Ghorghushti

Infobox Settlement
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subdivision_name1 = Punjab
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subdivision_name2 = Attock District
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subdivision_name3 = Chhachh
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Ghorghushti ( غورغشتى) is one of the largest towns of Chhachh in Attock District and is on the border of North-West Punjab, Pakistan, and Hazara in North-West Frontier Province. The official spelling is Ghorghushti, but alternative,incorrect, spellings include: "Ghurghushti", "Ghourghushti", "Ghaurghashti", "Ghaur Ghushti", "Ghurgushti", "Ghourgashti" or "Ghaurghashti". In the Pukhto language it is called "Ghorghushto".

Ghorghushti lies about 4 kilometres east-north-east of Nartopa, and 6 km southwest of Qazipur, 7 km east-north-east of Hazro, and about 58 km west-north-west of Islamabad.distances calculated using coordinates from [http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=33.933762&lon=72.550077&z=13.6&r=0&src=msl Microsoft Virtual Earth] using the [http://williams.best.vwh.net/gccalc.htm Great Circle calculator] by Ed Williams] Towns of the same name also exist in the FATA area, Swabi District and in Bunner.

Ghorghushti is the northernmost town in Attock District and in the north it borders Haripur District, in the south it borders Malak Mala village, in the east it borders Jalalia village and in the west it borders Kotkay village.

Origins and history

People

Ghorghushti was founded by the Anayat/Inayat Khel (Khans), Matta Khel, Dilawar Khel (both Malaks) and the Kakar tribes. Matta Khel and Dilawar Khel have the same progenitor. The Kakar tribe came from Kakaristan, an older name of Baluchistan. Other tribes include: Asad (Sadoo) Khel, Kara Khel, Najab Khel, Haider Khel, Suleiman Khel (Sarma Khel), Khizar (Khadar) Zai and Chacha Khel. The progenitor of the Sadoo Khel tribe was Asad Khan. The proginator of the Haider Khel tribe was Haider Khan. The progenitor of the Kara Khel tribe was Karam Khan. According to unverifiable sources, some members of the Kara Khel tribe migrated from Ghari Khara Khel located in NWFP. Gharhi means "village or town of", so Gharhi Khara Khel means the village of Khara Khel, just like Gharhi Habibullah, Gharhi Matani, Gharhi Khuda Baksh etc. It is believed that it was severe flooding and economic situation that led some people from their village to migrate to other villages, mainly to Ghorghushti.

The land of Ghorghushti is divided among the seven main tribes: Inayat/Anayat Khel, Asad(Sadoo) Khels, Kara Khels, Najab Khels, Haider Khels, Matta Khels, and Dilawar Khels. Babris are originally part of a tribe that migrated from the Kabul area of modern-day Afghanistan. They had settled in today's Chach, in a village just few miles up north called Sheikh Chhuhrr, as a result of wars and famines in Afghanistan. The Babris are one of the late arrivals of Pakhtun tribes to settle in Ghorghushti and Chach. Today, there still exists a tribe in Afghanistan known as Babris. Some of them settled in the neighbouring village called Kot Kay, which borders Ghorghushti on eastern side. There are also some families of Dalazaks in Ghorghushti. They are scattered throughout Chach, as they were expelled from their place around what is now Akora Khattak on the orders of the Mughal emperor.Asad Khels and Haider Khels and according to some Khizar(Khadar) Zais also, are from a village called Hund(Udabhandapura, Sanskrit name) on the other side of the River Indus. The ancient Gandhara kingdom was ruled from here in its final days. This is the town where Alexander the Great crossed the river into India. It is now a very historical town where several excavations where carried out and a material of Archaeological interest was uncovered.The finds were dated back to few thousand years, which proves that there was a thriving community there at one time. It's close proximity to river Indus makes it prone to flooding from time to time, hence the population felt the need to take abode somewhere safe from flooding.

