Excerpts from Gazetteer of the Kohat district 1883-84

The Khattak Tribe

The first settlement of the Khattaks was at Shawal, a valley in the Waziri country lying to the west of Bannu, near the Pir Ghal peak. They migrated thence eastwards to the British district of Bannu and settled with the Afghan tribes of Honai and Mangal, who then held it. These tribes were driven out by the Shitaks, a clan allied to the Khattaks, also from Shawal, probably during the 14th century. The Shitaks gradually drove back the weak Khattak communities previously settled along the left bank of the Kuram. The Khattaks thus pressed from behind gradually spread over the southern portion of the Kohat district. They first took Possession of the Chauntra Bahadar Khel and Teri valleys, and jointly with the Bangashes drove out the tribes previously occupying the north-eastern part of the district, and obtained the Gumbat, Pattiala and Zira tappas as their share.

Malak Ako

Malik Akorai, or Ako, the first of a long line of Khattak chiefs, who flourished in the 16th century, was a man of Karbogha, a village north-west of Teri. The Khattaks seem to have been firmly established there in his time, and to have carried on a predatory war with the neighbouring Bangashes of Darsamand. Malik Ako quarrelled with his relatives at Karbogha and removed to the Khwarra.  (????) The Karbogha men were subsequently induced to emigrate. They tried to settle in Shakardarra, but the Awans of Kalabagh were too strong for them, and after a good deal of fighting the Khattaks moved off and eventually settled with Malik Ako at Sunialu in the Khwarra Khwarra (????). The Malik had a special dislike on religious grounds to Hindu jogis. He successfully resisted the lances of the Emperor Akbar under Shah Beg Khan, Governor of Peshawar. When the Emperor himself happened on one of his campaigns to be at Nilab, A.D. 1581, he sent for Malik Ako and arranged with him that the Khattaks were to enjoy a transit duty on all cattle passing along the Peshawar-Attock road, in consideration for which they were to be responsible for its safety. Malik Ako also obtained a grant from the emperor of the country south of the Kabul River from Khairabad to Nowshera. He subsequently founded the village of Akora on this road, and established a serai there. Akora became thenceforth the capital of the tribe.

Sagri Khattaks

The Sagris, a branch of the Bolak Khattaks, who had accompanied Malik Ako to the Khwarra (????),soon afterwards moved down to Shakardarra and Nandraka. They drove out the Awans, and took possession of the country nearly as far as Kalabagh. They afterwards crossed the Indus and drove the Awans out of Makhad and the surrounding tract. The Shakardarra and Makhad tappas are still held by the Sagris. They have always had a chief; but the family holding the chief ship has been more than once changed. An account of the Sagri Khattaks will be found in Appendix IV to Mr. Tucker’s Settlement Report. The present chief Ghulam Muhammad Khan lives at Makhad and is a jagirdar of both the Pindi and the Kohat district.

Bhangi Khels

The Bhangi Khel Khattaks were a section of the Sagris. They broke off from the latter and acquired an adjoining tract now included in the Bannu district.

Akora Khattaks

The Sagris seem to have been altogether independent of the family of Malik Ako, who established themselves at Akora and were the acknowledged chiefs of all the other Khattaks, from the Kabul River, to the neighbourhood of Bannu. Malik Ako’s successors appear to have held their eldership under the confirmation of the Delhi Emperors, and usually met a violent death at the hands of their relatives. The celebrated Khushal Khan was their most noted chieftain. His great grandson Sadullah Khan, being on bad terms with his father Afzal Khan (the historian), established himself on the site of the present town of Teri which has ever since been the head-quarters of the western Khattaks. Sadullah himself afterwards succeeded to the chief ship of the whole tribe, but from this time forward the western Khattaks were separately governed by a chief of their own residing at Teri.

At first the Teri chief was merely the Naib of the Akora chief. Eventually the Teri chief ship became settled in the family of Shahbaz Khan, the younger son of Sadullah Khan, from whom the present chief, Nawab Sir Khwaja Muhammad Khan, is descended. The elder branch, the descendants of Saadat Khan, resided at Akora. They interfered a good deal in Teri matters, and exercised a sort of over-chief ship till they were overwhelmed by the Sikh invasion. The Teri chief ship was but little affected by the Sikh conquest, but the Akora chief ship as a whole was entirely broken up. All the leading members of the family were at feud with one another, and murder was rifer than ever. Two or three petty chiefs survived from the wreck and were found at annexation in possession of small jagirs bestowed on them by the Sikh Government. These will be mentioned further on. They divided between them the whole of the Akora Khattak portion of the Kohat tahsil.

