This blog by Barmazid features articles on the history of the Pashtun people as well as images of historical importance related to Pakhtunkhwa and its people
Afridi Families coming into Peshawar city at "Edward's Gate", 1898.
Illustration for The Graphic, 9 April 1898.
Caption: "Our correspondent writes:-"The submission of four sections of the Afridi tribesmen is now an accomplished fact. As soon as they submitted, the blockade against them was raised. Directly they were free to do so, they streamed into Peshawar city to get supplies, especially salt, the want of which they have felt severely. Peshawar city has lately been full of tribesfolk, men, women, and children, buying cloth, grain, seed, and all the necessaries of life. They have shown themselves extremely amenable to order".
An Afridi mountaineer inspecting revolver for sale, 1953. Photo by Harrison Forman. Source. Check his footwear. The typical straw-sandals of Afridis were usually made of dwarf-palm.
A group of armed Pashtun men and boys, Khyber Pass, 1953. Photo by Harrison Forman. Note the few pakols there. There are also some other photos from the 1950s showing Pashtun men of the Khyber Pass wearing the Pakol or Chitrali cap. It appears that the cap became popular in the region during the 1950s.
Ajab Khan – Amazing outlaw (Excerpt from "And then the Pathan murders" by Muhammad Ali)
"Ajab Khan and his brother—Shahzada—sons of Sher Dil of Bosti Khel (sub-section of Afridi tribe) lived alongwith their mother in Jawaki a village in Tribal Area a few miles west of the Kohat-Peshawar Road. His father had died a few years earlier. The day he was considered old enough to take out the goats and sheep for grazing, he started learning to shoot with the rifle. By the time he came of age (it is 16 years in the Tribal Area) he was known as one of the best marksmen in his village and he had shown his skill in several target-shooting contests.
The nearest town where young men from his village used to go for shopping or sight-seeing was Kohat where these hot-blooded youths used to roam about in the bazaars. If they had some money (which was not often the case) they used to spend it at the shops of the ‘Kabbbis’ (one who roasts minced meat cutlets) or Tea-venders. Ajab Khan during these prowlings was in the habit of watching the movements of the sentries who were guarding the Government buildings both in the Civil Lines and the Cantonment.
He desperately wanted a 303 rifle for his personal use. His own was a crude weapon made by a blacksmith of Kohat Pass whose barrel got heated after a few shots. One evening he planned to snatch a rifle from a sentry who was guarding a Police Post in Kohat town. He lay in wait till the sentry turned about to resume his routine march in front of the Police Post and then he suddenly pounced upon the unwary victim like a panther, knocked him down on the ground, snatched his rifle and ran away.
The poor sentry was taken by surprise. He raised an alarm which brought several policemen out of the guard room, but they were too late to overtake Ajab Khan as he had disappeared in the dusk. The whole incident was over in less than a minute. He and his companions triumphantly returned home where he was applauded by the village elders for his valorous deed. He was emboldened to repeat such acts of “snatch and grab” off and on with the result that in a short time he had a pretty good armoury of his own.
Some of these rifles he gave to his friends and relatives and the remaining he sold to his tribesmen at high prices. These gun-snatching raids in the course of time became a regular feature of his gang's activities. The authorities suspected him in several cases but in spite of their best efforts they could not catch him red-handed. According to the terms of the treaty entered into by the British Government with the tribes, the Government had no jurisdiction to secure his arrest from the Tribal Area.
When these profitable raids increased at an alarming rate, the district authorities became very much concerned. Col. C. E. Bruce who was then the Deputy Commissioner of Kohat District decided to recover the stolen rifles with the assistance of the Army. He, therefore, requested the local Brigade Commander to help in making a thorough search in some of the tribal villages in Kohat Pass where these rifles were believed to have been kept.
So one morning in April 1923 when the people in the Pass woke up, they saw that the soldiers had surrounded their houses, and nobody (man or woman) could go out of the cordon unless he was thoroughly searched. The house-searches started after sunrise. Even the women quarters were not spared. They were asked to get out of their houses after their persons were searched by the soldiers. The outer garments of some women were roughly torn off by the soldiers in order to find out if they were concealing some arms on their persons. These searches lasted for several hours with the result that they succeeded in recovering a number of stolen Government rifles.
The “counter-raid” according to the official communique, had been successful, but the ringleader—Ajab Khan had eluded capture. He was absent from the village. He and his brother Shahzada had gone to a distant village on a friendly visit. When they returned home, they found that their village had been ransacked and everyone seemed to be disgusted at the highhandedness of the soldiers. The tribesmen were itching for a retaliatory measure. When the people saw Ajab Khan returning to the village, they greeted him with scowling faces and when he came home his mother received him with words he took to heart.