All of these tribes, along with other non-Pathan castes, have played their part in the development and the defence of the town. Examples are the numerous wars fought in the Chach region. It is not common to find members of these tribes going to other villages to support those who were resisting invaders and to defend the region. For example in the battle of Torbela, against the Sikhs, all the tribes specially the Anayat Khels, Kara Khels, Dilawar Khels, Matta Khels, Haider Khels, and Asad(Sadoo) Khels, and other tribes fought bravely against the mighty army of Sikh general Hari Singh Nalwa, after whom Haripur district is named. The Sikhs had ran over the Punjab and were heading towards Afghanistan. While internally Afghanistan was very weak due to internal fighting, it was this region, Attock and Chach, which first resisted the invading army. The control of Sikhs in this region was nominal, and their war annals clearly show this. Many people were killed in these wars, some were fought within the town. During these wars those who were killed were buried quickly and as result there are many graves without names. One such example is two graves in the Asad Khel Masjid, at the bottom of Bazaar, in Mohallah Asad(Sadoo) Khel. These two graves are of two people, one from Sadoo Khel and one from Anayat/Inayat Khel, who were assigned the task of protecting the Mohallah Sadoo Khel and Bazaar from the invaders coming from the main road from Maskeen Abad. Their "Lashkar" (small army) fought well against the invaders but eventually the Lashkar lost to a more numerous invading army. As a result these Mujahideen were buried in the graveyard, opposite Qatta Baaz Baba Masjid, in Maskeen Abad. The Lashkar commanders were buried in the Sadoo Khel Masjid.

Most of the tribes prefer to marry amongst themselves or from other Pathan tribes of other villages. Pathans generally marry within their own tribe or other Pathan tribes. However, a Pathan female rarely is married into a non-Pathan caste. When it comes to marriage, "khels" are very exclusive as to what tribe the marriage will take place with. Sadoo Khel females are usually not married to fellow Haider Khels or vice versa (reportedly) because of their historical enmity with each other. According to Haider Khels, the Sadoo Khels have usurped their share of the inheritance. While the Sadoo Khels don't consider Haider Khels as their cousins. However with the passage of time and intermingling with other tribes, various tribes now inter-marry without any hesitation. Just as the various Malak tribes are intertwined in the eastern part of Ghorghushti, four tribes, namely Anayat/Inayat Khels, Sadoo Khels, Kara Khels and Haider Khels are intertwined in the western and southern part of the town. Of course various smaller tribes like Najab Khels, Khadarzais, Suleiman Khels and other tribes find their ways to be attached to the various tribes as well. Ghorghushti's non-pathan castes marry amongst themselves. There are a myriad of other castes that populated over the years in the past. Because of varying circumstances and events, each caste arrived at its own respected timeframe. There are also Kashmiris who probably have descended from people from Kashmir long ago. Some Afghan refugees and people from Kohistanis have also settled in Ghorghushti in the recent times after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Development

Regions of the town are referred to as Mohallas, each of which is three or four streets and/or alleys; there are now 20 to 25 Mohallas in the town. There are two villages on the outskirts of the town, "Qibla Bandi" and "Qutb Bandi". These were remote Mohallas of Ghorghushti but over time, as the population grew, these Mohallas became separate villages. About 75% of the land of the town belongs to Anayat/Inayat Khel tribe. Many settlers of the United Kingdom and the United States who had migrated from Ghorghushti many years earlier are the ones who are purchasing much of the land today. Because of this foreign investment, prices of the land of Ghorghushti have skyrocketed. These purchases are not limited to the descendants of the founding tribes, but include members of the other castes of Ghorghushti. Because of the high prices, many low and middle class families of Ghorghushti are not able to purchase land. The prices of the developing capital city of Islamabad and the prices of land in Ghorghushti are at par or are overshadowed by Ghorghushti's high prices.

As the newly arrived tribes settled, each was alloted a Mohalla using the name of the tribe, such as Mohalla Sadoo Khel, Mohalla Kara Khel, Mohalla Najab Khel, and Mohalla Haider Khel. These are the only four mohallas which are named after the respective tribes. All four of these Mohallas border each other, with the exception of Haider Khel. Haider Khel is the smallest Mohalla in size and is surrounded by the Mohallas of Kara Khel and Sadoo Khel. Each Mohalla has residents of many tribes and are not limited to members of the founding tribes descendants.

Ghorghushti today

The population of Ghorghushti is about 30,000 to 40,000. The total town area is just under convert|9100|acre|km2|0, and the town is split into two parts: "Tahalqa" convert|5809|acre|km2|0, and "Daftar" convert|3290|acre|km2|0. Tahalqa starts from the soil embankment called "Pull" (meaning "bridge") to the Gandgar mountains.

