Unique Pakistan
By Aijaz Maher
BBC Urdu service,Islamabad
BBC Urdu service,
10 June 2009
But while that may be true of regions where the Taliban
proliferate, there are still areas of NWFP where life goes on as normal.
The most
prominent of these is the Kalash region in the northern-most district of
Chitral.
It is named after the Kalash tribe which has been settled here
since time immemorial.
The tribe, said
to be descendants of Alexander the Great's soldiers, still practise an ancient
pagan culture unlike any other in this part of the world.
For centuries, the Kalash have been a people apart.
In modern times, they have become a major tourist attraction,
but in so doing have also attracted the ire of Islamic clerics.
This has led to many of them derogatively referring to the
Kalash region as Kafiristan, or "land of the unbelievers."
Unique heritage
This ill-will was largely restricted to slogans and sermons -
until the coming of the Taliban.
But that is not
the only challenge facing this dwindling community - many educated young Kalash
men have chosen to convert to Islam.
In doing so, they have abandoned the community to seek a life in
the cities and a more upscale existence.
All these factors are combining to erase a unique heritage.
Hundreds of years ago about 3,000 Kalash people made their home
in the Birir, Rumbur and Bumburet valleys among the Hindu
Kush mountains of Chitral.
Generally
speaking, the people of Chitral, Muslim or Kalash, are liberal when it comes to
religion.
But the Taliban threat has now jeopardised all that, with the
neighbouring district of Upper Dir firmly under their control.
"Chitral is one of the most peaceful regions in Pakistan
"All communities here have brotherly relations with each
other.
"People here believe culture has precedence over
religion."
Enthusiastic
The Kalash in Chitral have four festivals to celebrate the
seasons.
The summer
festival is the most well attended with people coming from all over the country
and the world.
This year there are fewer foreign visitors, but they are
present. Among them is Glasgow
"This is the second time I have come here...this time to
show it to my son," she said.
Her son Leon is equally enthusiastic.
"I got to know about this place from my mother, heard all
the stories about the Kalash, saw pictures and knew I had to come," he
said.
"The scenery is incredibly beautiful, and the people are
very friendly."
Dangers
But now a shadow lies over the event as the security forces are
deployed to fend off the Taliban.
Checkpoints
litter the road leading to the festival venue and local hospitals have been put
on red alert.
"There is a rumour going around that the Taliban will
attack the festival," Dr Jahangir Khan, medical officer at a local
hospital said.
"There is the situation in Dir, and we are just across the
border from Afghanistan
"We have been put on 24-hour emergency standby for as long
as the festival lasts."
The Kalash continued with their festival despite the dangers.
In a region wracked by conflict, their simple ways seem like
echoes from another time.
Beautiful women adorned in black robes splattered with bright
colours and with necklaces of sparkling stones dance to ancient tunes.
The music is played by the men who occasionally break out in
song.
"They are singing of their happiness to God," says
Munir, a Kalash man.
"They are
thankful that water is plentiful in the rivers and crops are ripening.
"The trees are bearing fruit and prosperity is coming to
our homes."
But how much longer the Kalash community can sing of the joys of
life is open to doubt. The Taliban are not now that far away.
No comments:
Post a Comment