Gurjars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gurjaras in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gujjars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Gujars in KPK, are an ethnic community native to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly NWFP) province of Pakistan. They are descended from Gurjars who moved into this region during classical period. They are scattered across almost all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: They are densely populated in Mansehra, Swat, Haripur, Battagram, Malakand, Torghar, Bajaur, Swabi, Upper Chitral, Lower Chitral, Abottabad, Buner, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Kolai-Palas Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, and Peshawar districts, while Kurram, Khyber, and Dera Ismail Khan districts has the smallest Gujjar population.
Gurjars are an important ethnic group in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In terms of population, they rank after the Pashtuns and Awans. The majority of Gurjars in K.P.K speak both Pashto and Gujari as their mother tongues. A significant population of Gurjars also speak Hindko as their mother tongue. Some also speak Khowar as their mother tongue.
In K.P.K they are part of the larger Hindkowan and Pashtun linguistics communities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The majority of Gurjars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belong to agricultural and settled communities of the province. Some are also nomads; these tribal or nomad Gujars are further divided into Ajar and Shapunkis subgroups.
The Gurjars are believed to be the original and oldest inhabitants of the Swat valley, the Hindu Kush mountains, Malakand District, Peshawar, and the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the 1931 census of British India, which was the last census to systematically count ethnicity/tribe, the Gurjar population in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region was 1,24,510. They were predominantly Muslims and constituted 15% of the total population of the Hazara region.
In the northern regions of Pakistan, there are almost one hundred one clans or Khels of Gurjars, out of a total around forty-five Gurjar clans scattered across the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Gurjars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa live in isolation and do not marry outside their own community. History Gurjars are considered the first people to live in the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are believed to have been living there even before the arrival of Islam.
Gurjars in the Hindu Kush mountain of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are likely the original inhabitants of the area. Another theory is that they have originated from the Punjab region. Linguistics similarities between the Gujari and Punjabi languages also suggest that their origin lies in Punjab. They first settled in Punjab around the 6th century. In the 7th century, they moved to mountain valleys northwest in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent. Today they live in mountain areas from Uttar Pradesh In the east to the Hindu Kush mountain in the west.
The Gurjars of Swat and Mardan districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as those in Kashmir and eastern Afghanistan, claim that they are originated from the larger region of Punjab.
According to Syed Jabir Raza, the ancestors of the Gurjars likely lived in this region before the Afghans settled in the Peshawar plain. As the lowland areas became occupied, they gradually moved to the nearby hills that were more accessible.
As per the old inhabitants of the Mittikot village in Mansehra district, Baba Ransi Ullah, an elder who belong to Bakarwal community, was the first to settle in the village. Afterward , the Bakarwals invited Dedar Gurjars to come to Mittikot for protection ad defense. Following this, the other Gurjars clans — the Khatana, Chechi, Kohli, and Thekri Gurjars — also arrived and made their homes in Mittikot.
British period In 1849, the British government took control of all parts of Mansehra. While the Western Pashtun tribes agreed to British rule, the Gurjars chose to fight against Britishers. The fighting caused heavy losses on both sides. Many Gurjars men were killed, and the Pashtuns also lost a large number of people. After about 18 months, the Gurjars and Pashtuns made a brotherhood pact and joined together to fight the British government. In these battles, they lost nearly 70,000 soldiers, but they were still willing to continue the fight. At that time, James Abbott was working as the commissioner of both Mansehra and Abbottabad. The British government pulled out of Mansehra but held on to full control of Abbottabad. Because of their heavy losses, the British government divided the Hazara District into three tehsils. Mansehra was placed under Gurjar rule, Abbottabad remained under British rule, and Haripur was placed under Pashtun rule.
In the early 18th century, a Gujjar of the Khatana clan in the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the chief of Jagir of Kot Najibula. Later, he lost his Jagir to Tareen tribe. In the 18th century, Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, again granted Muqaddam Musharaf, the Jagir of Kot Najibula consisting of eight villages in the Hazara region in exchange for 15,000 rupees. The villages comparised Kokalia, Pandori, Jharr, Dedra, Dingi, Chamba Pind-Gujran, Kot Najibullah and some other. After the death of Muqaddam General Sir James Abbott gave the Jagir to his son, Mir Muqaddam Ahmad. Mir Ahmad died on 12 October 1849. After Ahmad's death, Jagir was given to his elder son, Mir Ghulam Muhammad. Ghulam Ahmad died on 1 May 1880, and later his jagir was given to his elder son, Mir Abdullah.
Clan system In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Gurjars are divided into many named patrilineal tribes, called Khels or clans. There are often myths about how a clan started, and these stories are usually used to explain the meaning of the clan name. Gurjar clans vary in size, and only small clans live in one area. Family ties are based on short, father-line groups. Gurjars with the same clan name feel a stronger bond, even if they are not directly related. Among Gurjars, the clan does not determine marriages, and Gurjars strictly marry within their own community.
