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CHEEGHA - The Call from Waziristan, the last outpost
"A true story of happiness and Romance, of curse and betrayal, from the remotest corner of the world, Waziristan."
"Waziristan remains a mystery and a puzzle for most of the world. Reports of violence and terrorism are frequently associated with its name. For people living here, life has become a hell of uncertainty. A drone strike could kill them or their family members one day, a suicide bomber the next or action by the Pakistan army the day after. Is this all there is to Waziristan?
Ghulam Qadir Khan, sets out to show us the true face of Waziristan. He takes us to the heart of this society. We meet his family and those living in his village Darpa Khel in North Waziristan Agency. We become familiar with individuals. We meet and fall in love with members of his family. We are also introduced to the essential features of tribal society.
Unlike the previous authors, Ghulam Qadir is the only one from the area itself... The author is ideally placed to write on Waziristan. He is that rare tribesman from this area who is writing about his own people. Because Ghulam Qadir combines scholarship and experience in the field as an administrator, he is a trustworthy guide. Educated at some of the finest institutions of Pakistan - Lawrence College, Murree, and Edwards College, Peshawar - Ghulam Qadir joined the civil service of Pakistan in 1984. He has worked in the field as Deputy Commissioner and Political Agent in the Tribal Areas. In more senior postings, he has been in charge of the Tribal Areas in the planning department, and has also held the post of Secretary of Law and Order for the Tribal Areas." Professor Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington D.C.
The Author Ghulam Qadir Khan Daur belongs to North Waziristan Agency, Tribal Areas of Pakistan. He did his masters in Economics and attended ISS, The Hague, Netherlands and IDPM, Manchester University, England to specialize in rural development. He joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1984 and served as Deputy Commissioner and Political Agent in the tribal areas. In senior positions, he was Secretary Law and Order and Secretary Finance for tribal areas.
Since the rise of militancy, he represented tribal areas in Dubai process, Wilton Park conferences in England and almost all briefings /presentations made to local and foreign delegations and has written articles on the tribal areas for reputed newspapers. He is the founding Chairperson of www.thetribaltimes.com, a web magazine on tribal areas and the Chairperson of the Society for the Protection of Rights of Tribes (SPORT) which is advocating and raising awareness against discrimination against tribal people. He has dedicated himself to improve the lot of tribesmen. Ghulam Qadir Khan combines scholarship and experience making him a trustworthy guide. He is ideally placed to write about Waziristan, his own people.
"Waziristan remains a mystery and a puzzle for most of the world. Reports of violence and terrorism are frequently associated with its name. For people living here, life has become a hell of uncertainty. A drone strike could kill them or their family members one day, a suicide bomber the next or action by the Pakistan army the day after. Is this all there is to Waziristan?
Ghulam Qadir Khan, sets out to show us the true face of Waziristan. He takes us to the heart of this society. We meet his family and those living in his village Darpa Khel in North Waziristan Agency. We become familiar with individuals. We meet and fall in love with members of his family. We are also introduced to the essential features of tribal society.
Unlike the previous authors, Ghulam Qadir is the only one from the area itself... The author is ideally placed to write on Waziristan. He is that rare tribesman from this area who is writing about his own people. Because Ghulam Qadir combines scholarship and experience in the field as an administrator, he is a trustworthy guide. Educated at some of the finest institutions of Pakistan - Lawrence College, Murree, and Edwards College, Peshawar - Ghulam Qadir joined the civil service of Pakistan in 1984. He has worked in the field as Deputy Commissioner and Political Agent in the Tribal Areas. In more senior postings, he has been in charge of the Tribal Areas in the planning department, and has also held the post of Secretary of Law and Order for the Tribal Areas." Professor Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington D.C.
