One night in Bajaur
By Nadeem Akram
Being in Fata, Bajaur is not open to tourists though its beauty has much to offer
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IT was one of those rare occasions when a business trip turned out to be one of the most memorable and pleasurable experiences of my life. The one and half days that I spent in the bosom of the Bajaur valley were exactly what the doctor had ordered — a perfect therapy for city blues!
Unfortunately, entry to Bajaur is by invitation and/or solicitation only. This is really unfortunate because Bajaur has so much to offer. A tourist may find the ride to Ghakhi Pass separating Pakistan from Afghanistan as one of the most exciting rides in the world. A history lover would like to follow the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Babar and Nadir Shah who entered the Subcontinent through Nawa Pass in Bajaur.
And last, but the least, for a weary city dweller like me, Bajaur presents a kind of peace and tranquillity that is hard to find at most ‘refreshing’ places in the country. Pity that Bajaur remains shrouded in a mist of fear, fib and infamy.
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I was not favourably disposed towards the directive that necessitated our trip to Bajaur. But as the saying goes: ‘a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do’, so there I was heading towards Bajaur one bright Monday morning. A neat autumn sun was on the ascendance as we set out for our journey to Bajaur. I was visibly excited at the prospects of visiting a tribal area. My companion, a veteran of two wars, was affectionately amused at my exhilaration. Bajaur, I was told, as we left Peshawar, is about 130 kilometres south-west of the capital city, and it would take us a little over two hours to reach our office in Bajaur.
Bajaur Agency is part of seven Federally Administered Tribal Areas, commonly known as FATA or simply the tribal belt. Bajaur is spread over 580 square miles and its population estimates stand at half-a-million people belonging to Mamund, Uthman and Tarakani tribes. The rightful owners of Bajaur were the legendary Yousafzai tribesmen, who held their own against many powerful conquerors, including Akbar the Great. However, they relinquished their control of Bajaur, under an agreement, in favour of their allies, the Uthmans and Tarakanis who had sided with them during their campaign to take control of Hasht Nagar (present day Charsadda), Bajaur, Malakand, Buner, Dir and Swat.
Many Bajuarians believe that Bajaur owes its christening to Alexander who, contrary to his usual method of subjugation, requested Bajuarians to lease (rent or baj) the place for his troops to rest and recuperate. There appears to be some truth to this belief. According to Herodotus, Alexander’s army fought battles in Swat, Barikot, and Odigram, however, there is no mention that Alexander’s army had any conflict with Bajuarians other than an incident involving a young queen who had married Alexander and was put to sword by tribesmen opposed to her matrimony with the conqueror.
The next great man to enter Bajaur was Zaheer-ud-din Babar. Unlike his predecessor, Babar had a rather bitter encounter with the Bajuarians. Babar attacked Bajaur Fort with matchlocks; something quite new to the garrison. The whole male inhabitants, 3000 in number, including their chiefs were cruelly put to sword and a pillar was erected of their heads. Following Babar’s departure, the next time Bajaur made its appearance in the history books was when Babar’s grandson was at the helm of affairs in Delhi.
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Following an insurgency in Bajaur, Akbar ordered an army to be sent to Bajaur to restore peace and order. Interestingly, the name associated with Bajaur in this context is that of Raja Birbar, the arch rival of Abul Fazl. Apparently, both Abul Fazl and Birbar were the prime contenders to lead Bajaur expedition, however, it was Birbar who ended up with the coveted assignment, much to the dismay of Abul Fazl. Bajuarians gave the royal army a taste of their own medicine and a number of generals, including that of Raja Birbar, lost their lives in the Bajaur campaign. It was the last ditch effort of Zain Khan Koka, a general of the royal army, that restored the royal dictate in Bajaur.
Bajaur remained a nonentity and played a second fiddle to Swat and Malakand for a very long time. It was as late as 1973 that the Government of Pakistan decided to severe the umbilical cord between Malakand and Bajaur and awarded Bajaur the status of an Agency. The modern day Bajaur defies the textbook definition of a tribal area. There are no gun-wielding tribesmen to be seen. I could not sight a single arms and ammunition shop anywhere in Khar, the main town Bazaar, in Bajaur. Instead, what I witnessed were ordinary men and women going about their business in bazaars and in the fields.
On our way to Ghakhi Pass, about one hour drive from Khar, I could spot a number of women working in the fields, unfettered by the passing vehicles and the pedestrian traffic on the road. The children playing by the roadside behaved no different than the children in most parts of the Frontier province. They waved at us and ran after our vehicle like all other children in most rural areas of Pakistan.
The next pleasant surprise came our way as we were driving to pay a visit to the Political Agent of Bajaur Agency. As we moved out of our office, which is situated opposite a ghee factory, a newly constructed gas station with computerized pumping silos greeted us. The brightness the white and yellow of the pumping station against the backdrop of brown barren mountains was quite refreshing. Few minutes later, we passed an under construction football stadium to our left and a brand new bus stand to our right. Bajaur seems to be heading towards the right direction.
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Another silent revolution taking place in Bajaur without much fanfare or promotion is the establishment of a Human Development Support Unit by National Commission for Human Development, an organization with a mandate to improve the Human Development indices of Pakistan. The mere fact that NCHD has been able to establish its office and successfully operate for over two years is indicative of the organization’s commitment to provide the masses of this country with an opportunity to make choices in order to improve their quality of life.
The accomplishments of NCHD speak volumes of the dedication and steadfastness of the young men and women who are working day in and day out in an extremely harsh and hostile environment. We visited one of NCHD sub-area offices which provides basic health education and health care. The staff, which included two females (one of them hailed from Malakand Agency), who briefed us about the NCDH activities, much to my surprise, was articulate, confident and thoroughly professional. Their achievements were mindboggling considering the fact that they operated in one of the most hardcore areas of Bajaur.
In short, the people of Bajaur are among the privileged few of millions of downtrodden people whose prayers have been answered and the long awaited ‘help’ has finally arrived.
I left Bajaur with a heavy heart and with a pledge make a planned visit for an in depth exploration of this area.