Mehtar briefs delegation on Chitral’s vulnerability to calamities
CHITRAL, Nov 29: Fateh-ul-Mulk Ali Nasir, Mehtar of Chitral, hosted a banquet at Chitral Fort in honor of the visiting international delegation, said a press release.
The delegation consisted of the Director ICIMOD Mr. David Molden , former Prime Minister of Bhutan Mr. Lyonpo Dr. Kinzang Dorji, H. E. Mr. Kjell Tormod Pettersen Royal Norwegian Embassy Khatmandu , H. E. Urs Herren Embassy of Switzerland Khatmandu , Ms. Christine A. Jantscher , and other members of ICIMOD’s board of directors. Pakistani officials accompanying the delegation were Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad, Chairman, PARC, Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, MNA, Khushab and Mr.Seerat Asghar.. Shahzada Iftikharuddin MNA Chitral , Mr.Rehmat Ghazi PTI Chitral and officials of AKRSP accompanied the visiting guests.
Mr. Mohammad Ismail and Farid from Chitral who are currently based in Nepal and work with ICIMOD were also among the delegates. The Mehtar welcomed and thanked the guests for visiting Chitral. He said that Chitral is one of most vulnerable regions due to its proximity to natural disasters. He further said that Glacier melting due to global warming and climate change have adversely affected the district and during recent years glacier outbursts and floods have increased.
The Mehtar called for developing a broad based strategy for mitigating the risks associated with climate change. The Mehtar also highlighted significance of Chitrals history and its rich culture. Mehtar Mulk said that peace and tolerance are deeply embedded in Chitrali society and due to its rich cultural values Chitral remains the most peaceful district in Pakistan.
Despite lack of infrastructure and economic problems the district still holds one of the highest literacy rates in Pakistan. The dinner ended with vote of thanks and exchange of souvenirs.
The man just entertained guests visiting Chitral, that was mighty decent of him and very much in line with Chitral’s culture. instead of cribbing about it why didnt you guys do the same. What stopped you from entertaining the guests to enjoy Chitral. It been almost 70 years since we have been an independent country and please don’t bullshit that your hands were tied. People from remote corners of Chitral worked hard, rose up and are held in high esteem by everyone including this young educated Lawyer whose family gives him the respect to hold the title of a Mehtar. Many Chitralis are doctors engineers, Civil bureaucrat, Police officers, army officers, politicians, businessmen etc and everyone is proud of them. Collectively they make Chitral, its this culture of tolerance that makes Chitral so special and different from other regions.
While the majority worked hard to achieve this some of you guys have just one agenda to spread hatred in our society, see what it has done to the rest of the country not even spared school children. What sissies, cry babies not men at all.
@ Muhammad Khan. Revolutions always come against those who have some thing in their hands. Remember French Revolution, Chinese Revolution and Revolution of Iran. You are already dead, so their is no need of revolution. lol
Then why you are angry that the certain tribes have wealth and land which you say is from tragedies? Why are you angry when mehtar does good for Chitral on international stage? This shows they matter and it makes you angry for no reason, because you are jealous.
Brother, I am not jealous, rather I pity for the poor young man, who has disguised himself to be a so called mehtar. This poor man cannot come out of the illegally occupied fort with peace, how can he make Chitral image better in the international arena. Chitral does not need him to be its spokes man. Pity on you too. I challenge that this poor guy cannot gather more than 100 people in Chitral bazar to hold a small “Jalsa”. I suggest him not to waste time in things which are not in his reach. He is a law graduate, should come to Chitral district Bar tomorrow, and start legal practice. He should also take up civil cases in light of 1975 Notification. lol
@ Karimullah. The people who come up with cover names are not the mischief makers, but they are those who know the ground realities very well. If they comment with their real names, people like you will brust up. What I want to say is that come out of fools paradise. What pieces of land you possess is the actual property of the poor people of Chitral. You have grabbed them with collusion with British raj. And, the titles which you are proud of are also the legacy of ‘GORAS’. We know it very well. Instead of becoming jealous with the progress of ‘common slot’ as you say, try to educate your people. I mean all the katoors and the people belonging to other related tribes are of course not educated. Their are few katoor families who actually possess, by hook or by crook, pieces of land and titles. The rest are poor, uneducated and spending life of poverty. In the present times, Mohiudin befooled them and strengthened his own vote bank. On the other hand, common people, as you say, like us have attained highest posts in civil service, private sector and even military. We are proud of our achievements, because we have attained it through sheer hard work. Inspite of having huge pieces of land and heavenly titles, you are frustated, because you have not attained it through natural process. You attained it after killing, plundering and dishonouring poor people. My brother, just ponder over it.
