Khushal Khan Khattak: Afghan Pride
During these troubled times for the Pashtoons, I shall take a little look back in history to honour Khushal Khan Khattak, (خوشحال خان خټک)
celebrated warrior and poet.
The Pashtoon heartlands have been at the helm of successive waves of aggression, both internal and external and this has led to localised resistance and an almost continual state of chaos. Recent history bears this out - 19th century policies of the British in India led to three wars with Afghanistan as part of "The Great Game" strategy centred around Russian and the British rivalry for control over Central Asia. The resistance - which Pashtoons are famed for - has been demonstrated time and again - during the Sikh excursions into Afghan territory, the Russian Occupation and the recent American-led invasion.
Earlier, during 17th Century Mughal rule, Khushal Khan Khattak (born near Nowshera, 1613 into a celebrated family) took up a revolt against the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. Khushal Khan's father, Shahbaz Khan and grandfather, Malik Akoray had held service under the Emperor Shah Jahan, but by the time that Aurangzeb has ascended the throne, the relationships had soured and Khushal Khan was imprisoned in Gwalior Fortress, South of Agra.
Warrior Poet: The Pen And The Sword
As well as leading the resistance upon his release, Khushal Khan worked to unite the Pashtoon tribes. Over the years, he wrote considerablly and built up a formidable anthology of poems on war, honour and love. He died in 1689 and asked to be buried on the frontiers of the Mughal Empire. The epitaph on his Mazar in Nowshera, modern Pakistan reads:
د افغان په ننګ مې وتړله توره
ننګيالی د زمانې خوشحال خټک يم
I have taken up the sword to defend the pride of the Afghan,
I am Khushal Khattak, the honourable man of this age.
