
the famous Ambela campaign 1863, the Black Mountain expedition 1868, the
Miranzai expedition 1891, the Hassanzai expedition 1894, the Dir and
Chitral expedition 1895, the Tirah campaign 1897, and the Mahsud-Waziri
expeditions 1897. As a result of this aggressive policy the whole
frontier, from Malakand to Waziristan, flared up in revolt against the
British in 1897.
The frontier rising of 1897
engaged about 98000 trained and well equipped British Indian forces in a
grim struggle. According to Col. H.D. Hutchison, the approximate
strength of the Tirah expeditionary force alone was "1010 British
Officers, 10,882 British troops, 491 native officers, 22,123 native
troops, 197 hospital Assistants, 179 clerks, 19,558 followers, 8000
horses, 18,384 mules and ponies and 1440 hospital riding ponies". But to
these figures, he says, "must be added an enormous number of camels,
carts, ponies etc working on the long line of communication with Kohat
and gradually brought into use as needs increased and the roads were
improved". The British forces suffered 1150 casualties during the Tirah
expedition. Similar was the fate of other expeditions as well. The
operations against Mohmand in 1915-16, and Wazirs and Mahsuds between
1917-1920 and 1936 Waziri campaign also deserves special mention. In
1917 an arduous campaign was undertaken against the Mahsuds and an
aeroplane was made use of for the first time in Waziristan. In 1936 the
dales and mountains of Waziristan resounded with the echoes of Jehad.
The main cause of the war was the marriage of Islam Bibi (a Hindu Girl
of Bannu who was named Islam Bibi after conversion to Islam) with a
Muslim. She was later on returned to her parents in accordance with the
decision of the British law court. The Government sent over 30,000 well
equipped army to curb the activities of the tribal lashkars in
Waziristan but it met with no or little success. "By December 1937",
says Authur Swinson, "when the 40,000 British and Indian troops pulled
back on Peshawar, the situation was no better than it had been in
January, and in 1938 more fighting was to ensue." The expenditure on the
Frontier war and "the burden on the Indian tax payer was enormous and
between 1924 and 1939 it totalled 11,2000,000 pounds". But the long
range heavy guns and air bombardment did not dishearten the tribesmen
and they continued their intermittent struggle against an imperialist
power till the dawn of Independence. "Throughout the hundred and odd
years of the British rule over the North West Frontier, Waziristan was
always one of the most heavily garrisoned areas anywhere in the world.
Seething with political unrest and ceaseless guerilla warfare, this was
the testing place - the crucible of valour and efficiency for
generations of British soldiers, statesmen and civil servants". The
British invariably deputed their ablest military and civil officers to
serve in these areas which had become the best training ground for the
British soldiers. In fact, the British soldiers had never before
experienced such tough and arduous life as on the Frontier. This is well
reflected from a stanza of Mr. Kipling's "Frontier Arithmetic"
A scrimmage in a Border StationAs the freedom movement gained momentum in the Sub-Continent, the tribesmen in general and the Pukhtoons of NWFP in particular rallied round the dynamic leadership of the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and under the green banner of the Muslim League for the establishment of an independent Muslim State. They resisted the insidious temptations of the Hindu Congress leaders. They gave vent to their feelings of indignation at the time of Pandat Jawahar Lal Nehru's visit to Khyber, Malakand and North Waziristan Agencies in autumn of 1946. They staged violent demonstrations against the visiting Congress dignitary and the then Head of the Interim Government of India and thereby proved to him their feelings of love for a Muslim state and un-shakeable confidence in the able leadership of the Quaid-e-Azam. Their efforts and sacrifices, in common with the rest of the Mussalmans in the Sub-Continent to carve out a sovereign and independent Islamic State for themselves were ultimately crowned with success. Pakistan, their life-long dream, appeared on the map of the world and as dedicated and patriotic citizens of Pakistan, the tribesmen pledged themselves to stand by the rest of their brethren in defending its integrity and the solidarity of its people.
