Punjabi nationalists and liberals on social media often claim that Waris Shah — the 18th-century Punjabi poet — referred to his contemporary, Ahmad Shah Durrani, as a “rabid dog of Kabul” or “Kabuli dog” in his poetry. To verify this, I researched the matter and read several translations of Waris Shah’s Heer. To my surprise, I found no evidence in his poetry to support such claims. It became clear to me that Waris Shah’s work has been grossly misinterpreted and misused.
What I found was that Waris Shah derisively likens men and women to various kinds of animals throughout his poetry. In one or two instances — depending on the version — he compares a group of aggressive women to Kabuli dogs, implying that they were as fierce as the female dogs of the Kabuli breed. This comparison is not intended as a reference to Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Afghan people, or their invasion of Punjab. It is also important to note that Ahmad Shah Durrani’s homeland and capital was Qandahar, not Kabul. Consistently, Waris Shah refers to him and his army as Qandahari in his verses.
The following is the relevant screenshot with Urdu translation:
As mentioned earlier, Waris Shah consistently refers to Ahmad Shah Abdali and his troops as Qandaharis throughout his poetry. In one instance, he describes the Qandaharis as having occupied Punjab, and in another, he identifies the conqueror of Punjab as a Qandahari. Notably, these references to Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Qandaharis are entirely free of any mocking or derogatory tone.
Relevant screenshots from the translated Heer are as follows:
Narratives promoted by Punjabi nationalists and Indians often portray the Sikhs as heroic defenders of Punjab against foreign invaders. Given this portrayal, one might expect Waris Shah’s poetry to praise their virtues. However, contrary to this expectation, Waris Shah’s verses often present a strikingly different perspective. For instance, he mocks the Jats (Sikhs), describing them as iman-farosh (ایمان فروش) — faith-sellers — as well as thieves and highway robbers.
Waris Shah was, in fact, deeply troubled by the rise of the Sikhs in Punjab. He wrote that by 1766–67 CE, the Jats (Sikhs) had become the dominant chieftains of the region. Under their rule, the Ashrafia — the noble families — were reduced to ruins, while the base and lowly prospered. Thieves rose to the rank of Chaudhris, women of ill repute disguised themselves as the righteous, and bands of malevolent individuals flourished.
The term Jat appears in Waris Shah’s couplets, but it is evident that he is referring to the Sikh Khalsa — primarily composed of Jats — who had established their dominance over much of Punjab by 1767. Elsewhere, he laments the decline of the Muslim Ashrafia, a consequence of the Sikhs’ rise.
Waris Shah himself was a Sayyid, belonging to Punjab’s Ashrafia. Naturally, he resented the downfall of the Ashrafia and the ascendancy of those he regarded as kameen (base and lowly). The Sikhs were particularly harsh toward Punjab’s Sayyids, Pirs, and Mullahs. As Sikh power grew, the influence of the Sayyids diminished.
Interestingly, Waris Shah counted the Pashtuns among the shurafa (nobility) of Punjab. Many of these Pashtuns lived in Punjab and spoke Pashto, as is evident from his poetry.
One such Pashtun settlement in Punjab was Kasur. Waris Shah, who received his education there, was deeply grieved by its devastation at the hands of the Sikhs. On Twitter, I came across a Punjabi nationalist claiming that Ahmad Shah Durrani was responsible for the destruction of Kasur. This is incorrect. The Afghans of Kasur were, in fact, staunch allies of Durrani. It was Sikh marauders who plundered and burned Kasur in 1763 and again in 1770.
An Important Note
The poetry of Waris Shah has been subject to distortion over time, with later generations — including Sikh contributors — adding to it. Therefore, it cannot be regarded as a fully reliable historical source, and no part of it can be definitively attributed to Waris Shah himself.
|
| Imaginary portrait of Waris Shah |
.webp)
Thanks for the well researched write up. Though I'm not Punjabi rather a Kashmiri
ReplyDelete