@Mastuj,
I quote your comment, ”I mean all the katoors and the people belonging to other related tribes are of course not educated.”
Dear Mastuj, you have not only proved how ignorant you are, but also you have insulted half of Chitral’s population by calling them ”uneducated” for no reason. You should know that more than 50% of Chitral’s population is composed of Katoors and the related tribes!! People like you make only 1% of the population. 99% of Chitralis are respectable, cultured and civilized people. People like you have no place in our society. You should find a new place somewhere in the interior Sindh where you will meet lots of ”educated” people like yourself!! 😀
Respect!!
Guys, those who are pleasing themselves by doing derogatory comments, just need to grow up.
If you have a poor background, or if you are not that much successful that’s fine. But when you start spreading hatred among your Chitrali brothers whenever there is a piece of news about someone’s success or some big personality that clearly shows your inferiority complex.
I’ve often witnessed on this page that whenever there is a success story or news about some great person there is a certain section of people who would start writing negative comments with fake names without being aware that their comments dont affect those successful people but they are just publicly announcing their own insecurities.
Dont fake yourself to write such things but be real and strive to be as good as these people.
Dear Shah Mehmood Katoor, Being successful for oneself is not enough. How can you claim to be so successful in life when a large number of your tribemen in some areas of Lokuh are still living a miserable life. You forefathers snatched lands from poor people at gun point. The songs sung by Charvelu of Mastuj who was one of the mehtar’s great aides are evident how successful and generous you were. You have failed and the only thing through which a handful of Katoors are in the limelight is due to NGOs. Just shut down the AKRSP and SRSP and I am sure you will be on the road tomorrow or the only option with you is to open a general store or some hotel in Chitral bazar to make a living. Don’t try to befool people. What is your qualification and what makes you think that you are a big man. Do you think the lands which you inherited from your forefathers is the prerequisite to become successful? You should think twice how your ancestors illegally occupied these lands from the poor people.
Mr Bahader!
Kishipi tayghoon dee kee hoye no dasir sayurj, I guess that answers all your questions.
So if people from low background like yourself are successful, i totally appreciate them but they can never be SAYURJ.
And by the way here I’m talking about certain section of society who is never happy on someone’s success, with someone’s wealth or big caste. And you seem like one of those.
Peace!
Man do not say like that. Their is no one with high background or low background. All humanity is equal before Allah. You possess the real Hindu attributes. Do not claim to be Sayurj on the basis of forcefully occupied pieces of land, that were too bestowed by the ‘Goras’ at the price which your elders have already paid. Neither Bahadar is kishipi nor you are a sayurj. Simple logic is that do not be so proud because people, time and your forefathers- The Great Goras have already abandoned you. You should built a Mandar for you inside Chitral fort, rest all ok. Hindu pilgrims will come to Chitral every year and you will be presenting souveniers to them along with the law graduate. lollllssss
Bahader= Mastuj= same fake person!
You have proven that you are low by constantly sending derogatory remarks on this post and the previous one.
If you were from a noble family you wouldnt have pleased yourself by doing negative comments out of no reason.
@Shah Mehmood Katoor: So Kishipi taighun di ki hoi no dasir sayurj??? Here the character Kishipi is used for the cruel mehter. He played the role of kishipi for his British masters. Kishipi always attacks baby chickens. And this is what exactly the cruel mehter did. He suppressed the poor people who were unable to raise voice for their rights. So Mr you come from the generation of a usurper and stop declaring yourself as nobel. You could be nobel for yourself but for me you are a disgraced person on the planet earth. And yes I would like to tell you one thing that you can discourage people by calling them names. To me you are the biggest LOSER as you ancestors suppressed poor people to satisfy their inflated ego and to please their gora masters, who also treated you the way you treated the poor people.