A center down some dark defile,
Two thousand pounds of education
Drops to a ten rupee Jezail
The Pukhtoon's devotion to Pakistan -
their homeland, was warmly appreciated by the Quaid-e-Azam, who as the
first Governor General of Pakistan ordered a complete immediate
withdrawal of all troops from tribal areas hitherto stationed by an
alien Government. The so called ferocious warriors turned in no time
into peaceful citizens as if by a magic wand, passionately interested in
their own progress and the well being of Pakistan. The governance of
the tribal belt is no longer a problem for Pakistan; on the contrary the
government is actively associating tribesmen in the progress and
prosperity of the country. It is one of the cherished goals of the
Pakistan Government to work for the socio-economic uplift of the
tribesmen who had been deliberately ignored by alien rulers. A number of
public utility schemes aiming at socio-economic, educational and
industrial uplift have already been completed while many more are being
speedily implemented.
The tribal area which was at one time a scene of wild affrays is now completely peaceful. "At present", says Ian Stephens, "the irritant of the infidel British regime having withdrawn itself, the Frontier is remarkably peaceful. During journeys, since the withdrawal, along the Pakistan side of it, in 1948, 1951 and again this year (1961), I have been amazed by the change. Within my extensive zone of travel there were no hostilities, actual or apprehended between the Frontier Corps or the Army or tribal lashkars, as in former days. Nor did I see the least sign of Pukhtoonistan activities". A similar opinion has been expressed by Mr. H.C. Taussig in the `Eastern World'. "There is no doubt" he say "that the situation has vastly improved, at least in some areas which it was unsafe to travel by day and impossible by night, I was able to move freely without escort, at any time".
Appreciating the pace of development in tribal areas in the wake of peaceful conditions the world famous historian, Professor Arnold J. Toynbee says "Pakistan does pursue a forward policy on the frontier and a vigorous one, but its key instruments are not weapons of war, they are dispensaries, schools, sports, and, above all, economic development. This last instrument is supremely important, because it gives the tribesmen opportunities for finding alternate means of livelihood to the raiding which has been their traditional recourse". The improvement in communications has revolutionized the means of transportation as well. THE camels and donkeys are gradually being replaced by motorized conveyances. "In this northern world round Peshawar", says Professor Toynbee, "times are changing. Not so long ago the traveller through the Khyber Pass had to pay tribute to the Afridis, or it would be the worse for him. Passing emperors have defied the Afridis and have lived or sometimes not lived to regret it. Today we can travel through the pass and back by the Afridi Bus Service and the tribute has turned into a fare. In old days a tribe used to measure its strength by the number of its rifles. Today it measures it by the number of its buses and lorries".
The tribal area which was at one time a scene of wild affrays is now completely peaceful. "At present", says Ian Stephens, "the irritant of the infidel British regime having withdrawn itself, the Frontier is remarkably peaceful. During journeys, since the withdrawal, along the Pakistan side of it, in 1948, 1951 and again this year (1961), I have been amazed by the change. Within my extensive zone of travel there were no hostilities, actual or apprehended between the Frontier Corps or the Army or tribal lashkars, as in former days. Nor did I see the least sign of Pukhtoonistan activities". A similar opinion has been expressed by Mr. H.C. Taussig in the `Eastern World'. "There is no doubt" he say "that the situation has vastly improved, at least in some areas which it was unsafe to travel by day and impossible by night, I was able to move freely without escort, at any time".
Appreciating the pace of development in tribal areas in the wake of peaceful conditions the world famous historian, Professor Arnold J. Toynbee says "Pakistan does pursue a forward policy on the frontier and a vigorous one, but its key instruments are not weapons of war, they are dispensaries, schools, sports, and, above all, economic development. This last instrument is supremely important, because it gives the tribesmen opportunities for finding alternate means of livelihood to the raiding which has been their traditional recourse". The improvement in communications has revolutionized the means of transportation as well. THE camels and donkeys are gradually being replaced by motorized conveyances. "In this northern world round Peshawar", says Professor Toynbee, "times are changing. Not so long ago the traveller through the Khyber Pass had to pay tribute to the Afridis, or it would be the worse for him. Passing emperors have defied the Afridis and have lived or sometimes not lived to regret it. Today we can travel through the pass and back by the Afridi Bus Service and the tribute has turned into a fare. In old days a tribe used to measure its strength by the number of its rifles. Today it measures it by the number of its buses and lorries".
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