The Author Ghulam Qadir Khan Daur belongs to North Waziristan Agency, Tribal Areas of Pakistan. He did his masters in Economics and attended ISS, The Hague, Netherlands and IDPM, Manchester University, England to specialize in rural development. He joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1984 and served as Deputy Commissioner and Political Agent in the tribal areas. In senior positions, he was Secretary Law and Order and Secretary Finance for tribal areas.
Since the rise of militancy, he represented tribal areas in Dubai process, Wilton Park conferences in England and almost all briefings /presentations made to local and foreign delegations and has written articles on the tribal areas for reputed newspapers. He is the founding Chairperson of www.thetribaltimes.com, a web magazine on tribal areas and the Chairperson of the Society for the Protection of Rights of Tribes (SPORT) which is advocating and raising awareness against discrimination against tribal people. He has dedicated himself to improve the lot of tribesmen. Ghulam Qadir Khan combines scholarship and experience making him a trustworthy guide. He is ideally placed to write about Waziristan, his own people.
- GenresNonfiction
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2014
12 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Ghulam Qadir Khan Daur
1 book22 followersThe Author Ghulam Qadir Khan Daur belongs to North Waziristan Agency, Tribal Areas of Pakistan. He did his masters in Economics and attended ISS, The Hague, Netherlands and IDPM, Manchester University, England to specialize in rural development. He joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1984 and served as Deputy Commissioner and Political Agent in the tribal areas. In senior positions, he was Secretary Law and Order and Secretary Finance for tribal areas.
Since the rise of militancy, he represented tribal areas in Dubai process, Wilton Park conferences in England and almost all briefings /presentations made to local and foreign delegations and has written articles on the tribal areas for reputed newspapers. He is the founding Chairperson of www.thetribaltimes.com, a web magazine on tribal areas and the Chairperson of the Society for the Protection of Rights of Tribes (SPORT) which is advocating and raising awareness against discrimination against tribal people. He has dedicated himself to improve the lot of tribesmen. Ghulam Qadir Khan combines scholarship and experience making him a trustworthy guide. He is ideally placed to write about Waziristan, his own people
Since the rise of militancy, he represented tribal areas in Dubai process, Wilton Park conferences in England and almost all briefings /presentations made to local and foreign delegations and has written articles on the tribal areas for reputed newspapers. He is the founding Chairperson of www.thetribaltimes.com, a web magazine on tribal areas and the Chairperson of the Society for the Protection of Rights of Tribes (SPORT) which is advocating and raising awareness against discrimination against tribal people. He has dedicated himself to improve the lot of tribesmen. Ghulam Qadir Khan combines scholarship and experience making him a trustworthy guide. He is ideally placed to write about Waziristan, his own people
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February 6, 2017
Cheegha, a Pashto word for an urgent call to defend individual or collective interests, is the title of a book written by a Fata resident on the area he belongs to. The author, from Darpa Khel village near Miran Shah in North Waziristan, beautifully portrays in detail the picture of a peaceful Fata before the invasion of Afghanistan by foreign forces and then of the state of turmoil it fell into thereafter. The situation sent tremors across the border setting the whole of the tribal areas of Pakistan on fire – for no fault of the residents there.
The author’s narrative of changes to life in Fata is so vivid and engrossing that, once started, the reader finds it most difficult to keep the book aside before reaching the end.
Cheegha is a call by the author to the people of the tribal areas to wake up to guard their own interests. He exhorts them to demand rights equal to those that are guaranteed to all other citizens in the country. He wants them not to sit quietly and stay silent on the difficulties encountered by them but to highlight the discriminatory attitude of the government as well as the injustices these people face. He pleads with them to publicise the fact that they have no say – whatsoever – in running the affairs of the tribal areas. Lastly, he encourages them to tell the world that there still exists, in this 21st century, a place on the face of the earth where people are treated in a manner resembling apartheid.
The book is a factual narration of what has happened, and is still happening, in Fata. The foreword aptly states: “If you wish to remove the veil of misunderstanding and obfuscation that hangs over Waziristan, read this book carefully. It will change the way you look at Waziristan”.
