Founder of Pashtun nationalism, KKK

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

Khushāl Khān Khattak (1613 – 25 February 1689), also called Khushāl Bābā , was a Pashtun poet, warrior and scholar, and chief of the Khattak tribe of the Pashtuns. Khushal preached the union of all Pashtuns, and encouraged revolt against the Mughal Empire promoting Pashtun nationalism through poetry. Khushal is the first Afghan mentor who presents his theories for the unity of the Afghan tribes against foreign forces and the creation of a nation-state. Khushal wrote many works in Pashto but also a few in Persian. Khushal is the national poet of Afghanistan.

Early life
Khushal was born in or about 1613 in the Khattak tribe of the Pashtun people. He was the son of Malik Shahbaz Khan Khattak from Akora, in the Mughal Empire (now in Nowshera District). His grandfather, Malik Akoray, was the first Khattak to enjoy widespread fame during the reign of the Mughal King Jalal-ud-din Akbar. Akoray moved from Teri (a village in Karak District) to Sarai Akora, the town which Akoray founded and built. Akoray cooperated with the Mughals to safeguard the trunk route and was generously rewarded for his assistance. When he died his son Shahbaz Khan Khattak became the chief of the Khattaks. Khushal was the elder son of Shahbaz Khan. Once a battle was fought between the Khattaks and the Yusufzai at this time Khushal was only thirteen (13) years old even then he joined this battle with his father.

Rebellion and the Moghul Empire
His father Malik Shahbaz Khan Khattak was killed in a tribal clash against the Yusufzai tribe in 4 January 1641. After his father's Malik Shehbaz Khan Khattak death, Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan appointed him as the tribal chief and Mansabdar in 1641 at the age of 28 The Mughal king shah Jahan appreciated his principality. After the death of shah Jahan His Tension created with Aurangzeb Shah Jehan's successor. Aurangzeb arrested Khushal In 1658.threw him away as a prisoner in the Gwalior fortress. There he had as a prisoner or later and-Delhi-spent under detention in the mountains prison. He later release from captivity in 1668. After Khushal was permitted to return to the Afghan areas, Khushal had been deadly shocked by the unfriendly treatment, he received from Mughal authorities and king Aurangzeb whose indifference and coolness towards his plight had wounded Khushal’s ego. He used to say, "I had done nothing wrong against the interests of the king or the empire". Mughal authorities tried to reclaim him to their service but Khushal resisted all such offers and made it clear to the Mughals that
"I served your cause to the best of my honesty, I subdued and killed my own Pashtuns to promote the Empire’s interests but my services and my loyalty did not make me a Mughal".

According to Khushal, he was burning from inside for exacting revenge but preferred to keep silent. Khushal joined Darya Khan Afridi and Aimal Khan Mohmand in their fight and wars against Mughals. He dissociated himself from the Mughal Empire slowly and started with his resistance later.He incited the Afghan tribes to rebel against the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. He took contact to other Pashtoon tribes and with support of his people he started a systematic resistance against the Mughals. Khushal joined a rebillion of Khattak, Momand, Safi and Afridi tribes against the Mughols. In Mughal Empire The Pashtun tribesmen of the Empire were considered the bedrock of the Mughal Army. They were the Empire's from the threat bulwark in the North-West as well as the main fighting force against the Sikhs and Marathas. The Pashtun revolt in 1672 was triggered when soldiers under the orders of the Mughal Governor Amir Khan allegedly attempted to molest women of the Safi tribe in modern day Kunar. The Safi tribe retaliated and killed the soldier. This attack provoked a reprisal, which triggered a general revolt of the most of tribes. The Mughol King Aurangzeb ordered the Safi tribal elders to hand over the killers. The Safi, Afridi, Mohmand and Shinwari came together to protect the Safi men accused of badal. Attempting to reassert his authority, Amir Khan in orders of Aurangzeb led a large Mughal Army to the Khyber Pass, where the army was surrounded by tribesmen and routed. Afghan sources claim that Aurangzeb suffered a humiliating defeat, with a reported loss of 40,000 Mughal soldiers and with only four men, including the Governor managing to escape. .Khushal greatly praised the bravery and courage of Darya Khan Afridi and Aimal Khan Mohmad who had destroyed the entire Mughal army in Khyber in 1672. As he said about his these two close companions:"Aimal khan and Darya khan from death God preserve them, Never have they failed me at the time of need"

After that the revolt spread, with the Mughals suffering a near total collapse of their authority along the Pashtun belt. The closure of the important Attock-to-Kabul trade route along the Grand Trunk road was particularly critical. By 1674, the situation had deteriorated to a point where Aurangzeb himself camped at Attock to personally take charge. Switching to diplomacy and bribery along with force of arms, the Mughals eventually split the rebellion and while they never managed to wield effective authority outside the main trade route, the revolt was partially suppressed. However, the long term anarchy on the Mughal frontier that prevailed as a consequence ensured that Nadir Shah's Khorasanian forces half a century later faced little resistance on the road to Delhi.