On the morning of 14th April 1923, Col. Bruce informed Sir John Maffey, the then Chief Commissioner of the former N.W.F. Province who was on tour in Bannu that Mrs. Ellis, wife of Major Ellis of Border Regiment had been murdered the previous night and that Miss Molly Ellis (18), his daughter, had been abducted. The Chief Commissioner was further informed that patrols had been sent in all directions, but they had not been able to overtake or even locate the culprits. It was then not known to the authorities who had been responsible for this outrage, though suspicion strongly rested on Ajab Khan's gang, who were suspected in the murder of Col. and Mrs. Foulkes at Kohat three years earlier.
The bungalow, where the tragedy took place, adjoined the Flag Staff House of the Brigade Commander where there was a military guard. One Capt. Hyland (In-charge of Supply and Transport) was also living in that bungalow along with his wife. He must have heard the cries of Mrs. Ellis in the next room, but surprisingly enough he did not "wake" up until he was aroused by his dog and the shouts of the chowkidar of the bungalow.
He got up only when the culprits had left the bungalow. He telephoned the Constabulary posts at the Kotal (on the border at the head of the Kohat Pass) and Muhammadzai to watch all paths to the tribal area. He also informed the Superintendent of Police and the Frontier Constabulary of Kohat.
The chowkidar who was sleeping in the verandah, gave the alarm to the servants of the house and then he went to inform the military guard which was stationed at the house of the Brigade Commander. By the time the guard reached the bungalow the gang had disappeared along with the girl.
No sooner Mrs. Ellis saw the raiders in her bedroom, where she and her daughter were sleeping under one mosquito net, she raised an alarm and also blew a whistle thrice which was a signal for giving an alarm to the military guard next door. Ajab Khan asked her to keep quiet and threatened her with a knife, but she caught hold of it whereupon Shahzada killed her with a dagger. Miss Molly Ellis was lifted by Ajab Khan and was taken out of the house through the drawing room.
He was assisted by Shahzada (25), an ex-sepoy of Baluch Regiment, Sultan Mir, Mir Akbar alias Mirak and an out-law from Attock district Haidar Shah by name. They ran through the hockey ground and after crossing a small bridge went along the inner circular road. After crossing the fields, they passed by the railway siding and then walked for some distance by the railway track and reached the Khushal Garh Road. After walking for about an hour they reached the foothills by-passing the village Sheikhan.
Mrs. Starr, a well-known lady doctor of Peshawar Medical Mission, volunteered to go up into Tirah in an endeavour to get in touch with Miss Ellis and minister to her mental and physical needs. Naturally this heroic offer required that the authorities before sanctioning it should be satisfied of the utmost possible guarantees of safety. This difficulty was met by the courageous offer of the Chief Commissioner's Personal Assistant, an Indian Risaldar, who is himself an Afridi, Moghul Baz Khan, to undertake the responsibility of personal escort.
Additional assurances have been received from maliks of both the Afridi and Orakzai tribes. Thus, fully satisfied the Personal Assistant to the Chief Commissioner personally escorted Mrs. Starr from Hangu across the border near Shinwari. Friendly tribal elders all assembled in Jawaki Tirah.
“All possible pressure was exercised and Mrs. Starr's mission, coupled with the fact that Khan Bahadur Kuli Khan, the Political Agent has also reached Tirah with an influential jirgah from Kurram, should serve to impress the supreme importance which the Government attaches to the case and to ensure a maximum effort for a speedy rescue.”
One last word about Ajab Khan's character. When Mrs. Storr examined Miss Ellis thoroughly, she sent her report to the Chief Commissioner to the effect that Miss Ellis had neither been injured nor criminally assaulted. The only injuries which she had sustained during the long trek were her bruised feet. Even Miss Ellis frankly admitted that Ajab Khan had treated her like his sister. He just kidnapped her in order to avenge the insult meted out to his mother and kept her with him as a hostage.
Ajab Khan is believed to have died in Afghanistan in 1959."
Lillian Starr in Afridi dress, and Mollie Ellis (the girl who was kidnapped by Ajab Khan Afridi) with her Pashtun rescuers. Details in the comments section. From 'Khyber tourist guide' (1980).Portrait of Ajab Khan Afridi. SourceMollie Ellis talking with Fazl-i-Haq, Governor of NWFP, in 1984. SourceLillian Starr, a nurse in Peshawar, regarded as a hero by British. Her role in the retrieval of Mollie Ellis is much exaggerated. Source: The Sphere, 19th May, 1923.
