Pashtunwali

Pashtunwali (Pashto: پختونوالی) is a concept of living for the Pashtun people (also known as Pathans), which dates back to pre-Islamic eras. Pashtunwali is also an honour-code and a non-written law. Among the Pashtuns in India, the practice is called Pathanwali. It is practiced by Pashtuns in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Rohilkhand, and members of the Pashtun diaspora.

Pashtunwali

This is an ancient feudal tribal "code of honor" that belongs to the South-Central Asian landscape, particularly to Afghanistan and some north western pockets of Pakistan. As a set of rules guiding both individual and communal conduct, Pashtunwali is still socially enforced in those areas.

Pashtuns embrace an ancient traditional, spiritual, and communal identity tied to a specific set of moral codes and rules of behavior, as well as to a linear record of history spanning over five thousand years .

Intrinsically flexible and dynamic, containing modern and ancient principles in one coherent set of teachings, Pashtunwali promotes core tenets including self-respect, independence, justice, hospitality, love, forgiveness, revenge and tolerance toward all (especially to strangers or guests). All these codes of conduct are helpful in maintaining social and moral checks and balances within Pashtun Society. Aside from its core tenets, Pashtunwali is unique to every Pashtun, and it is considered a personal responsibility to discover and rediscover its essence and meaning.

The Code of Pashtunwali (Pakhtunwali)

Pashtun children in Khost province of Afghanistan, which is next to the Durand Line border with Pakistan.

Pashtunwali is an unwritten, democratic, socio-political culture, law and ideology of the Pashtun society inherited from their forefathers and carried on to the present generation. It is a dominant force of Pashtun culture and identity. Pashtunwali is basically conservative, naturally democratic, centuries old but still a young phenomenon in the Pashtun culture and socio-economic structure.

It has been able to maintain a powerful dialectical balance of the Pashtun society. Pashtunwali, a complement of the Pashtun society, has undergone various legal, political, economic and cultural changes in rules and regulation for its perfection and reform. It has developed into an accepted comprehensive constitution. Pashtunwali consists of qualifications such as Khpelwaki (self authority), Sialy (Equality), Jirga (Assembly), Roogha (reconciliation or compromise), Badal (revenge), Barabari (equivalence), Teega/Nerkh (Law), Arbakai (messengers) Aziz/Azizwale (clan, clanship), Terbor/Terborwali (cousin and tribal rivalries), Nang (competence), Ghairat (enthusiasm), Oogha Warkawel (giving a lift to persons in need), Pannah Warkawel (offering asylum), Ashar (shared co-operative work), Zhamena (commitment), Melayter (patrons), Chegha (call for action), Soolah (truce) and others.

Pashtunwali is a democratic structure emphasizing of Jirga, Sialy and Barabary. It is a defensive system in terms of Jirga, Chegha and Arbakai. It is a legal system in terms of Jirga, Teega/Nerkh, Pannah and Roogha. This system has managed all social and internal affairs of the Pashtun/Pakhtun society before and after Islam. It has created small and large local governments in Central and South Asia.

All the Pashtun social structures are undergoing political processes and are forged into certain socio-economic evolutionary shapes. The 8 centuries’ perpetual Pashtun nationalism animated a political central government for the first time in the 12th century when it had defeated Arabic nationalism and then established a strong centralized government towards the 18th century.

All small and large tribes and ethnic groups participated in the reform and improvement of the government administration and in its various economic, social and cultural aspects. With the strengthening of relations among these ethnic groups in socio-economic affairs, Pashtun nationalism was transformed into Afghan nationalism.

Afghan nationalism is in fact a 20th century phenomenon of political power in the form of a centralized state government, Sequentially, Pashtunwali is the first foundation stone, Pashtun nationalism is second and Afghan nationalism is the third and evolutionary phase of political structure, state and nation formation. Pashtunwali has a history of several thousand years, while Pashtun nationalism is only a few hundred years old. Afghan nationalism is a product of the contemporary 20th century history.

Pashtunwali is the sum total of collective expectations of the group from its members to conform to the totality of norms and customs that ensure the group's survival as a distinct socio-cultural entity. There are no state institutions to ensure the implementation of this unwritten code of life but Pashtun members of the society internalize these social norms to such an extent that they directly become a matter of one’s conscience than an executive order of a discrete authority. Therefore, in certain respects, Pukhtunwali is no less than a religion as it relies on internal mechanisms of the members of this society to regulate his/her behavior.