This man named Babul, bulbul, ahmad, mastuj, abid ali and sher bahader is what on the internet is known as a troll, a person who wishes to make himself heard just for the simple sake of mischief. The mehtar, shahzadas, mitarjaos and laal sahibaan have a place in the culture and society of Chitral, just as members of all other tribes. It is Allah Subha Wa”Talah who has given these people lands, dignity and respect and preserves it for them, despite the pleadings and efforts of communists like the above mentioned poster. Watu Izzu Mantasha, Watu Zillu Mantasha.
To conclude this discussion, I can confidently say that Chitral had remained under dark ages for centuries. At last, Allah’s help came; Chitral was liberated and the poor people of Chitral were able to snatch their rights from the cruel rulers. Today the so-called mehtar is there but alas without any authority (Thanks to Allah). I will not be wrong to say that the existing forts are government property, and have been illegally occupied by the children of old mehtar. The district government should force them to vacate it through the same AC who vacated illegally occupied government houses few days back. We should be thankful to Allah that Islam spread in Chitral after 1947, before it there had no islam. Mehtar family is part of history now. They do not exist in reality. It is pertinent to mention that the Katoor family is still able to take breath, because of two reasons. one due to the ignorance of Chitrali people and second due to Aga Khan Development Network and other NGOs like SRSP who have provided them employments. Though I belong to an Ismaili family in upper Chitral, I strongly condemn Aga Khan Cultural Support Programe for giving aid and re constructing the outdated so called royal fort in the name of cultural preservation. AKCSP is playing havoc with the emotions of Chitrali people. It should immediately stop reconstruction work in any outdated fort. Otherwise, the people of Chitral will never forgive AKCSP. AKCSP should know that the people of chitral consider these forts as “Symbol of Hatred” and “Symbol of Terror and Fear”. It should be noted that those people who make their ways to civil and military bureaucracy through sheer hard work are not common people. They are the real rulers, but you do not understand. Some people very proudly say that Mohiuddin ruled Chitral for 30 years, but they do not see the cruelties which he committed to the people of Chitral. In short, do not be proud of things which do not belong to you.
I think Bulbul, ahmad, saba gul, mastuj etc. are the same person. The fort as well as most of Chitral bazaar is the mehtars private property and it is maintained through his own pocket, not by any NGO. I agree that we must salute the educated hard working people of Chitral, but not spread hate based on caste.
Bravo, let the AC remove the enchroachers from the fort but what about the tribes related to the Katoor who are the rightful owners of 90 per cent of Chitral’s land? If they are also usurpers and have occupied your land, it is your bad luck. But there are millions of unfortunate lots like you all around the country who just live their life tilling the land of others who once enslaved them but now rule them. So how long you will beat your chest and weep over your past. If you are a big man and have gotten this sheer position through merit and hard work, why don’t you bring a revolution and snatch the land and distribute it among the poor. lol
@Mastuj Who ever you are please give your real name and village in upper Chitral then we will able to know what kind of person you are.
Indeed indeed Bugti went down fighting for his people because he got unaccounted for wealth and lived a sardar’s life at the cost of his people. Also he did lots of work for education of his people and established the nawab akbar khan bugti university of modern sciences and technology at dera bugti. I have been told that one or two men from upper Chitral also came back to their homes after over 20 years after graduating from this university but only after dictator Musharraf destroyed Bugti’s fort. The rest is novel.
I would like to differ with you here Mr. M. Wali. I like Nawab Akbar Bugti because he was a nationalist to the core. When he became member parliament in Bhutto’s era he delivered his speech in Balochi language. If you could go down line Prince Iftikharuddin got elected using the name of Pervez Musharraf. After clinching the NA seat he extended support to Musharraf’s arch rival Nawaz Sharif. He was never seen on any TV channel or protest demonstration to defend show solidarity with his party chief. He just exploited the situation. So what I appreciate about Akbar Bugti is his nationalist approach. But call it our bad luck or the smartness of the Katoor who left no stone unturned in to save their vested interests, putting nationalism on the backburner. They were seen always around the people who wielded power but not for the sake of Chitral. They always danced to the tune of dictators, or those matter in the power corridors. I appreciate Nawab Akbar Bugti for enslaving who wanted to become his slave. And you will find scores of such examples in today’s Chitral where people still live under the influence of the Katoor as they have no other option. No one will give you freedom in the plate and you have snatch it. If the people of Chitral are educated today, it can not be attributed to the third class government school set up the mehter. They burnt midnight oils for their bright future, and attained their goals through hard work. Those who prefered to ‘shadari’ of the mehter still live in the stone age.