Ajab Khan Afridi, the Pashtun kidnapper of Mollie Ellis
In 1920, a gang of men broke into the armoury of the Cavalry Lines at Kohat cantt and carried off about 100 rifles. British suspected that Ajab Khan Bosti-Khel Afridi and his men were the ones who did it. British troops raided his village, and it is said that besides men they also subjected the women of the village to body search. British did not find any stolen rifles in the village. Ajab Khan avowed to avenge the insult of the body search of the women of his house and village by British. On the night of 14/15 November 1920, some men entered Kohat Cantonment from the south-east and broke into Bungalow No.36, occupied by Colonel Foulkes. They murdered both Colonel Foulkes and his wife. Soon after Ajab Khan sought refuge in Tirah. Later, he returned in February 1922 and broke into the armoury of Police Lines at Kohat and carried off 46 rifles. His village was immediately cordoned off and searched by the Frontier Constabulary. Thirty-three stolen rifles were recovered. The searching party also recovered certain items from Ajab Khan's house that proved his involvement in Colonel and Mrs. Foulke's murder. Decades after the incident, Shahzada Khan (brother of Ajab Khan) admitted that once they attempted to kidnap a British officer and his wife but failed and ended up killing them both.
On the night of 13/14th April of 1923, Ajab Khan and his men entered bungalow No.26 in Kohat Cantonment and broke into Colonel Ellis room to abduct the Colonel. The latter was out on some military exercise. In the absence of Colonel Ellis, Ajab Khan decided to kidnap his daughter Mollie Ellis. When wife of Colonel Ellis shouted for help, Shahzada Khan (Ajab Khan's brother) stabbed and killed her with dagger to silence her. According to Kuli Khan Khattak, Ajab Khan told him that he had taken the girl by mistake, believing her to be a boy because of her short hair.
Ajab Khan took her to the Khanki Bazar village of Tirah. When Kuli Khan Khattak secured audience with Mullah Mahmud Akhundzada, an influential cleric of Tirah, the latter confirmed to him that Mollie was held by Ajab Khan in cleric's home village of Khanki Bazar. At the urging of Kuli Khan, Mullah Mahmud persuaded Ajab Khan to hand over Mollie to his own protection. Talks between the Ajab Khan's men and the British representatives took place at the Mullah Mahmud's house while Mrs Starr cared for Mollie. Ultimately Ajab Khan Afridi surrendered Mollie Ellis in exchange for release of two of his men who were held in Kohat jail.
British pride was badly injured so 15 British warplanes flew over Tirah with the threat of bombing. Consequently, the representatives of tribes there were pressurized by British to declare Ajab Khan's band as their enemies. They said the kidnappers and their families would not be permitted to enter their territories and it would be the tribes’ duty to hand them over if they tried it. Ajab Khan fled to Afghanistan, but the tribes of Tirah continued to harbor two of his men, defying the threats by British.
April 22, 1923: Lilian Starr is wrapped in blankets given to her by Kuli Khan Khattak (standing man on extreme left). Standing third from left is Nasrullah khan Orakzai
British government sought the services of following men (and a woman) for her recovery:
1- Kuli Khan Khattak (a Khan Bahadur)
2- Mughal Baz Khan Kuki-Khel Afridi (a Khan Bahadur)
3- Nasrullah Khan Orakzai of Bhana Mari
4- Malik Habib Khan Afridi of Babari Banda
5- Malik Mir Muhammad Khan Bangash of Sadda and few others
6- Lillian Starr (a British nurse working in Peshawar)
Kuli Khan Khattak, Mughal Baz Khan and Lillian Starr were awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind gold medal by the viceroy on behalf of George V.
Mollie Ellis visited her mother's grave after 60 years
In 1984 Mollie Eliss visited Kohat to visit her mother's grave and on that occasion, she stated that she was gently and respectfully treated by her kidnappers. Inscription on her mother grave reads: “Dearly beloved wife of Maj AJ Ellis foully murdered at Kohat on April 14, 1923, aged 46 years.”
From 'The Sketch', 2nd May, 1923.Morning April 23, 1923, Lilian Starr, wearing her khaki topi, Quli Khan Khattak, with necktie and turban, Mollie Ellis, white topi, with Major Ellis and Sir John Maffey, respectively on the far rightMollie Ellis in Pakistan, 1984. SourceThe house in Tirah where Mollie Eliis was kept after kidnapping, The man in the photo is Ajab Khan's son Nek Muhammad. SourceAjab Khan Afridi (man on extreme left) and his companions. SourceThree men of Ajab Khan Afridi's band, and Mollie Ellis and Lillian Starr, at Tirah. 1967's drawing by CL Doughty. Source
Names of the notable companions of Ajab Khan Afridi
1- Shahzada Khan (younger brother of Ajab Khan Afridi)
2- Haider Shah Punjabi (he was married to Ajab Khan Afridi's daughter)
3- Sultan Mir Afridi
4- Gul Akbar Afridi (son of Sultan Mir Afridi)
5- Sher Khan Punjabi
6- Allah Yar Khan (from Sumari village of Kohat)
7- Alam Khan
8- Kamal Khan
9- Saaz Mir Shinwari
Illustrations by Imam Bakhsh Lahori for the memoirs of General Claude-Auguste Court (French general of Ranjit Singh), Lahore.
