Kalasha Peoples Call for Cultural Survival

Not because we are indigenous peoples, but because we are human beings with indigenous culture,language and our unique ways of being human, should our defense and protection be a matter of highest priority concern for all people the world over who care about human rights

Rights


Posted 2 years, 8 months ago at 8:24 pm. Add a comment

‘Ancient Kafirstan’ refers to the territories of pre-Islamic tribes in the Hindu Kush Mountains in Central-East Asia. These pre-Islamic tribal territories were overtaken by waves of invasion which started with Arab incursion in the ninth century AD, and continued with later invasions by central Asian conquerors. The final push of forced conversion in Kafirstan was conducted in 1895 by the ruler of Afghanistan . The majority of these pre-Islamic territories are now incorporated into Afghanistan and Pakistan. The tribal inhabitants, previously little-known to outsiders, came to be called the “Kafirs of Hindu Kush” by colonial administrators who ventured into the area to mark frontier boundaries under the British Empire.  The reports of these military expeditions brought the outside world significant information about the nature and origins of the society of pre-Islamic peoples. The only  surviving inheritors of ancient Kafirstan are the Kalash Kafirs, residing in the mountainous region which was formerly the state of Chitral.
The Kalasha exist today because of departure from their pre-Islamic past, accomplished through accepting the sovereignty of the Muslim invaders. The Kalasha agreed to pay tributary taxes and provided uncompensated labour. In exchange for these concessions, the Kalash were allowed to retain their beliefs, customs and ethnic territory: the Kalasha Valleys. Upon decolonization of India, the mountain state of Chitral came under the suzerainty of Pakistan and ceded full control in 1969.  The Kalash became citizens of Pakistan and are today identified as an “other” religious minority in Pakistan.

‘Ancient Kafirstan’ refers to the territories of pre-Islamic Indigenous tribes in the Hindu Kush Mountains in Central-East Asia. These pre-Islamic tribal territories were overtaken by waves of invasion which started with Arab incursion in the ninth century AD, and continued with later invasions by central Asian conquerors. The final push of forced conversion in Kafirstan was conducted in 1895 by the ruler of Afghanistan . The majority of these pre-Islamic territories are now incorporated into Afghanistan and Pakistan. The tribal inhabitants, previously little-known to outsiders, came to be called the “Kafirs of Hindu Kush” by colonial administrators who ventured into the area to mark frontier boundaries under the British Empire.  The reports of these military expeditions brought the outside world significant information about the nature and origins of the society of pre-Islamic peoples. The only  surviving inheritors of ancient Kafirstan are the Kalash Kafirs, residing in the mountainous region which was formerly the state of Chitral.

The Kalasha exist today in chitral because they accepted the sovereignty of the Muslim invaders for sparing their religion and culture. In return to maintain their own religion and culture the Kalasha agreed to pay tributary taxes and provided uncompensated labour. In exchange for these concessions, the Kalash were allowed to retain their beliefs, customs and ethnic territory: the Kalasha Valleys. Upon decolonization of India, the mountain state of Chitral came under the suzerainty of Pakistan and ceded full control in 1969.  The Kalash became citizens of Pakistan and are today identified as an “other” religious minority in Pakistan. The Kalasha religion is not registered in the list of Pakistani religion nor their are arrangements for protecting and the Indigenous culture and language.

91523196-Recommendation-to-Add-the-Kalash-Religion-in-Machine-Readable-Passport-MRP-Database-by-Ministry-of-Minorities-Affairs-Pakistan

Comments are closed.