Death and tribute
Khushal continued to resist the Mughals on war fronts. These wars according to historians shook the foundations of the Mughal Empire. Khushal visited the far flung areas, met with Pashtun tribal chiefs, particularly the Yousafzais, negotiated with them to bring about unity in Pashtun ranks against Mughals but failed in his efforts and returned broken hearted. After failing to unite the Pashtun tribes, Khushal retired as a warrior and focused on writing. Khushal had written many poems mostly patriotic about his roots, about his tribe, about his nation and triumphs over invaders. Upon his retirement, his 57 sons began fighting for leadership. Meanwhile the Mughals had bribed his son Behram Khan to arrest or to kill Khushal. Bahram joined forces with Mughals set to capture his father, and before he could do so, Khushal Khan fled into Afridi territory in Tirah assisted by his two sons Nusrat Khan and Gohar Khan. Khushal died at the age of 78 on Friday, the 20th February 1689 at Dambara. People searched for him and found his dead body a number of days later with his sword and the carcass of his horse (known as "Silai" in Pashto, which means Wind).

The art of chieftainship thou hast not learned, bahram
in your time you have dishonored the chieftainship
from now on don't count yourself amongst my sons
that is the last prayer breathed by Khushal the Khattak

He desired before his death that he should be buried in a place where "the dust of Mughal horses’ hoofs may not fall on his grave." His whishes were carried out by his friend and his remains were laid at ‘Esoori’ village in the Akora Khattak in Khattaks hills, where many Pashtuns continue to pay tribute and visit his tomb. His grave carries the inscription: "Da Afghan Pa nang mai watarala toora, nangyalai da zamanai Khushal Khattak Yam" (trans.: "I have taken up the sword to defend the pride of the Afghan, I am Khushal Khattak, the honorable man of the age.")

Allama Muhammad Iqbal called Khushal the Hakeem and Tabeeb (physician) of Afghan Millat and Afghan Shanas. Maj: Roverty and certain other orientalists say that Khushal was not only Afghan Shanas but like Goethe and Shakespeare he was also a great Insan- Shanas (one who knows man) Iqbal expressed his desire that if he knew Pashto he would have translated Khushal’s poetry into Urdu or Persian.

He loved humanity, he loved Pashtoons, he loved knowledge and beauty in all its forms whether of mountains, trees flowers, birds and women. While expressing his nationalist theory and unfolding his philosophy of Pashto, he often resorts to seek help from his ideal man as Jangyal (Warrior), Toorzan (Bold and courageous), Miranay (Brave) Mard (the man) and Nangyal (committed to Nang-honour).His major and principal aim and target was to snatch independence for Pashtuns from the Mughals whose incentives and biog and attractive offers to reclaim him had repeatedly failed in breaking his will power. However the Mughal diplomacy, bribes and intimidations succeeded in dividing the Pashtun tribes. The Mughals repaired their broken image and obviously Khushal had lost his war for independence. And the Mughals had win The disunity in Pashtun ranks helped in restoring the Mughal superiority.

Published works
Khushal's poetry consists of more than 45,000 poems. According to some historians, the number of books written by Khattak are more than 200. His more famous books are
Bāz-nāma, a manual of falconry,
Swāt-nāma, a description of a journey to the beautiful Swat Valley
, Fazl-nāma, a handbook on religious and social duties,
Tibb-nāma, a book on homely medicinal recipes,
Farrukh-nāma, a dialogue between the pen and the sword
Firāq-nāma, a lament of his separation from his homeland during captivity.
Diwan consisting of nearly 16000 couplets
Sahat u Badan: A long verse deals with pathology of human body
Tarjuma Hadia Explains various aspects of Fiqha hanafia
Aaina: A Pashto translation of an Arabic book on Fiqha.
Baiaz: Memories of life
Zanziri: Deals with the principles of shorthand.

Khushal also wrote many ghazals in Persian under the pen-name Rūhī, and a Persian qasida on the futility of the world

H. G. Raverty was the first translator of Khattak into English; Selections from the Poetry of Afghans (1862, Kolkata) has ninety eight poetic pieces. This was followed by Biddulph’s translation Selections from the Poetry of Khushhal Khan Khattak in 1890 published in London. Evelyn Howell and Olaf Caroe jointly translated and published The Poems of Khushhal Khan Khattak in 1963, from the University of Peshawar. Another translation was that by Dr N. Mackenzie Poems from the Diwan of Khushhal Khan Khattak published from London in 1965

Quotes

"The very name Pashtun spells honor and glory; Lacking that honor, what is the Afghan story? In the sword alone lies our deliverance."

"I despise the man who does not guide his life by honour. The very word “honour” drives me mad."

 

[dawn_news]

But you told us before Khattak are not pashtuns?

 

[Kompromat]

@Pak-one

Please post some poetry with Urdu or English translation.

 

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

@Pak-one

Please post some poetry with Urdu or English translation.

 

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

But you told us before Khattak are not pashtuns?