Source
Yousafzai Pashtun. SourcePeshawari cultivators. SourceA Pashtun cavalier. SourceInhabitant of Dir (a Yousafzai Pashtun). SourceA man from Tirah of the Khyber region. SourceAn inhabitant of Bannu. SourceAn Afridi Pashtun. SourceA Mohmand Pashtun. SourceAn inhabitant of Bajaur, most likely from the Tarkani or Tarkalanri tribe.
Bangash, Turi and Wazir tribesmen, c. 1835.
The three Afridis in the following video and photograph, along with other Pashtuns, entered Kashmir on 22nd October 1947, where they defeated the Dogra state forces and their allies, the Sikh soldiers of Patiala State, and then pushed forward toward Sri Nagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The enemy awaiting them there was the large, regular Indian Army, equipped with all sorts of advanced weaponry, including aircraft, artillery, and armoured cars. The Pashtun tribesmen, armed only with Lee-Enfield rifles, had not anticipated that they would face the Indian Army—formerly the British Indian Army—inside Kashmir. Nonetheless, they resolved to advance and confront the Indian Army in order to capture Srinagar.
From 27th October to 7th November, they made determined efforts to seize Srinagar. They realized that they had no support from the local Kashmiris of the valley, while the Indian Army was actively aided by Kashmiris aligned with the views of Sheikh Abdullah. Against the superior numbers, weaponry, and discipline of the Indian Army, the tribesmen proved no match and suffered defeat in an intense battle. The Indian Air Force bombed their positions, and with no shelters in the open plains, they were left exposed. Recognizing that they could not overcome the Indian Army in the open plains, they abandoned what had become a foolhardy attempt to capture the city and began their retreat.
They withdrew using their own transport lorries, a business in which many of them had been involved even during the 1940s. The three Afridi Pashtuns in the video and photo, however, were unable to board the lorries and were left behind. They were captured by the pursuing Indian Army and subsequently paraded through the streets of Srinagar. Mounted atop a truck, they endured a barrage of chappals, abuse, and spit from the local Kashmiris. The tribesmen, however, did not flinch and maintained their composure, much to the frustration of the crowd. “Those people, they were really looking like brutes—very ferocious-looking. They were also very defiant. They were just roped, and they were standing there,” recalled Harshi Anand, one of the onlookers present that day. [1]
November 9, 1947: A Pashtun tribesman with his hands tied behind his back after he was captured near Baramulla in Kashmir. Photo by Max Desfor.
As seen in the video, they were also put on display for the observation and amusement of politicians and journalists. One of the Pashtuns is notably dressed in a blue British Royal Air Force uniform, which he may have looted from a British soldier he had killed at some point in his past. Sat Paul Sahni, then a young journalist, covered Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to the Kashmir Valley a few days after Indian troops had taken control of Baramulla. “The Prime Minister was invited into a tent,” he recalled, “where three members of the lashkar—soldiers, you might call them—were present. They were all Pathans, Afridis. We met them, we spoke with them, and they told us they didn’t know why they were there. They said they had simply been asked to go for a jihad, that Muslims in Kashmir were facing atrocities, and they had come to liberate them.” [2]
American reporter Margaret Parton of the Herald Tribune saw three Afridi prisoners, along with a local Kashmiri fakir, and described them with disgust as follows:
"There were four prisoners who had been left behind in the flight from Kashmir and captured by Indian troops. Never have I seen such disgusting, grotesque figures. One of them, a hulking giant with a filthy grey beard through which jutted a single protruding yellow tooth, wore blue-checked plus fours, khaki puttees, a blue RAF jacket, and torn sandals. An unclosed knife wound slashed across his right eye and part of his cheek, the blood dried without any attempt to wash it away. Then there was a little gnome of about five feet, eighty years old, who cackled; a middle-aged tribesman in a bloodstained burnoose, with the flashing eyes of a zealot; and a half-naked 'monkey-man' wearing a string of red and blue beads, who claimed to be a local fakir." (as cited in 'A Mission in Kashmir' by Andrew Whitehead, p-187)
I have been unable to find information about the ultimate fate of these captured Afridis.
An Afridi tribesman, photographed by Dr. Reginald John Hands Cox (1880–1976).
This image was published in the December 1938 issue of the Church Mission Society periodical “The Mission Hospital” with the caption “An Afridi tribesman”.
Dr. Cox worked with the Church Mission Society medical missions in Peshawar and Bannu from 1907 to 1939.
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