Speakers recall life and sacrifices of Yousafzai tribe’s chief

CHAKDARA: The newly built mausoleum of Malik Ahmad Khan Baba, the chief of the Yousafzai tribe, was inaugurated and his life and achievements were highlighted at two well-attended events on Sunday.
Quran Khwani was held and prayers were offered at Malik Ahmad Khan Baba mausoleum at Aladhand Dheray village near Batkhela town in Malakand district. Well-known scholar Mohammad Islam Armani, who belongs to Aladhand Dheray, briefly spoke on the occasion to highlight the great Pakhtun leader’s life and times.
Local poets and villagers said only a decade ago it became known that this grave at the cemetery was of Malik Ahmad Khan Baba, who died in 1535 and remained forgotten for long. Funds for building the mausoleum were provided by the ANP-PPP coalition government that ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2008-2013.
Later, a major event was held at nearby Chakdara in Lower Dir district. A large gathering of invitees and locals were present at the Fishing Hut guesthouse by the banks of river Swat where scholars, poets, political activists and members of the intelligentsia paid rich tributes to Malik Ahmad Khan Baba.
Noted educationist and scholar Professor Mohammad Nawaz Tair presided the first session in which famous Afghan scholar Habibullah Rafi was the chief guest. Besides them, other speakers in the session were Malakand University Vice-Chancellor Dr Johar Ali, Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority Director Ejaz Yousafzai, paediatrician Dr Abdul Hameed, poet and writer Abaseen Yousafzai, senior journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, scholar Dr Yar Mohammad Maghmoom, and poets and writers Hanif Qais, Mushtaq Majrooh Yousafzai, Rokhan Yousafzai and Arif Tabassum, and Pakistan Women Writers Forum president Samina Qadir.
In the second post-lunch session, Afghan scholar Asif Sameem, Farhad Ali Khawar, N M Shafaq, Dr Khaliq Ziar. Zakir Advocate and others made presentations and recited their poetry to pay tributes to Malik Ahmad Khan Baba.
The speakers in the two sessions recalled that Malik Ahmad Khan, born in 1460, was 14 years old when 700 Yousafzai tribe elders were deceived and killed by the ruler of Kabul, Mirza Ulagh Beg, as he feared the growing power of the Yousafzais. It was pointed that Ulagh Beg spared Malik Ahmad Khan’s life on the request of the latter’s uncle Malik Suleman Shah, who offered his head in his place as he was convinced that his young nephew had leadership qualities. Malik Ahmad Khan then migrated with his tribe to Doaba area in the Peshawar valley and gradually conquered territory in Hashtnagar, Malakand, Swat, Dir, Mardan and Swabi by defeating the Dilazak and Swati tribes.
The speakers recalled that Malik Ahmad Khan Baba set up his headquarters in Thana, Malakand district, and united his tribe and its allies to set up the state of Pakhtunkhwa. They said he ruled for 10 years in the company of tribal elders such as Khan Gajju, Malik Mansoor, Malik Bahaku, Malik Saleem, etc.
A documentary in Pashto on Malik Ahmad Khan Baba was also shown on the occasion and appreciated.Later at night, a cultural and music show was arranged much to the delight of the participants.