Book on Malik Ahmad Baba launched

PESHAWAR: Known Pashto poet and writer Prof Abaseen Yousafzai has authored a book on the life and achievements of Malik Ahmad Baba, the founder of the independent state of Pakhtunkhwa in 1520 AD.

The 250-page book titled “Da Pakhtunkhwa Bani” includes research papers, speeches, lectures, poetry and photographs of heroes of the land that had been presented to an audience of more than 500 writers, poets, journalists, politicians and others at the 545th birthday celebrations of Malik Ahmad Baba at an international seminar at Chakdara, Lower Dir district last year.

Malik Ahmad Baba, born to Malik Sultan Shah in 1470, became the head of the Yousafzai, a major Pakhtun tribe, after his uncle and ruler Malik Suleman Shah was killed in a fraudulent manner along with 700 elders of his tribe by the then Mughal ameer (governor) of Kabul Mirza Olagh Baig.

Malik Ahmad gathered his dejected and defeated tribe and migrated to Doaba, Charsadda district, before taking on his enemies one by one and eventually establishing an independent Pakhtun state that had boundaries extended from Chitral to Kabul and from Kandahar to River Indus in 1520.

The book is the ninth one authored by Prof Abaseen Yousafzai. The back title of the book is written by noted paediatrician Dr Abdul Hameed Yousafzai, convener Malik Ahmad Society for Historical and Anthropological Research (MASHAR).

The shrine of Malik Ahmad Baba is located at Alladand Dheray in Malakand district. Dr Hameed and the MASHAR have been playing an important role in bringing back to limelight the forgotten heroes of the land.

Recently the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed an amended KP Antiquities Bill, thanks to the efforts of MASHAR that stressed on the importance of providing protection to graves and buildings of cultural and historical importance, including that of Malik Ahmad Baba, Malik Gajju Khan and Sheikh Mali Baba.

Besides Dr Abdul Hameed Yousafzai, senior oncologist Dr Sher Muhammad Khan, journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, Prof Abaseen Yousafzai, Prof Dr Yasin Iqbal, Prof Dr Salma Shaheen, politician Nawaz Khan of Shangla, Engineer Ejaz Khan Yousafzai, historian Farhad Khawar, Prof Dr Johar Ali who is vice-chancellor University of Malakand, Prof. Tahir Nawaz, Ms Samina Qadir, Ms Shaheen Akhtar, Arshad Yusufzai and Emran Safi are members of the Malik Ahmad Society for Historical and Anthropological Research.