Police and Levies with the body of Arab Gul (famous Khattak outlaw and raider from Karak), 1930s

Police and Levies with the body of Arab Gul Khattak, 1930s. Photo by C.E.Bruce

Arab Gul Khattak belonged to the Darish Khel village of Karak. Initially he was a soldier in the British-Indian army. After committing honour killing, he was forced to seek refuge in Waziristan where he created a gang of raiders. He looted wealthy Hindu traders of Karak and kidnapped them for ransom. It is said that he used to help poor and needy people and enjoyed Robinhood like reputation in Karak. Once he raided Karak town with a few hundred men and looted Hindu houses there for two days.

Bahadur Khel salt mine (Karak district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

The Bahadur Khel mine yields black salt. Black salt or tora malga is also known as or Sulemani namak. Black salt consists primarily of sodium chloride and trace impurities of sodium sulfate, sodium bisulfate, sodium bisulfite, sodium sulfide, iron sulfide and hydrogen sulfide.

"The salt of Bahadur Khel is exported to Kabul, Baluchistan, the Derajat, Sind, and the Indian towns generally. Average annual out-turn, 1523 tons. The neighboring villages of Bahadur Khel and Drishkhel are allowed twenty-five percent of the revenue realized. [Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1885, Vol-1, p-421]

Salt hill in the valley at Bahadur Khel (Karak district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), 1859. Source

Barak Khattaks

Barak Khattaks (of Karak), 1861.

The Barak clan belongs to the Tari division of the Khattaks, descended from the Yasinzai sub-division. They occupy the Barak Tappa. This tract is bounded in the east by Shakardarra and the Isa Khel Tehsil of Mianwali district and in the south and west by the Wazirs and Bannu district. The Baraks were managed by the ' Khans' of Teri. Prior to the annexation they were more independent of their 'Khans' interference and did not pay them revenue without a fight. They fought Saadullah Khan of Teri and Shahbaz Khan at Nari, near Karak in the Kun-i-Gai pass and on the banks of Nari in the Land-Kamar area between Surati kila and Khwari Kila respectively. The ruins of their forts at Jandari and Shah Bazgarh still exist.