The Pathans


Book Description




Pathans of the Latter Day


Book Description

Pathans of the Latter Day is a sequel to the author's The Way of the Pathans written more than forty years ago and frequently cited in literature on Pakistan's north-west frontier since. It is a self-contained volume based on return visits to the Frontier in the 1980s and 1990s. A combination of history, personal experience, and interpretation, Pathans of the Latter Day details the origins and structure of the volatile tribesmen living along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, their highly developed code of law, Pukhtunwali, their acceptance of Pakistan, their relations with their Chinese neighbours, and their experiences during the wars in Afghanistan. A quietly humorous anecdotal style provides vivid glimpses of life among today's modernized Pathans, as well as among traditional tribesmen of the Afridi, Wazir, Mahsud, Yusufzai, Mohmand, and Khattak clans.




Political Leadership Among Swat Pathans


Book Description

A classic and highly influential ethnography, which explores political leadership among Swat Pathans - and which emphasizes the importance of individual decision-making for wider social processes. This study describes certain aspects of the society of the Pathans of the Swat valley in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Except where other reference is given, the material on which it is based was collected by the author in the period February-November 1954.




The Pashtun Question


Book Description

Most contemporary journalistic and scholarly accounts of the instability gripping Afghanistan and Pakistan have argued that violent Islamic extremism, including support for the Taliban and related groups, is either rooted in Pashtun history and culture, or finds willing hosts among their communities on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Abubakar Siddique sets out to demonstrate that the failure, or even unwillingness, of both Afghanistan and Pakistan to absorb the Pashtuns into their state structures and to incorporate them into the economic and political fabric is central to these dynamics, and a critical failure of nation- and state-building in both states. In his book he argues that religious extremism is the product of these critical failures and that responsibility for the situation lies to some degree with the elites of both countries. Partly an eye-witness account and partly meticulously researched scholarship, The Pashtun Question describes a people whose destiny will shape the future of Pakistan and Afghanistan.




Durand's Curse


Book Description

Blood and fire have often blighted Afghanistan, the three Anglo-Afghan wars being among the bloodiest and the cruelest in its history. But Britain's partitioning of Afghanistan will rank as the greatest crime of the nineteenth century. That arbitrary line which Mortimer Durand drew in 1893 on a small piece of paper continues to bleed Afghanistan and hound the world. Alas, this story remained untold until now. Written in an inimitable style, Durand's Curse is the result of deep research. Fascinating details from long-buried archives of history reveal for the first time a tale of intrigue and deceit against Afghanistan. First the British and then Pakistan had taken away territory that originally belonged to Afghanistan. But the divided Pathan families refuse to accept this division even now and for the last century and over, there has been a struggle to rub out the cursed line drawn across the sand. Rajiv Dogra brings alive the wars, the tragedies and the Afghan anger against injustice in this heart-wrenching account of Afghanistan's misfortunes. This is an absolutely riveting story of the Indian sub-continent's history told by an important writer of our generation.




The Pathan Borderland


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The Pathan Unarmed


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Examines the rise in the inter-war years of a Gandhian influenced non-violent movement in the North West Frontier.




Pakistan


Book Description

In the past decade Pakistan has become a country of immense importance to its region, the United States, and the world. With almost 200 million people, a 500,000-man army, nuclear weapons, and a large diaspora in Britain and North America, Pakistan is central to the hopes of jihadis and the fears of their enemies. Yet the greatest short-term threat to Pakistan is not Islamist insurgency as such, but the actions of the United States, and the greatest long-term threat is ecological change. Anatol Lieven's book is a magisterial investigation of this highly complex and often poorly understood country: its regions, ethnicities, competing religious traditions, varied social landscapes, deep political tensions, and historical patterns of violence; but also its surprising underlying stability, rooted in kinship, patronage, and the power of entrenched local elites. Engagingly written, combining history and profound analysis with reportage from Lieven's extensive travels as a journalist and academic, Pakistan: A Hard Country is both utterly compelling and deeply revealing.




Origins and History of Jats and Other Allied Nomadic Tribes of India


Book Description

Jats, Rajputs, Ahirs, Gujjars, Baloches And Pathans Are The Descendants Of Foreign Nomadic Tribes Such As Scythians, Ahiras, Huns, Yueh-Ches, Kushans And Turks Respectively Who Invaded India Frequently From The 7Th Century B.C. These Nomadic Tribes Were The Inhabitants Of Siberia, Eastern Europe And Western China. They Entered India As Invaders But Ultimately, They Assimilated Into The Indian Civilization, Embraced Its Religions And Settled Peacefully In India.Most Of The Anthropologists Who Have Written About The Dynastic Histories Of The People Of Panjab Have Not Included The Accounts Of Scheduled Castes Dalits, Harijans, Etc. Despite The Fact That They Are Also The Descendants Of The Invading Hordes Like The Other People Of India, And Have The Same Characteristics Of So-Called Privileged Classes. After The Achievement Of India S Independence They Started Enjoying Equal Rights In Every Sphere Of Life. Some Of Them Have Gone Ahead Of Their Fellows In Various Fields Politics, Education, Sports, Judiciary, Etc. And Have Produced Famous Personalities Like Baba Saheb Ambedkar, K.R. Narayanan And Many Others.Primarily Endogamous Communities, Calling Themselves As Jatt, Jat, Getae Or Zutt, Lived Predominantly In Large Parts Of Northern And North-Western India And In Southern And Eastern Parts, Now In Pakistan. They Were Either Sedentic Farmers Or Nomadic Pastoralists.The Book Brings Forth Various Facets Of Origins And History Of All These Classes. References And Text Have Been Painstakingly Collected From Various Authentic Sources. It Will Be Highly Useful For Students, Teachers Of History And Sociology And Researchers In Those Fields. Common Readers Interested In Knowing About The Origins And History Of Jats And Other Nomadic Tribes Of India Will Also Find It Interesting And Informative.




A Pathan Odyssey


Book Description

This book describes its Khan's involvement in the formation of Pakistan. The author, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq focuses on his experiences as part of the early diplomatic aristocracy. The book will captivate its readers with both its insider's history of the country and the many insights for current and future generations.