Ghulam Qadir Khan Daur has skilfully drawn a picture of the simple way of life of people in the tribal areas by telling the story of his own younger days in the village of Darpa Khel and how he grew up there. He recalls, with nostalgia, the good old days where everyone, irrespective of religion, lived in peace and harmony – including the Hindus who lived there and only moved to India after 1965. Nobody was looked down upon or maltreated for having a different religion.
The society was totally opposite of the violent extremism that prevails there now. Daur takes us to the days long gone in the lush green Tochi valley of North Waziristan and describes in detail a simple life of peace – where everyone was everybody’s friend and where the hujra (the guest house) was the focal point of learning the etiquette of melmastia (hospitality); of Pashtunwali (code of life for Pakhtuns) and above all profound respect for elders.
That peaceful atmosphere was first shattered by the arrival of the Soviets in Afghanistan and after that by the American invasion to which Pakistan, under dictatorial rule and throwing its own interests away, became a party. What followed next and how the people there were treated is a sad story. The militants killed the locals, accusing them of spying, and the armed forces punished them for siding with the militants.
Daur writes: “The security forces destroy whole villages during military operations without getting a militant worth his name. On the other hand the breeding of militants continues to this day. Some train them, others fund them and some others protect them. Who is doing all this – no one knows. Faceless people provide them all the support they need; even manpower is imported to join their ranks.
“The Afghan Taliban disown them, the army and intelligence agencies disown them and the international community disowns them. Yet neither their ammunition exhausts nor their funds diminish, neither their number dwindle nor their training weakens”.
While describing what happened to the people the author boldly states: “We are converted into [a] minority on our own land. The faceless enemy took over our land from us through the treachery of friends … we trusted and to whom we had not caused any harm. They took our land by betrayal and intrigue secretly converting our poor vulnerable children into demons. The land we cherished so much wasn’t ours anymore.”
Towards the end he spells the factors which, if addressed, will solve all problems in Fata. “The enemy is the lack of voice of the tribesmen; they have no provincial representation and no local government. All laws for (the) tribal areas are designed and promulgated by people in Islamabad, who have no clue about them. No local or foreign media is permitted in the tribal areas to bring out the truth. They are the only nation on the face of earth kept away from modernisation, a policy of its government, to be used against aggression or as aggressors, to use them as front men for their nefarious activities and to blame them when intending to commit high-profile crime.”
Cheega is a revealing book of the atrocities that have been, and are still, committed against people of the tribal areas and which have made life hell for them in their own land. It is an interesting eye-opener and must not be missed by all those interested in monitoring developments in Fata. It should be made ‘compulsory reading’ for all those government servants who are detailed for duty in Fata.
The writer is a former ambassador. Email: waziruk@hotmail.com
The author’s narrative of changes to life in Fata is so vivid and engrossing that, once started, the reader finds it most difficult to keep the book aside before reaching the end.
Cheegha is a call by the author to the people of the tribal areas to wake up to guard their own interests. He exhorts them to demand rights equal to those that are guaranteed to all other citizens in the country. He wants them not to sit quietly and stay silent on the difficulties encountered by them but to highlight the discriminatory attitude of the government as well as the injustices these people face. He pleads with them to publicise the fact that they have no say – whatsoever – in running the affairs of the tribal areas. Lastly, he encourages them to tell the world that there still exists, in this 21st century, a place on the face of the earth where people are treated in a manner resembling apartheid.
The book is a factual narration of what has happened, and is still happening, in Fata. The foreword aptly states: “If you wish to remove the veil of misunderstanding and obfuscation that hangs over Waziristan, read this book carefully. It will change the way you look at Waziristan”.