There are currently about 20 to 25 Mohallas (regions) in the town, and 50 to 60 Masajid (Mosques), but the number of mosques increases as the population grows. There is one boys high school, one girls high school, a hospital and seven banks. The town has gas, electricity and telephone, and a Police station.

The famous Ghazi-Barotha hydroelectric canal runs through an area of Ghorghushti called "Bareetian". A large area of Ghorghushti was used up in constructing the Ghazi-Barotha Canal and many families were affected. These families were compensated and alloted some land on the other side of the pul towards the mountain in a new Mohallah called "Feroz Banda".

A small number of Ghorghushti people are also residing in a small village called Landi Arbab or Landi Yarghajo. This village is in neighbourhood with Bahadur Kalay where great pashtun poet Rehman Baba was born in 17th century and is at a walking distance from Peshawar Saddar baazar.

A large number of people from Ghorghushti are now living in Arab countries, UK, USA and other countries of Europe.The majority of UK Ghorghushti people now live in Moseley and Sparkbrook in Birmingham, primarily around Masjid-e-Hamza, and a notable number living in Bradford. The populace has significantly grown from the early '70s and from Woodstock road mosque.

The largest Ghorghushti population in the United States is in Stockton, California a city in Northern California. Some of the earliest arrivals, mainly from Anayat/Inayat Khel, Kara Khel, Sadoo Khel and Babri tribes, came in the early 1900s, possibly earlier. Later arrivals include the various Malak tribes and various members of non-Pathan castes. The agriculture of the Stockton-Sacramento Valleys is much like that of Ghorghushti. Many of the early pioneers were men who left their families back in Ghorghushti. Many of these men worked as laborers in the fields. After some time, especially during the 1940s and 1950s, whole families began arriving. There are second, third, fourth and even fifth generation Ghorghushti-wals growing up in Stockton. Many Ghorghushti-wals had arrived prior to the creation of Pakistan and even today many consider themselves Afghan, a term synonomous to Pushtun, Pukhtun or Pathan, rather than Pakistani. Like all newly arrived immigrants, Ghorghushti-wals faced many dilemmas while trying to assimilate into the American mainstream, yet at the same time trying to maintain their Ghorghushti-wal culture and Islamic faith. However, the several generation of children that have been born here have been educated at colleges and universities and today hold various positions in all fields, including medicine, teaching, lawyers, banking, and running businesses. While many newly arrived immigrants and their children face difficulties in assimilating, as well as a few younger Ghorghushti-wals getting involved in various street gangs, drugs, and arrests, overall, the Ghorghushti-wals tend to be hard workers and are on their way to be successful within a few years of their arrival. The United States, unlike Great Britain, is a nation where almost everyone in the household works, attends school or even both.

Notable religious scholars

There have been many prominent religious scholars emanating from Ghorghushti. The most famous of them are Shaykh-ul Hadith, Hadrat Maulana Shaykh Naseerud Din (Alayhi Rahmah) and his nephew Shaykh-ul Qur'an wal Hadith, Hadhrat Maulana Shaykh Qutbuddin (Alayhi Rahmah), both belonging to the Kakar tribe. Another religious family is of Hazrat Sayyed Ahmad (RA) and his nephew Hazrat Abdul Haq (RA). They have been appointed in places like Delhi, Lucknow and South Africa. Their students have come from as far as Isfahan in Iran, Multan, Qandahar, Kabul Ghor and Ghazni in Afghanistan. Their graves are in their own private graveyard.

Other pious and famous scholars:
*Hazrat Gharhi Baba (RA), who came from Sarhad, and whose grave is in Mochi Banda ("Mochi" is a caste who make and mend shoes i.e cobblers)
*Hazrat Akbar Shah Ghazi Baba (RA), whose grave is in Mohallah Ishaq Zai
*Hazrat Mian Haleem Baba (RA), who came from district Swabi Sarhad, and whose grave is behind the Boys High school in Mohallah Walidad Banda
*Hazrat Mian Bagga Baba (RA), who came from Multan, and whose grave is in Mohallah Shera Banda
*Hazrat Akhunn Baba (RA), who came from Sarhad, and whose grave is in Choti Mandi.

References