What do the actions of the Mehtars in the 1800’s have to do with this article? Congratulations to the mehtar for highlighting the environmental issues facing Chitral. These people should learn some manners and our traditions! The mehtar is not a politician and he has no power, if he does good for Chitral in his private capacity we should congratulate him, not judge him for the sins of his ancestors. Shame on all those posting with fake accounts. Shahzada Junaid Sahib is a brave and honest man, if only you others were that brave as well!
The greedy prople who used to get benefited at the time of the dark days (Mehtari) still in search ot the old days. They were getting benefits by making mehtar happy through diffferents ways although that were not appropriate. Now there heartz crying when they see an engineer or a doctor having a poor background….. Get jealous ,, burn yor heart ,, go to hell,,, i dont care …
Sabir Sahib, please read the above article, it is about the mehtar addressing the problems of Chitral to a global organization for development. If anyone is jealous it is the people squandering his name due to nothing else but caste based prejudices. If anyone is jealous it is them, not the mehtars supporters.
‘To the apologists of Mehtari’
“The Chief Wuzeer is also styled Diwanbegi, and is the Mihter’s slave agent. The practice of selling their own subjects has gained the rulers of Chitral and Yassin an unenviable notoriety,even among people who have not yet learned to regard slavery with the detestation in which it is held in Europe. The beauty of the Chitral (Kho) women has long been proverbial in Peshawur, Cabul, and Badakhshan, and female slaves still form not the least acceptable portion of the present is given by Chitral rulers to neighbouring princes. Chitral, therefore, has always been a favourite resort for slave-dealers from neighbouring countries, and a system grew up under which the rulers of Kashkar came to regard the sale of their subjects as a leaimate and ordinary way of eking out a
scanty revenue. All who in any way fell under the displeasure of the Mihter, were consigned to the Diwanbegi, and his agents were always on the look-out for victims whose conduct might have furnished a pretext for their being sold. Failing an excuse of this sort, the requisite number was made up by forcible seizure.”
-Biddluph, Tribes of Hindukush, Pp. 67-68
Dear Bulbul and all other seasonal birds and keyboard warriors, kindly read what the viceroy of the British Raj said about Chitral:
”Lord Curzon, viceroy of British India from 1897 to 1902, visited Chitral in 1890 while he was a member of the British Parliament. He witnessed the proceedings of the Mahraka and recorded the occasion in his diary: “Chitral, in fact, had its parliament and democratic constitution. For just as the British House of Commons is an assembly so in Chitral, the Mehtar, seated on a platform, and hedged about with a certain dignity, dispensed justice or law in sight of some hundreds of his subjects, who heard the arguments, watched the process of debate, and by their attitude in the main decided the issue. Such durbars were held on most days of the week in Chitral, very often twice in the day, in the morning and again at night. Justice compels me to add that the speeches [in the Mahraka] were less long and the general demeanour more decorous than in some western assemblies” (Curzon 1926: 133).
Dear Junaid, the way you take pride in the piece written by a dubious gora reminds me of some people who called Musharraf as democratically elected president and Ziaul haq as their spiritual leader. The mehtars had a long history of having cordial relations with British because they were their mouthpieces in different parts of the world. The mehtars were usurpers, dictators and worst kind of rulers. The commentary by the above mentioned gora is no different than a Chitrali historian who has written a book above different tribes, a good number of them are outright cheermozh. But the so-called historian gave them a clean chit. So do not try to distort history or it will distort you.
very true that when mirza muhammad ghufran some bitter shuja ul mulk could digest so he abstain. darbari writer couldnt be neutral but englishs left marks of their unkind kingship stories.
So you seem to be from the latter class.