Ghulam Qadir Khan Daur has skilfully drawn a picture of the simple way of life of people in the tribal areas by telling the story of his own younger days in the village of Darpa Khel and how he grew up there. He recalls, with nostalgia, the good old days where everyone, irrespective of religion, lived in peace and harmony – including the Hindus who lived there and only moved to India after 1965. Nobody was looked down upon or maltreated for having a different religion.
The society was totally opposite of the violent extremism that prevails there now. Daur takes us to the days long gone in the lush green Tochi valley of North Waziristan and describes in detail a simple life of peace – where everyone was everybody’s friend and where the hujra (the guest house) was the focal point of learning the etiquette of melmastia (hospitality); of Pashtunwali (code of life for Pakhtuns) and above all profound respect for elders.
That peaceful atmosphere was first shattered by the arrival of the Soviets in Afghanistan and after that by the American invasion to which Pakistan, under dictatorial rule and throwing its own interests away, became a party. What followed next and how the people there were treated is a sad story. The militants killed the locals, accusing them of spying, and the armed forces punished them for siding with the militants.
Daur writes: “The security forces destroy whole villages during military operations without getting a militant worth his name. On the other hand the breeding of militants continues to this day. Some train them, others fund them and some others protect them. Who is doing all this – no one knows. Faceless people provide them all the support they need; even manpower is imported to join their ranks.
“The Afghan Taliban disown them, the army and intelligence agencies disown them and the international community disowns them. Yet neither their ammunition exhausts nor their funds diminish, neither their number dwindle nor their training weakens”.
While describing what happened to the people the author boldly states: “We are converted into [a] minority on our own land. The faceless enemy took over our land from us through the treachery of friends … we trusted and to whom we had not caused any harm. They took our land by betrayal and intrigue secretly converting our poor vulnerable children into demons. The land we cherished so much wasn’t ours anymore.”
Towards the end he spells the factors which, if addressed, will solve all problems in Fata. “The enemy is the lack of voice of the tribesmen; they have no provincial representation and no local government. All laws for (the) tribal areas are designed and promulgated by people in Islamabad, who have no clue about them. No local or foreign media is permitted in the tribal areas to bring out the truth. They are the only nation on the face of earth kept away from modernisation, a policy of its government, to be used against aggression or as aggressors, to use them as front men for their nefarious activities and to blame them when intending to commit high-profile crime.”
Cheega is a revealing book of the atrocities that have been, and are still, committed against people of the tribal areas and which have made life hell for them in their own land. It is an interesting eye-opener and must not be missed by all those interested in monitoring developments in Fata. It should be made ‘compulsory reading’ for all those government servants who are detailed for duty in Fata.
The writer is a former ambassador. Email: waziruk@hotmail.com
November 3, 2024
You wouldn't feel much new in first part of the book. It majorly deals about introduction of cultural and tribal values of FATA. These values weren't alien to Punjabi districts adjacent to current KPK boundaries prior to their slow urbanisation.
If you can only imagine Islamic extremism, ignorance and dry mountains when you think about FATA. You are a damn fool and this book is for you.
Daur (pronounced Dawarr) born and raised in North Waziristan and educated in Pakistan's prestigious colonial institutes, happen to be different from you every day tribal Pashtun.
The thing which we need to realise is that still being a tribal and rigid society FATA never gave reigns to Mullah like now he has them. Music and other cultural practices which directly clash with Islamic values now were never frowned upon. It could never have been possible without out Great General Zia. As my Orakzai friend puts it, "They shoved religion through our asses and now they force us to become opposite".
Still being friend with so many Pashtuns I always loathed a common one's ethnic self supremacism blended with Muslim blood lineage lame theory. Daur proudly and rightly claims about them to be descendants of Hindus and Buddhists. He even mentioned Hindu Pashtuns present in FATA untill 65's war pushed them to India. During my visit I myself encountered Sikh merchants in remote Kurram agency/District. Here I am not claiming that they carry Pashtun bloodline but all I say that it's not an impossible or mythical claim.