The code of Pashtunwali is based on the collective wisdom of its people. It does not spring from the genius of one authority, temporal or divine, and is, therefore, open to debate and re-interpretation according to the needs of the society and the changing times. Although it is rigid in constitution because of historical reasons, in its basic social philosophy, Pashtunwali is cosmopolitan, egalitarian and democratic. Hence, it has been able to absorb waves of outsiders in Pashtun society.

Pashtunwali embodies all the principles of a self-sufficient social group. Its two principles of Siali (Competition) and Mailmastia (Hospitality) embody two social principles that ensure a society’s progress through competition; and survival through co-operation. Thus the elements of conflict and co-operation are evenly balanced in the make-up of Pashtunwali. Concepts like Nang (honour), Siali (competition) and Badal (retribution) are open to interpretation as the social needs and the collective perception of the group change with regard to objective realities in the space-time continuum.

Teachings & code of conduct

• Faith - trust in the Universe, God (known as the Creator, or the Architect of the Universe). The notion of trusting in the one single creator generally comports to Islamic monotheism and tawheed. Nevertheless, the relevance of this issue lies mostly in the question whether the Buddhist or Hindu adherents of Pashtunwali can consider themselves as true Pashtuns as some Pathans of the Kalash in NWFP follow a pantheist religion.
• Unity - above the languages we speak, above the bloods we keep, above the amount of money we make, Pashtunwali keeps us in due bounds with all fellow Pashtuns, humankind and God.

Pashtunwali unites the Pashtun as one people across the world. Where there is true unity, every effort to disunite us will only serve to strengthen the unity we have. What happens to one - happens to all (One for all and all for one).

• Social justice - the belief that we are limited in knowledge (objective truth), and therefore should put human needs above anyone’s notion of deity and work for social justice.
• Freedom and independence - the belief that freedom in physical, mental, religious, spiritual, political and economic realms is for all to pursue, man and woman, so long as it is done without bringing harm to others. The free have nothing to gain of freedom without discipline. A free Pashtun who does not have discipline will certainly spin his own web of destruction.
• Proselytizing - Pashtunwali teaches that no one has the right to place demand upon others who are not their children regarding what to believe. Furthermore, no government or person has the right to put religion before God.
• Hospitality - being hospitable to all, especially guests and strangers, and, at times, even the most hostile of enemies is a key teaching. The exception that makes the rule is when one has come to take advantage of Pashtunwali for their own corrupt ends, bringing harm to you in the pursuit of their aims.

As an example, if one comes to your home purporting to seek refuge or comes offering aid, but then his actions reveal he is there to use your name, your hospitality, and Pashtunwali for his own agenda instead of actually seeking humble refuge or participation, he has lied to you. In fact, he has not come for what he said.

• Justice and forgiveness - Pashtunwali also teaches us if one intentionally wrongs you, you have the right, though not the obligation, to avenge this injustice in equal proportion. As long as you do not overzealously avenge the injustice done to you, whomever has wronged you may not avenge your justified reaction. If one has intentionally wronged you, and you did not seek justice nor his/her forgiveness, a debt, however understood, is owed to you by him/her. However if (s)he continues to wrong you, or tyrannically wrong others, you are required to avenge the wrong doings until the person stops his activities. It should always be remembered, violence begets violence, long-standing cycles of violence cannot be broken until one or both parties stands morally superior to lead both out.
• Non-cooperation with evil - this teaches that non-cooperation with evil is a Pashtun moral duty just as cooperation with good is. Love is the ultimate weapon against evil that leaves you calm, organized, and ready to build when your oppressor has been defeated. There is no government or human derived system on earth that can stand up to non-cooperation.

Yours is the true non-violence, it is the non-violence of the strong, not the non-violence of the weak and starving.