A very interesting discussion has started here. I would like to add that the Mehtars were not only cruel but also promoted extremism in Chitral valley. Nasirul Mulk even said to a certain community at Garum Chashma that he would bury them under the dung, according to a British report. Mr. Junaid how many mouths will be shut on your directions and do favor of you. I think this Mehtar remains only the reminder of the dark days.
mr.abid ali has given the most ignorant comment among all. Stop lying! Can you show us in which book this incident is mentioned where Nasir ul mulk said that?? If he wanted, he would have buried you long before, he didn’t need your permission, he was the ruler and could have done anything. But he didn’t! The mehtars never discriminated against any sect, in fact, they used to marry Ismailies from Syed families. So if they wanted to bury them, why they married their daughters???
Secondly, extremism is promoted by Ismaili missionaries and sunni molanas, not by any mehtar, don’t talk rubbish. Devils like you only want to divide the people by spreading lies.
Exactly he didnt need any permission to do anything whether to throw mud on others’ honors or the selling of women in different markets during Aman ul Mulk reign. Sab ko pata hai yar. Man I will show the British report in with the exact words are written give me time. Ismailies and Sunnis always wish to live peacefully they were the Mehtars who were following their role model (British) philosophy of Divide and Rule.
To all the thankless people of Chitral, yes Nasir ul Mulk did a cardinal mistake by opening the first school of Chitral and because of which today there are doctors, engineers and district admin officers from very common lots of Chitral and because of which you are able to write so many big things. So do you want to say that the Mehtar should have treated you like your hero Akbar Bugti. Poor Mehtar could not have taken pride in committing the first murder of a human being at the age of 12 as Bugti once said proudly. Instead of guns, today the ancestors of Chitral feel pride in the first school of Chitral and you thankless crowds curse them. You people have for long been beating your trumpets claiming that sultani e jamoor ka zamana is near and you would be demolishing all the naqshe kufun. In every election you also spread venom against Mehtars and his ancestors to play with the sentiments of poor people but fail to win a seat. But at the end of the day, yes I feel pity on you people, you are suffering from I can say anti-royal-family syndrome and you are frustrated and try to vent out your centuries-old frustration by writing anonymously and speaking behind closed doors against the royal family.
Nawab Akbar Bugti stood up against the government when his people were deprived of their rights. He commanded from the front and sacrificed his life. He never surrendered. He was a rebel. In contrast the mehters imposed themselves through backdoor channels with the help of their British masters. Thier sole purpose was to perpetuate their dictatorial rules in one way or another. They did nothing for the betterment of their people except one school. The school was also established under pressure from influential people from whom they felt threatened. I would rather say that the backwardness of Chitral is due to Katoor. Prince Muhiuddin ruled for about thirty-years and that is enough to make the mehter lovers realize how sincere they were for the uplift of the backward valley. The statement of the current MPA Sarda Hussain is on record who once said in an interview to ChitralToday that the Katoor or shazdagan highups wrote letters to more than fifteen embassies in Islamabad opposing the opening of Lowari tunnel. This is what you have been doing for Chitral. And this is the services which you people have been doing for the uplift of the valley. If a single school is yardstick to gauge someone’s sincerity for development of an area, GD Langland of Sayurj Public School Chitral, who established a quality school, should be called His Highness The Mehter.
Following is the link in which Sardar Hussain accused Shahzada Mohiuddin of opposing Lowari tunnel by writing letters to over 15 embassies.
https://www.chitraltoday.net/2013/09/07/my-victory-to-end-princely-monopoly-on-politics-sardar-hussain/#sthash.aXq4Crwu.dpbs
Akbar Bugti was a British vassal as well, he even attended the queens coronation, and if you think the Baloch sardars have done a single thing for their people, you have not been to Balochistan! If it were not for Nasir-ul-Mulk and Muzaffar-ul-Mulk we would not be part of Pakistan today! If it were not for Shuja-ul-Mulk we would not have motorable roads and hospitals! You are a jealous man with an inferiority complex, my dear brother.
Everyone in the world wants meritocracy and justice and that should be our concern too. Naturally the elites and for that matter the Mahtars are anti-merit and fair-play as they inherit grace and respect as opposed to sheer hard work which is required for a common man to climb the stairs of progress, as have had most of the “tiny” DCs and ACs.