If you can only imagine Islamic extremism, ignorance and dry mountains when you think about FATA. You are a damn fool and this book is for you.
Daur (pronounced Dawarr) born and raised in North Waziristan and educated in Pakistan's prestigious colonial institutes, happen to be different from you every day tribal Pashtun.
The thing which we need to realise is that still being a tribal and rigid society FATA never gave reigns to Mullah like now he has them. Music and other cultural practices which directly clash with Islamic values now were never frowned upon. It could never have been possible without out Great General Zia. As my Orakzai friend puts it, "They shoved religion through our asses and now they force us to become opposite".
Still being friend with so many Pashtuns I always loathed a common one's ethnic self supremacism blended with Muslim blood lineage lame theory. Daur proudly and rightly claims about them to be descendants of Hindus and Buddhists. He even mentioned Hindu Pashtuns present in FATA untill 65's war pushed them to India. During my visit I myself encountered Sikh merchants in remote Kurram agency/District. Here I am not claiming that they carry Pashtun bloodline but all I say that it's not an impossible or mythical claim.
July 15, 2017
Unlike books written by people, who I am sure wouldn’t have even visited FATA, and mostly based on hearsay, this one was the Most insightful book on the plight of Waziristan or whole FATA. Writer himself is a resident of FATA and served bureaucracy of Pakistan True to its title "cheegha" it’s a cry out of extreme loss. Loss of traditions and culture which was full of love and dignity. People outside our tiny world may call our ways barbaric or outdated but they don’t know how much that mattered us.
First part is an introduction to this land and its people and description of codes of Pashtunwali. For me, it was nostalgic, for people outside FATA this will be enlightening. Another on his childhood spent in FATA way back 1960s. Until then radicalization was not there. And then started Russian invasion of Afghanistan and here started the adventure. Investment was done in creating monsters out of humans. Every tug from around was brought here to FATA and the rest is history.
And now the writer has called for cheegha . He wants his lost paradise reclaimed.
and for this he suggests
he is angry about his paradise plagued by war
he want the festival of flowers to be celebrated again . So the girls can watch it from their rooftops.
First part is an introduction to this land and its people and description of codes of Pashtunwali. For me, it was nostalgic, for people outside FATA this will be enlightening. Another on his childhood spent in FATA way back 1960s. Until then radicalization was not there. And then started Russian invasion of Afghanistan and here started the adventure. Investment was done in creating monsters out of humans. Every tug from around was brought here to FATA and the rest is history.
"As for the tribesmen, some are hired as Militants, those who aren't most likely become collateral damage. There is a big number of tribesmen who are not with militants and have luckily evaded becoming collateral damage, they are Internally Displaced Persons, homeless in their own country. "
And now the writer has called for cheegha . He wants his lost paradise reclaimed.
"I am out on a mission, not to avenge but to stop more bloodshed, to get for my people what is rightfully theirs. Our first choice is to resolve the issue of militancy through means other than killing. There shall be no more killings, for those who perpetrate destruction in the name of peace are enemies of peace. No one can bring peace through war.
and for this he suggests
"No one has the right to keep the tribes as a buffer to be used as mercenaries. No one has the right to make monsters out of innocent children. No one has the right to keep the tribes away from progress and modernism. The government can win hearts and minds only by acknowledging tribesmen as equal Pakistanis, giving them equal rights and opportunities and a promise of a better tomorrow. Tribesmen cannot be kept as slaves; they will not live as slaves anymore. Discrimination in any form is unacceptable."
he is angry about his paradise plagued by war
There is no festival of flowers anymore. Yes, the Gulluno nandara is prohibited but even if it wasn't, where are the flowers?
he want the festival of flowers to be celebrated again . So the girls can watch it from their rooftops.
The girls watch the Nandara (festival ) from rooftops and many one-sided love stories are born that evening.
