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Syed Amiruddin Shah Gillani hails from a spiritual family; his ancestors migrated from Iran many centuries ago and settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, providing spiritual guidance to people. Now in his 80s, he recalls a time when peace prevailed everywhere; there was no violence in the land of the ancient Gandhara civilisation.
“There used to be peace, hospitality; literary and cultural activities. A typical tribal society with hujra and jumaat (mosque) entwined in social norms and traditions that kept institutions and people tied together is now in ruins. The image of a peaceful Pashtun society is smeared with blood and the smoke of bomb blasts everywhere. Tribal life in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has undergone a tremendous change; for Peshawarites, fear was a word that existed only in the dictionary during the 60s and 70s,” Gillani recalls sadly.
For thousands of years the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been living with Sikhs, Hindus and Christians in a peaceful environment. Kashmiri, Qizalbash, Bihari and several other communities speaking different languages, lived along with Afghan refugees, Shinwaris, Mohamads, Afridis and other tribes settled in Peshawar. The traditional hujras where different social and political events were held were open for everybody, jirgas passed verdicts and those were instantly implemented. Everyone believed in the integrity of elders and their unanimous decisions. The hujra custom is fast fading away, only in remote villages and tribal agencies is it still intact but not in its original form. Jirga is also losing its status in society owing to officialdom, jobbery and partiality.
The city of bustling bazaars, where the streets were narrow but the people generous and large-hearted, once enjoyed widespread fame for its historical sites, antiques, food, green tea, dry fruit, slippers and chapplee kebab but is now an abode of militancy, extremism and ransom. The festivities of a wedding would last for a month. Guests would arrive in the city and enjoy nocturnal visits to the famous Ghuntaghar bazaar that remained open till the wee hours. On Sundays a visit to Khyber Pass on the Khyber train safari was a great source of joy for locals as well as visitors.
Young people would go for fishing to the streams running through adjacent villages of Peshawar city without any fear of being whisked away for ransom. Every year thousands of foreign tourists visited Peshawar, Khyber Pass, Swat, Swabi, Mardan and other tourist spots and archaeological sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Peshawar was also famous for different antiques and Afghan carpets. People from Karachi and Lahore came to Bara, now a stronghold of militants, to buy foreign smuggled goods.
The Rahman Baba urs held in the month of April attracted poets from all over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Afghnistan where scholars read out papers while poets presented poetic tributes to the Sufi poet. Disciples distributed free lungar while others played the rabab and sang Rahman Baba’s sufi kalam. Jashne Baharan was yet another regular feature that brought popular theatre from Lahore and Bannu. The city stage, cinemas and musicians at Dabgari Bazaar provided healthy and cheap entertainment. People even from surrounding villages of Peshawar came to watch stage performances and rode back on tongas.
The Jundo Mela, a jubilant annual event, used to be held at Chowkyadgaar in spring season that heralded the blossoming of flowers in the city. In fact this mela was a sequel of the unfurling of flags on the shrine of Pir Sakhi Sarwar sahib in Mashzar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.
However, not everything was golden in the bygone days and Gillani is quick to point out problem areas as well.
“The ratio of education was at the lowest especially among females. People sent their children to religious seminaries or to home maktabs where they thought the teachers were Syeds; they did not believe in modern schools. Girls’ education was considered unIslamic and against the social norms of Pashtuns. Parents in tribal society still do not invest in their daughters’ education because they believe it will benefit only their in-laws,” Gillani observed.
Gillani is also deeply saddened by the plight of women in his hometown. “Pashtun in general respect women but in many cases don’t recognise their rights, they prefer Pashtunwali (Pashtun code of life) instead of Islamic Shariah when it comes to giving share in inheritance. At least I have given a share in my property to my daughters. Parents most often don’t ask their daughters’ consent during marriage decisions. There is a trickling change with regard to women’s education but giving share in inheritance and providing education to daughters will take time. Badal, Swara and some other discriminatory rituals relating to women’s rights are still in vogue,” Gillani laments.
Life in and around the historic city of Peshawar has witnessed unprecedented changes during the past three decades. Since the influx of Afghan refugees in the early 80s, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has suffered many political and social upheavals. “With them the Kalashnikov and heroin culture crept into every sphere of life and brought a massive change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which spread to other parts of the country. Peace was the first causality and the rest is history,” Gillani says.
With the huge influx of Afghans into Pakistan after the Russian aggression, many rituals, traditions and social customs took a new turn on this side of the Durand Line. People hailing from different tribes got mixed up and intermarriages became a common phenomenon. Slowly and gradually Afghan immigrants set up their own businesses in and around Peshawar, their cuisine and dresses found expression in many forms: Kabuli Pulao and Afghan boutiques are now household names among the Peshawarites.
The general attitude of people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also changed considerably towards performing arts, singing and artistes. Earlier, singing was the prerogative of a particular class of singers dubbed Shahkhel who were looked down upon in a typical Pashtun society. Sardar Ali Takar hailing from a politically aristocratic family was the first to break away from this centuries’ old biased tradition and paved the way for newcomers.
Arbab Fazal Rauf, Haroon Bacha, Humayoun Khan, Fazaa Fayyaz, Zeek Afridi, Irfan Khan, Janas Khan and recently Fayaz Khan Kheshgi all belonging to well-off, powerful families are contributing tremendously to Pashto music.
Militancy, extremism, bomb blasts, suicide and drone attacks and socio-economic problems have multiplied people’s sufferings but things will change for the better — as a famous Pashto tapa says, “Saanga ba nun saba ke gul shee / maa ye pa ser ke sray ghutai leedalay deena (roughly translated: The branches will soon overgrow with red flowers as I have observed blossoming petals on their peak.”)
“Hope is always there, we expect a big change will come that will change the lives of the people. I have seen good days and bad times , I pray for better times once again when religious obligations, social and cultural values are truly observed , when women’s rights are served and peace and tolerance prevail on the soil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Gillani concluds.