In northern Pakistan, there are almost 105 clans or Khels of Gurjars, out of a total around forty five Gurjar clans scattered across the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Subgroups Gurjars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are divided into two major subgroups Ajars and Shpankiyans to nomadic class of the Gurjars.
Ajars Ajars are a subgroup of the Gujjars of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Rensch, Calvin Ross; O'Leary, Clare F.; Hallberg, Calinda E. (1992). Hindko and Gujari.Today, however, there is a spectrum of lifestyles among the Gujars of Pakistan, ranging from nomadic shepherds found among the Bakarwals in the east and the Ajars in the west to completely settled Gujars. They raise sheep and goats. In summer, they move with their livestock to the upper valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwar.
Shapunkis Shapunkis or Shpankiyans are a subgroup of the Gujjars of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Clans
Khatana Awan (Awana) Bajwal Bajjar Bajral Beema Bhatti Barwal (Baharwal) Chachi Dedar (Dedhar) Kohli Thekri Dhodi Gaursi Gidar Qambhar Jarah (Jharah) Janghar Katarian Killah Barwal (Baharwal) Bagar (Burgat) Kushan (Kasana) Chechi Jaghal (Jagal) Gorsi Sarju Katharis Nekari (Nikadi) Hakla Tota Khel Dora Khel Jagar Khel Kana Khel Kalu Khel Chauhan Poswal (Paswal) Khttan khel Poswar Thakar Thakarya (Thikariya)
Demographics Gurjars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are mainly found in the Malakand, Swabi, Peshawar, Buner and Hazara divisions. They are almost found across all valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially in the Siran, Dir, Shishikoh, Swat, Golen, Miandam, Madaklasht, Mankial,Ullah, Asad; Rashid, Abdur (2011). "MEDICINAL REMEDIES PRACTICED BY THE TORWAL AND GUJARS COMMUNITIES OF MANKIAL VALLEY SWAT, HINDUKUSH RANGE, PAKISTAN". International Journal of Biology and Biotechnology. 8 (3): 422 Alexander valley, Patrak, Naran, Kaghan, three Kalasha valleys, Palas valley, and Gabral valley.
A large settlements of Gurjars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa found in the Mansehra, Malakand, Haripur, Abbottabad, Buner, Swabi, Battagram, Torghar, Chitral, Dir, Swat, and Upper Kohistan districts.
They own a good amount of land in the districts like Malakand, Haripur, Abbottabad, Dir, Swat, and Mansehra. In Mansehra district alone, they own almost 25% of the district's land.
Religion Almost all Gurjars of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are the follower of Islam religion and they belong to the sunni sect of Islam.
Population In the 1931 census of British India, the total Gurjar population in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was 1,21,510. Almost all of them were Muslims, with fewer less than 150 being Hindus.
Historical population Population of Gurjars recorded in different census reports of the British India for North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan).
Culture Dwelling Most Gurjars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa live in "pacca" (concrete) houses. Some who live in mountain areas also have kachcha or temporary houses. Gujjar houses are usually simple huts made of concrete, wood, or sometimes mud. Each house generally has two rooms - one for people and one for guests or their livestock. Some mud-made houses have walls made of rough, irregular stones without mud plaster.
In the mountain areas of Swat valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, houses of Gurjars and Pashtuns live in temporary Kuchha houses. These houses are built on man-made terraces that follow the slopes. The houses are arranged in rows. This layout places them near farmland and makes irrigation easier.
A 2008 study conducted in Hilkot watershed, a small water catchment area in Mansehra, found that 23% of Gurjars have pakka or concrete houses and 77% have kaccha houses. Same study also found, that among Gurjars, the average home size was 4.75 marlas.
Food Gurjars in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa follow a simple diet they mostly eat roti (chapati) an unleavened bread made from grain flour.
Marriages Endogamy In KPK, Gurjars live in relative isolation and do not enter into marriages outside their own community. Within Gurjar community, clan affiliation does not determine marriage partners. Marriage is strictly practiced within the Gurjar community.
Language In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Gurjars are a multilingual community. They speak three major languages as their mother tongues, Pashto followed by Gujari and Hindko. Some Gurjars in Upper and Lower Chitral Districts also speak Khowar as their mother tongue. Additional languages like Punjabi and Urdu also spoken by Gujars. Gujari as mother tongue is approximately spoken by 2,50,000 Gujjars of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Education and literacy rate A 2008 study conducted in Hilkot watershed, a small water catchment area in Mansehra, found that average literacy rate in the area was found to be about 46.7%. among Gurjars, the average literacy rate was 49% for male members and about 33% for females members.
Land ownership In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, most land is owned by Pashtuns and Gurjars, and owning land also means access to forest resources. To encourage tree planting, the Forest Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa offered a deal: landowners plant trees, get free seedings and money for care, and after 5 years they can cut and sell the timber. Most people choose fast-growing eucalyptus. The problem is, the policy assumes everyone owns land, so people without land can't benefit from it. In Mansehra district alone, they own almost 25% of the district's land.
In some areas of Swat and Gabral valleys they also own a good amount of land, however they don't have ownership over forest resources.
Land disputes