September 30, 2017
Thank you Mr Ghulam Qadir Khan Daur. Thank you for introducing pukhtoon and pukhtoonwali to the world and thank you for explaining the agony of tribal pukhtoons.
December 14, 2017
Love it!!!!
I belong to the same area though different set up .
I belong to the same area though different set up .
January 30, 2016
One of the best and most informative reading experience i have ever had in my life .. Before reading the book , I had many questions and queries boggling my mind about the North Waziristan .. And then the image of the people portrayed by the Western Media was really troubling me about the people of this region .. But After going through the Book " Cheegha - The Call from Waziristan , The last Outpost " it not only clarified my (dis-propagated) doubts and took me into the right direction to know about the people of waziristan .. But it also , 1. Gave me the insight pic to the Psyche ,customs & traditions of the area , 2. Dynamics of the people and location of the region that lead to the strategic & political designs of the super powers, 3 . provided a valuable source of informative for the young generation particularly those people who left the area for abroad in a very young age due to the deteriorated law&order situation,4. the Book also suggests a way forward to handle such kinda crisis, 5. Not the least, the book is authoritative since it is written by a resident of North Waziristan , the first author in this style of writing addressing all of the burning issues of the region , which i personally feel , is a must read book from beginner to those forming the think tank.
March 19, 2020
The word "Cheega" is full of mystery, wonder, unwavering action and promises to rise up against and bring an end to tyranny. Literally meaning "The Call", the book is indeed a cry of pain and help from Waziristan, a land so close yet so far for Pakistan.
Taking us through his coffee colored memories, Ghulam Khan recalls his homeland as the paradise it once was, shedding much needed insight into the lifestyle of the land of the tribals. A land where the weather was as vibrant as it's cheerful people and mountains as serene as their lives.
We see the world unfold from a child's eyes, a child in love with it's mother; a Pukhtun in love with his homeland. However, a heartbreaking tale of ignorance and negligence unfurls itself in front of the reader's eyes as they step in the shoes of brave tribals forced through the meat grinder of political and military gains.
The book is a grim reminder of how easily and mercilessly the Free World and the state of Pakistan used the tribal population of FATA(Federally Administered Tribal Areas) for their selfish needs in the guise of national and global security.
Cheega is written in a rather simple prose, perhaps sharing the simplicity with the lives of the people it represents. The description of Waziristan is detailed and catchy, soothing to the imagining eye. There is not much quality literature available on this certain topic and it's great to read from a writer who was born and raised in Waziristan. Definitely a piece worth reading for everyone!
Taking us through his coffee colored memories, Ghulam Khan recalls his homeland as the paradise it once was, shedding much needed insight into the lifestyle of the land of the tribals. A land where the weather was as vibrant as it's cheerful people and mountains as serene as their lives.
We see the world unfold from a child's eyes, a child in love with it's mother; a Pukhtun in love with his homeland. However, a heartbreaking tale of ignorance and negligence unfurls itself in front of the reader's eyes as they step in the shoes of brave tribals forced through the meat grinder of political and military gains.
The book is a grim reminder of how easily and mercilessly the Free World and the state of Pakistan used the tribal population of FATA(Federally Administered Tribal Areas) for their selfish needs in the guise of national and global security.
Cheega is written in a rather simple prose, perhaps sharing the simplicity with the lives of the people it represents. The description of Waziristan is detailed and catchy, soothing to the imagining eye. There is not much quality literature available on this certain topic and it's great to read from a writer who was born and raised in Waziristan. Definitely a piece worth reading for everyone!
May 6, 2020
Recommended for serious readers interested in local cultures. Author takes us to Waziristan, lay of the land , customs and life during pre Taliban era. His description of his father and his actions is nostalgic and atleast left me in an awe. Very few have described the land which has offlate become synonymous with Taliban and terror.
May 26, 2018
This book explains pukhtunwali and ways of the tribals perfectly!
June 18, 2020
Cheegha provides a closer look at the lifestyle of tribal people.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews