Chachi’s are referred to those people who originate from the
geographical area, Chach (Attock), in North-West Punjab, Pakistan.
Therefore, the word ‘Chachi’ does not mean any caste, creed or clan.
Not all Chachi’s are Pathan’s, some of who descend from Kashmiri’s
and Africans, who came with the Arabs, during the introduction of
Islam, to present day Pakistan.
There are still some Chach Pathans who speak Pashto. Hindko is a language, which can be traced back to the Gandhara civilisation. This particular region has been the centre of migration for thousands of years. Over the last five hundred years, the region has been dominated by Pathan’s, and Pashto was widely spoken amongst the populace. However, the administrators of the region, continued to speak Punjabi (the Hindko dialect), until Urdu became the official language. This has lead to a revival of Hindko as the popular language being spoken. Another contributing factor to the revival of Hindko has been the arrival of merchants and traders from the Punjab, over 150 years ago. Hindko is now the dominant language in Attock, and Pashto is hardly ever spoken amongst the settled inhabitants.
There is conflicting theory on whether Pashto or Hindko is the original language of the area, as many Chachi’s state that their elders used to speak Pashto. This confusion has led to many Pashto speaking Pathan’s in nearby regions, not recognising the Chach Pathan’s as Pathan’s. Indeed, who can argue with them, when some Chach Pathan’s themselves would argue that they are culpable because they have discarded their own language (Pashto) and culture to facilitate trade with the Punjabi merchants. This proud ness and modesty shows that the Chach Pathan’s have the original characteristics of the Pathan instilled within them.
There are some Chach Pathan’s, who are every bit if not more of a Pathan than the Pashto speaking Pathan’s. They are conservative and firmly hold on to the ideals and notions of Pashtunwali or ‘Pathanwalgi’ as pronounced in Hindko. Many of these people exist in small villages in Chach and even when they emigrate, they take their principles with them. They still maintain their strict code of honour in places like Birmingham, England, where there is a large community of Chach Pathan’s.
There are different types of Chach Pathans, some of whom are modernistic, and may no longer be called Pathan’s, but there are also those who are still very much conservatives. They, like the Pashto speaking Pathan’s, are proud of their clans.