Nadir Sahib, this has nothing to do with authority. The mehtar has no authority. He has just invited some foreigners for dinner and spoken on the issues of Chitral as an educated Chitrali. I do not see why this is alarming. As for his title it is an inherited title which the government establishment lets him use. Anway, their are a thousand Mehtars in Chitral nowadays, every Mitarjao calls himself a mehtar!
What does the practices of the 1800’s have to do with the current mehtar who was educated in England and America? Slavery was banned in Chitral during the reign of Mehtar Shuja-ul-Mulk in 1897. You people are ignorant of your culture. The Chitral fort is a symbol of our culture and history and the mehtar is our traditional leader. As for the people of Chitral struggling, H.H. Nasir-ul-Mulk was a friend of Allama Iqbal and supported the Pakistan movement even in the days of the British and his successor Muzaffar-ul-Mulk was the first ruler to join Pakistan! My brothers, do not be ignorant of you history. The government of Pakistan recognizes the mehtar’s position, if you are unhappy with it take it up with SAFRON Ministry.
To those supporting the mehtar rule, i would like to remind them the trading rules of the Chitral bazar at that time! 5 men to one good breed dog!
The USA used to be on top in slave trading, why it makes you so upset if Chitral was also part of this global sin?? Just leave the negative thoughts, and focus on the positive parts of our culture and history, you will be more happy!
Hi Junaid,
USA certainly does not remember its past with any pride. Slavery is a botch on the face of their history and so was the Katoor rule on ours. I cannot change the past but i can surely refuse and protest against the continuation of this forced rule. Go Mehtar! We do not want to be ruled from that poorly maintained fort of yours!
Dear sister, the Katorr rule resulted in Chitral ruling from Kunar to Kohistan, Wakhan to Punial. Great poets like Siyar and great warriors like Danyar Beg belonged to that era. Do not abuse our history just because of one aspect that was cruel. Think of the later Katoor era, Chitral had schools, hospitals and motorable roads when Dir and Gilgit were still in the middle ages.
I dont see any roads anywhere sir. i wonder which ones you are talking about. i do see the mastuj road being eroded at Danin because the now so called mehtar contacted his balach land for bajri which led to erosion.
@Saba Gul,
Chitral’s history does not revolve around slavery only, it includes many other positive things as brother Karimullah mentioned in his comment. The first high-school in Chitral was also built by those Mehtar, whom you hate because of ignorance. Can you deny all that?
Go to interior Sindh or rural Punjab, you will understand what real slavery looks like!!
I give credit where it is due. Karimullah highlighted a part of our culture which has nothing to do with Mehtars but were achieved by commoners. Baba Siyar was no mehtar and neither was Danyar Baig.To sum the discussion, i cannot change the past., but i surely cannot keep on doing the mitari parade at the risk of my conscious. You my brother need to stop telling people how worse it could have been if they were born in other parts. I was not born in Interior Sindh and even if i was, i would have worked to make my circumstances better.
Exactly the people who claim to be intellectuals are in fact living in the prison cell of slavery. They have forgotten the history altogather. They appreciate the people who ruled their forefathers with iron hands. How weak their memories are!
دنیا میں قتیل اس سا منافق نہیں کوئی
جو ظلم تو سہتا ھے بغاوت نہیں کرتا
In Chitral, there were no blacks but the way the Mehtars treated its people was worse than what happened to the black slaves in US.
The thing which is more astonishing is the way Mehtars’ ancestors take pride in the draconian rule. The black era of state rule in Chitral has vanished long, long ago. Now the situation has reached a level where one of the Mehtars is vying to wear the Islamic robe and that too of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F).
The Mehtars have always presented themselves as secular and liberal. But when it comes to power, they were even ready to go to any extent. I would like to forewarn that any negligence by the people will pave the way for another prince to befool poor Chitralis in the name of culture, civilization, etc.
@Ahmad,
The Mehtars indeed did a mistake by allowing education and building the high-school at a time when there was no modern education in the whole region. They didn’t know that the next generation would be so thankless! We deserve to be treated much worse.
If you were born in Sindh or Punjab, you would have been labouring at a brick kiln for some ‘wadera’ all your life. So just thank Allah that you were born in Chitral and don’t spread hate for no reason.
