Kalash valley is located in far-fetched area of the Chitral district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Covering assignments in the said valley was an entirely new experience. We reached Chitral city after driving around a curvy mountain pass – Lowari Pass – as the tunnel (Lowari) could not become functional despite the passage of 17 years since the start of the project. The administration, however, opens the tunnel on a daily basis only for two hours, mostly at night.
We were gobsmacked when we were told by a guide that no media person – either Pakistani or foreigner – could enter Kalash valley without obtaining no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Chitral administration.
The next morning we scurried to the Chitral’s DC Office for the NOC to enter Kalash. To our utter surprise, his [DC’s] behaviour was very rough and he rounded on us by saying, “Media teams visit the valley on a daily basis and highlight the negative face of the tribe living there.” We preferred to stay mum while he said “go and fulfil the requirement for the NOC”. We submitted the NOC form along with a letter from the organistaion we are working with, but the DC said it would take a week or a fortnight to issue the NOC. We left his premises and opted to enter the valley without the NOC at our own risk.
At last, we entered the valley after passing through various check points of police and FC.
Kalash valley shares border with hostile Nuristan province of Afghanistan.
There are three sub-valleys in Kalash i.e. Ramboor, Bamboreet and Bareer with a total population of 4,000. According to history books, the Kalash tribe belongs to the ‘Alexander the Great’ and critics in Kalash also claim the same version of the history. Around 40 years ago, the population of the Kalash tribe was estimated at 50,000, but the number reduced to 4,000 due to various factors.
Kalash was a peaceful valley some two years ago but the conversion of Kalashi girl Reena to Islam saw Muslims and Kalashis firing at each other in which several casualties were reported.
“We were living peacefully before this event then hatred spread its fangs and now members of the both the communities do not attend each other’s events,” said indigenous people representing both communities in the region.
Kalashis claim the girl was forced to covert, but Reena, who is studying in a local religious school and don a veil to cover her face, said: “I accepted Islam happily and no one forced me to convert. I wish my family also convert to get a place in paradise.”
A spokesman for Kalashi tribe, Luke Rehmat, who runs a computer centre in the valley, said that life threats from TTP had put the future of the tribe at stake.
“Also, unidentified militants distributed pamphlets in the valley a year ago, warning us either to convert or face the consequences,” said Luke Rehmat. Police had also confirmed that such pamphlets were distributed by militants. Subsequently, security forces tightened the security of the valley.
But the attack on two shepherds and their livestock by unidentified militants on July 29, 2016, raised many eyebrows and put a question mark on security arrangements.
A group of militants assaulted two shepherds at a high pasture and gunned them down on the spot. The two shepherds shot dead were accompanying two more herdsmen, who managed to escape easily. Interestingly, the lucky two who escaped the attack were said to be members of converted Muslim family.
“Isn’t there anything fishy? Why only Kalashi shepherds and their livestock was targeted,” said a local herdsman, wishing not to be named.
Kalashi people accuse area police, mostly Muslims, of bias against them. Police, however, deny the allegation and say they decide cases keeping in view the facts and not on the basis of personal liking and disliking.
According to a UNESCO report, Kalashi language is on the verge of extinction. “Our children are studying in government-run schools and Kalashi students are studying Islamic books with Muslims fellows,” said Luke Rehmat, adding: “When children study books of another religion during their schooling period chances are vital that they will change their religion.”
He said that there were no proper schools for Kalashi people and added that “they also lacked the right to preach their religion contrary to the Muslim preachers who visit their valley on a daily basis to preach Islam”.
“We demand the government to stop the preaching system in the valley. The only source to safeguard the culture of the tribe was international organizations, but the National Action Plan and strict observations on donors’ funds had increased our vulnerabilities,” said Luke Rehmat.
Kalashi people celebrate their spring event in May every year. Men and women dance together and choose their life partners during the festival. They dance and sing sad songs on the demise of their loved ones and bury dead bodies after two days.
Shaera, a Kalashi girl and a graduate from the University of Peshawar who work in the fields to earn a living, said: “There are little opportunities for our people in the country that’s why the educated people are working in the fields with their families. As our culture stands on the pillars of pluralism and respect for others we always welcome every tourist. But due to our liberal thoughts they demand sexual relations and that’s why we kick them out of our homes,” she said.
Shaera said that there were speculations that Kalashi girls were so liberal that they would give in to fulfil sexual desires of tourists. “The state’s behavior is also not friendly with us because whenever we visit a passport or NADRA office they tick mark “other” in the column of religion.”
She went on to say, “I was born Kalashi and would always remain a Kalashi. I feel proud of being a Kalashi. But at the same time I fear that our identity is withering day by day and no one is trying to rescue it.”
The valley was battered by floods several times in the past but the indigenous people performed the rehabilitation process on their own as the response from the government was very poor.
Natural catastrophes, education system, cross-border militant attacks and growing extremism in Pakistan are posing existential threats to the Kalash tribe.
Atiq, a language researcher, said that no serious step was being taken to save a unique culture from being vanished.
“Religious extremism is forcing Kalashi people to migrate to safer places of the world,” he said, adding: “Hazara community is experiencing the same situation that was witnessed by Sikh, Parsi and Ahmadi communities earlier.”
Published in Daily Times, November 27th 2017.
