Wazir (tribe)

Wazir (tribe)

The Wazirs or Waziris are a Pashtun tribe settled in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan, the North West Frontier Province and also across the border in Afghanistan. The tribal agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan are named after them. There are also sizeable communities of Waziri established in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Rawalpindi.

Origins

The Waziris are an isolated tribe and have lived in the Pashtun tribal belt region for many centuriesFact|date=August 2008. Like most other Pashtun tribes, the Waziris are predominantly the descendants Scythians with some Hephthalite and Kushan admixtureFact|date=August 2008. OthersWho|date=August 2008 claim that the Waziri are an indigenous tribe who have resided in the mountainous region for several thousand yearsFact|date=August 2008 in a similar fashionFact|date=August 2008 to the Afridis. According to their own traditionsFact|date=August 2008, the Waziris call themselves the descendants of Waziri who was the son of SulaimanFact|date=August 2008, the son of KukiFact|date=August 2008, the son of Karlan and grandson of Qais Abdur Rashid. So they are usually described as being a tribe of Karlani Pashtuns.

From this common origin come the Wazirs, a title which properly includes the Wazirs, Gurbaz, Lalawazir in Kugiani in the area of the Sufed Koh in afghanistan and Mahsuds but the word Wazir has now practically been appropriated by the formerFact|date=August 2008.

Language

The two agencies have quite distinct characteristics, though both tribes are subgroups of the Wazir Tribe and speak a common Wazirwola language, which is in fact a dialectFact|date=August 2008 of the Pashto language.

Tribes and Sub-Tribes

The Wazirs dominate the hilly tracts; Khaisora, Sherathala Plain, Kaitu valley, Lower stretches of the Kurram River, and upper parts of the Tochi Valley beyond Kharakamar. They are divided into two tribes Ahmadzai and othmanzai, Ahmad zai has two main branches, sain khel(Husain khel) and kalokhel, the othmanzai are divided in to three main sections namely: Ibrahim Khel, Wali Khel and Mamit Khel. These sections are further divided into several sub-sections.

The Wazir tribes are divided into sub-tribes governed by male village elders who meet in a tribal jirga. Socially and religiously Waziristan is an extremely conservative areaFact|date=August 2008. Women are carefully guarded, and every household mustFact|date=August 2008 be headed by a male figure. Tribal cohesiveness is also strong through so-called Collective Responsibility Acts in the Frontier Crimes Regulation.

They have a formidable reputationFact|date=August 2008 as warriors and are known for their frequent blood feudsFact|date=August 2008. Traditionally, feuding local Waziri religious leaders have enlisted outsidersFact|date=August 2008 while this is not the reality as quoted by the local people who claim they are totally against the the foreign militants living here.

Transport Industry

The Wazir tribes have managed to monopolize the transport industry of Pakistan running commercial trucks loaded with goods throughout the country. Due to the relative limited resources of the Waziristan region, many Wazir as well as Mahsud send back valuable income to their respective families by working outside of the region. Wazir's have earned a reputationFact|date=August 2008 for assuring the arrival of shipments on time through some of the most treacherous and dangerous routes (eg. Karakorum Highway) and as such, are considered the country's lifelineFact|date=August 2008 in commercial goods transport. Furthermore, Wazir are prominent businessmenFact|date=August 2008 in almost all of Pakistan's major urban centres including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Multan.

Famous Personalities

Ayaz Wazir, Former Ambassador of Pakistan
*Sawan Khan The first Chief Of Wazirs
*Nek Muhammad Wazir
*Faqir of Ipi


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