The mehtar was forced to abolish the state rule by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The people started an anti-mehtar movement like Imran Khan’s sit-ins against Nawaz Sharif. Go mehtar go slogans echoed in every nook and corner of Chitral. The school which the mehtar set up was meant to portray himself as a bright man. But in fact his intention was to perpetuate his rule through such tactics. It was no different than metro bus projects of Sharifs. How can we people pleading to Bhutto to end the usher zho (grain) from the mouth of the poor man. Yeh woh zalim log jinhon ne ghareeb k munh se nawala cheen lete the apna peith bharne k liye aaj yeh adlu insaf ki batein kerta he.
oh so you now want us to be thankful for being subjects to ‘kinder’ masters?
Salim, please ask your elders about the recent history of Chitral. Bhutto did not merge Chitral State, Yahya did and their was no movement against the mehtar. Yes their was a movement in the 1950’s led by the mullahs, but this died down and the State rule, under a Pakistani officer representing the mehtar continued. These mullahs later became pro-state. By the time Bhutto became prime minister Chitral state did not exist. Dont spread lies!
The tiny DC, the arrogant AC and the corrupt SHO is a public servant. He is not a usurper like Mehtar and his forefathers. He is the son of a poor man. He is not an arrogant royal who could look down on in poor masses like the Mehtar. He is accountable to the people. The DC or the AC has reached to the level through sheer hard work. So my dear Muhammad Khan, if you think the fort is a symbol of pride for you, you are free to make tawaf (rounds) of the reminiscent of cruelty.
For the former royal family and all the branches of the tribes descending from Baba Ayub, the Chitral Fort is a symbol of honour, power, dignity, influence and pride. There is no doubt that these people have still influence and high degree of respect among the people of Chitral and outside. But for those who remained the subject masses for centuries, like in other parts of the world, yes the fort may be a remnant of cruelty or whatever you may call it. I have seen during elections that roughly there are two groups of voters in Chitral: Pro and anti-Shahzada (read Prince Mohiuddin). Election history shows that for the last over 30 or so years the prince group has won more elections than the other people put together. Keeping the reality in mind, if we start challenging each other it would lead to more polarization of society. So my advice to you all is try to know your history, background, ground realities and promote tolerance because everywhere around the world the family background and roots do count and this is not the exception for us the Chitralis. If a man prefixes the title of a retired general, colonel or even captain with his name even after completing his service, why we should be in trouble if a man calls himself a prince or Mehtar. The Mehtar is not like an ordinary person as he has inherited the title in his family which ruled Chitral for over five centuries. We are strange people, we consider a tiny dco or an ac and even an SHO as our master but feel embarrassed when others give respect to the Mehtar. The Mehtar should be given powers and should be consulted in matters related to Chitral and we should get united under him to fight for our rights as one nation instead of dividing ourselves in tribes and ruled by others.
But the son of a major general, colonel can not use his father’s title for himsel, eg. MAJ GEN (retd) Mohd Khan. So a grandson of a mehter has no right to use the title mehter if that is the criteria. The misuse of titles of their title such as mehter, hakim, pir, shagush, qazi, sirang, baramush, ataleeq, etc. but shows they suffer from inferiority complex and badly frustrated. We could have been much better than what we are today due to these kind of useless thing. Adding col, maj, gen, governor, prime minister won’t make u a big man, rather it’s hard work thru which you can make a differce. I’ve a friend whose father was a mochi but he is a CSP, another friend whose father is a chirmuzh but he is a doctor. Point to ponder. Mitaro mitari bagai, zamana badal hoi, sor dosi keris (weep) roshti pasta dika pat wadi hush ki no aru!
Jamal Sahib, the mehtar’s title is recognized by the Government of Pakistan, through the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions. His Tajposhi was an officially organized event, he has every right to use his title. Otherwise yes, he has no power or authority.
Mehtar has no powers but his respect and family dignity will never go away!!!!
We should not make a big hue and cry to this matter. The Mehtar invited that dignitaries from other countries to his residence and invited them over for lunch, what is wrong with that. It might be possible that Chitralis who are working in ICIMOD had requested the Mehtar to invite their guests at the Royal Fort. Is there any decent place to take such dignitaries in Chitral apart from Royal Fort and other noghor related areas? i dont think so.