-– Mahatma Gandhi speaking directly to the Pashtuns

• Good thoughts, good words, good deeds - it is necessary to work with good intentions, think good, say good, and do good. What one thinks will affect what one says and does. Thinking positively will result in positive action.
• Love - the belief that love is the greatest gift God ever gave, more than the mind or freedom. It is humanity's greatest merit, greatest ideal, and greatest evil when forgotten. Use it in all things.
• Brotherhood, sisterhood, friendship, and trust - the belief that fellow Pashtun brothers and sisters should be trusted and assisted to the greatest extent possible without bringing harm to oneself.
• Honour - the belief that Pashtuns should maintain their independent human dignity.
• Self-respect - the belief that individuals must respect themselves, and respect others in order to be able to do so, especially those they do not know and do not share common beliefs with. Respect begins in the home, with wives, mothers, and children.
• Sacredness of life - the belief that life is sacred and not to be wasted. To upset the balance of living on petty grounds is unwise.
• Compassion, understanding, and cooperation - the poor, the weak, and the challenged must be supported. Inclusion must be preferred to exclusion. To defend against tyranny, fascism and overzealous groups and to work smart first and then hard.
• Family - the belief that the family unit must be glorified under a sacred conviction of responsibility and duty with respect for wives, daughters, elders, parents, sons, and husbands. Also, recognizing that new wisdom is without the barrier of age or gender, encouraging good ideas through the support of elders creates the most enlightened community of all.
• We are one family - the belief that fellow Pashtun must be cared for. There may be hundreds of tribes, but they have one destiny in union with each other.
• Knowledge - Pashtuns seek objective knowledge in life, art, science, and culture, which are considered fruits granted by God.
• Pashtun history - great value is placed in Pashtun history, with all its depth and pluralism, tragedies and victories, spanning over 5000 years. It teaches Pashtuns "to keep the mind open, to continue the search for the truth, much of which has vanished under history itself".

Primary concepts in Pashtunwali

Some useful words that signify individual or collective Pashtun tribal functions are given below in Afghan. These Afghan words are common to ethnic Afghan and Pashtun society and language. The first four form the major components of Pashtunwali.

• Melmastia (hospitality) - to show hospitality to all visitors, regardless of whom they are, their ethnic, religious, or national background, without hope of remuneration or favour. But in return, those "guests" who are accorded this are expected to do the same - if not more - to their "host".
• Badal (justice/revenge) - to seek justice over time or over space to avenge a wrong. This applies to injustices committed yesterday or 1000 years ago if the wrongdoer still exists. Justice in Pashtun lore needs elaborating: even a mere taunt (or "Paighor") is regarded as an insult - which can only usually be redressed by shedding of the taunter's blood (and if he isn't available, then his next closest male relation). This in turn leads to a blood feud that can last generations and involve whole tribes with the loss of hundreds of lives. Normally blood feuds in this all male dominated setup are then settled in a number of ways.
• Nanawatay (settlement) - derived from the verb meaning to go in, this is used when the vanquished party is prepared to go in to the house or hujra of the victors and ask for their forgiveness. (Is a peculiar form of "chivalrous" surrender, in which an enemy seeks "sanctuary" at his enemies house).
• Nang (honour) - the various points below that a tribesman must observe to ensure his honour, and that of his family, is upheld.

Secondary concepts

• Lashkar - the tribal army. It implements the decisions of the jirga.
• Jirga or Loya Jurga - an assembly of tribal elders called for various purposes whether waging war or composing peace, tribal or inter-tribal.
• Chalweshti - derived from the word for forty, this refers to the tribal force that would implement the decision of a jirga. Every fortieth man of the tribe would be a member. A shalgoon is a force derived from the number twenty.
• Badragga - a tribal escort composed of members of that tribe through which the travelers are passing. If a badragga is violated a tribal feud will follow.
• Hamsaya - a non-Pashtun dependent group who attaches themselves to a Pashtun group, usually for protection. The Pashtun protector group is called a naik. Any attack on a hamsaya is considered an attack on the protector.
• Malatar - literally, tying the back. This refers to those members of the tribe who will actually fight on behalf of their leaders.
• Nagha - a tribal fine decided by the council of elders and imposed upon the wrongdoer.
• Rogha - settlement of a dispute between warring factions.
• Hujra - a common sitting or sleeping place for males in the village. Visitors and unmarried young men sleep in the hujra.
• Lokhay Warkawal - Literally means 'giving of pot'. Lokhay is usually given by weaker tribe to a stronger tribe to assure its security and safety. Lokhay is accepted in the form of goats or sheep. Once lokhay is accepted, then it becomes the responsibility of the stronger tribe to safeguard the weaker one from any danger or aggression.

See also

• Pashtunistan
• Pashtun culture
• Pashtun tribes
• Pashtun people
• Pashtun diaspora
• List of Pashtuns

External links

• Islamic Republic Of Afghanistan Official name of Afghanistan / Afghan issues, articles on Pashtuns and other Afghan ethnic groups
• Pushtunwali Honour among them Dec 19th 2006: GARDEZ AND PESHAWAR From The Economist print edition
• http://afghanland.com/culture/pashtunwali.html
• Attan, the traditional and national dance of Pashtuns