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Kalash
tribe under Taliban threat
 * Ancient
tribe’s existence threatened by extremism, tribal youths converting
to other religions
* Kalash festivities marred by threats of Taliban attacks from
neighbouring Dir
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: Although the NWFP today is largely under threat from the
Taliban and extremism, there are still clusters in the
insurgency-hit province where life goes on as normal.
The most prominent of these is the Kalash region in Chitral, a
report by BBC Urdu service said on Thursday.
The region is named after the Kalash tribe, which has lived in the
area since time immemorial.
The tribe, said to be descendants of Alexander the Great's soldiers,
still practices an ancient pagan culture unlike any other in this
part of the world, the report said.
The Kalash people have been a people apart since recorded times.
They had become a major tourist attraction in recent times, but in
doing so, attracted the ire of Islamic clerics, who started calling
the Kalash region ‘Kafiristan’, or the "land of the unbelievers".
Dangers: The terms were largely restricted to slogans and sermons -
until the Taliban arrived on the scene.
But that is not the only challenge the community faces - many
educated Kalash youth have chosen to convert to Islam.
Subsequently, they have abandoned the community to seek a life in
cities and more upscale communities.
All these factors threaten this 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,” the report
said. But the Taliban threat has now jeopardised their existence,
with the neighbouring Dir district under the Taliban control.
"Chitral is one of the most peaceful regions in Pakistan," said
Abdul Wali, a local lawyer. "All communities here have brotherly
relations with each other. People here believe culture has
precedence over religion."
The Kalash people celebrate the four seasons with an equal number of
festivals, with the summer festival seeing the highest attendance by
people from across the country.
Foreigners were few this year, but present nonetheless. Among them
was Glasgow resident Patricia Fort with her son Leon. "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.
Taliban threat: But the richness of the festival is now shadowed, as
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,” the report said. "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." However, the Kalash people continued
with the festivities 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. Music is played by the men who occasionally break out
in song,” the report said
"They are singing of their happiness to God," says Munir, a Kalash
man
Daily Times:
Friday, June 12, 2009 |