The comments posted by Mr.Sahar Khan and Mr. Nadir Zaman are totally irrelevant and out of the context. They need to understand few things or at least visit Chitral before posting these comments from cities where they are hiding. The Mehtar doesn’t interfere in any political affair and has never casted vote in order to maintain his impartiality. The Chitral Fort is private residence of the Mehtar and only personal guests are entertained. Throughout the year hundreds of diplomats, government officials, tourists and NGO professionals visit the Fort and meet the Mehtar. However it is encouraging to see the Mehtar talking about issues of Chitral without any political motive. Instead of criticizing for no reason, the so called Chitrali brothers should have appreciated this gesture.
Let’s come to the second issue which is being raised. The commenters seem to be offended by the fact that the Mehtar is still using the old titles. They need to understand that despite abolition of state and other privileges, The Mehtar and other titular and symbolic rulers of former princely states are still recognized and acknowledged by the Government of Pakistan through the Ministry of Safron. The Title Mehtar is a traditional title and no one has the right to abolish it. The hereditary title of “His Higness” was granted to the Mehtars of Chitral by the British Monarchy and hence remains intact as long as the title “Mehtar” is intact.
The current Mehtar is respected by all political forces in Chitral because of his impartiality and neutral role. The current Mehtar was coronated as symbolic Mehtar in a grand ceremony in Chitral where almost 8000 elders and representatives of small and big tribes , major sects, valleys, political parties etc participated.
The government of Pakistan was represented by the DCO Chitral and a provincial Minister. This grand gathering of Chitralis irrespective of their political and sectarian differences recognized him as their traditional and symbolic Mehtar , the decision was seconded by Governemnt of Pakistan in front of dozens of foreign diplomats.
Chitrali is a beacon of peace and a land where people know each other with their tribes and have strong social values. Chitralis irrespective of their social status respect each other and respect their elders as well. Unfortunately these traits of our beautiful culture are threatened by extremists who want to uproot the social system of Chitral and spread tribal , ethnic and sectarian hatred among Chitralis.
Second Sahar and Nazir. It is vain attempt to be relevant on the part of remnants of cruelty.
Wel said Nadir Xaman, there is a very nice sentence in Farsi language……. Pedar e man sultan e bood…. hahaha poorand narrow minded…. So sorry for u people..
I second the opinions expressed by Sahar bhai.To use the titles of Mehtar or the Khowar equivalent Mitaar (Rulers of old British subsidiary Chitral State) can create ambiguity in the present context as Chitral is a district not a kingdom anymore. But there is some vested interest involved in re-enacting the old traditional title for the members of the old royal family: they want to create a pseudo kind of influence in the politico-social atmosphere in Chitral. Some circles also say it is in connivance with the former royal family to increase the remunerations from the government of Pakistan. It is an illusion which these people want to set in the minds of the people, especially the international visitors, that the Mehtar exercises some degree of decision making in the affairs of the district administration. And that is why delegates, NGOs and INGOs get attracted to this delusion. Essentially, English people consider the royals of Chitral to be their all-time loyal and this has been the fact as well.
However, the masses in Chitral have very different views about the royal family members: they consider them to be their ultimate exploiters and a hindrance in the way to their progress as the elites are always pro-status quo in nature. So the development organizations and donor agencies need to dissociate themselves from the royal elites if they really want to empower the man in the street, and wish to safeguard the rights of the vulnerable groups.
Dear Editor,
Kindly stop using very outdated terminologies like Mehtar while referring to the reminiscent of a vey dark period in the history of Chitral during which very tyrannical medieval types of dynasties ruled Chitral. The people of Chitral actively participated in the longstanding democratic struggle against the iron-fisted tyrannical rulers of Chitral and very recently have been able to free themselves from their grip of them. As after1969 the terms and terminologies relating to the independent State of Chitral stand annulled so it is imperative to avoid using such words in the media.
Outdated biko lo… As long as Chitral exists, our language, our culture, our traditions and our history will live on.. we love our mehtar, zindabad
This was good show and chitrali staff working in ICIMOD deserve our commendation. Similarly Mehtar Chitral also showed great hospitality
After a long struggle people of Chitral have get rid of that cruel system, now we are living in democracy, therefore forget those dark days.