Grant of Teri to Khwaja Muhammad Khan

During the second Sikh war Khwaja Muhammad Khan, the chief of Teri, took the side of the British Government. At annexation he was continued in the management of the whole Teri tahsil, which was confirmed to him in perpetuity at a fixed assessment equal to about a third of the revenue of the tract. Further information regarding him will be found further on in “Leading Families of the District.”

Nawab Sir Khwaja Muhammad Khan Khattak KCSI

This chief claims descent from Malik Ako, the Akora chief. Khwaja Muhammad Khan, who was born in 1824, is the posthumous son of the chief Khushal Khan. He was adopted by Musammat Farkhunda, wife of the chief Rasul Khan, who, on the death of the latter in 1844, placed him on the vacant gaddi, in preference to her own son by Rasul Khan. Since then Khwaja Mohammad Khan has been chief of the Teri Khattaks. At annexation he obtained the lease of the Teri tahsil from year to year at Rs. 31,068. In 1850 the amount was lowered to Rs. 25,000, and in 1851 be obtained a lease for five years at Rs. 20,000. In 1855 the lease was granted to him at these rates for life, and in 1858 the grant was confirmed to Khwaja Muhammad Khan and to his heirs in perpetuity. For his services during the late Afghan war the amount payable by Khwaja Muhammad Khan was reduced for his life to Rs. 18,000. No orders have been issued regarding the succession to the Teri chief ship. It will no doubt be treated similarly to the Shakardarra jagir, i.e., continued to a selected heir, who will be bound to make suitable provision for the junior members of the family.

In 1873 Khwaja Muhammad Khan was made a KCSI and was also given the title of Nawab. He has always been distinguished for his steady loyalty to Government. He exercises civil and criminal powers of the second class within the limits of the Teri tahsil and is his own tahsildar. The Nawab has a large family of sons. The eldest, Muzaffar Khan, leads a retired life, but his sons, grandsons to the Nawab, have now reached manhood and appear anxious to come to the front. The second son, Muhammad Zaffar Khan, who is generally treated as the old Nawab’s heir, exercises judicial powers, and is his father’s principal assistant in carrying on the work of the tahsil. Among the other sons the best known are Ghaffur Khan and Spin Khan. The latter served for some time in Kuram and also accompanied Sir Frederick Roberts to Kabul. There are a multitude of Khanzadas in the Teri country descended from former chief’s. They are not as a rule of any mark or of rank entitling them to a chair. The Naibs of Gumbat who are very distantly related, and Zakaria Khan of Lachi, are perhaps the most prominent among them.

Jafar Khan, Khattak of Nilab

This Chief is a scion of the senior branch of the family of the Akora Chiefs. In the scramble that followed the Sikh conquest of Peshawar he obtained the Nilab tappa in jagir. During the Second Sikh War he sided with the Sikhs. He was, however, confirmed at annexation in possession of his jagir. The jagir was valued at Rs. 2,178, and consisted of ten villages, of which three lying east of the Indus were afterwards transferred to the Pindi district. In 1852 this jagir was increased to Rs. 3,000 by a cash grant of Rs. 822 for life, to be reconsidered after his death with a view to the grant being perpetual during the good behaviour of his ancestors. And the three villages transferred to Pindi were excluded from the jagir, and in lieu of them a cash grant was allowed of Rs. 400, also in perpetuity. In consideration of his services during the mutiny he sent some levies to Nowshera, Jafar Khan was given a further life pension of Rs. 822.

Up to the present Settlement Jafar Khan took Battai in his jagir. He also realised a large income from miscellaneous cesses. At Settlement the villages were assessed in cash, and the cesses for the most part abolished. Jafar Khan has petitioned to have the loss occasioned by the change made good to him. The loss has been estimated at Rs. 2,804. He at present holds a jagir now assessed at Rs. 1,714, and pensions aggregating Rs. 22,044; in all Rs. 3,758 a year. No orders have been issued regarding the succession to this jagir. His son Fateh Muhammad now manages the jagir, Jafar Khan himself being over 70 years of age.

Jafar Khan died on 10th January 1583. His son Fateh Muhammad Khan has been appointed to succeed him in the jagir and hereditary pension of Rs. 400 The first pension of Rs. 822 has also been confirmed to Fateh Muhammad Khan for life. The mutiny pension of Rs. 822 has been resumed. A lump sum of Rs. 1,500 was allowed as compensation for loss of right to collect revenue in kind.

Afzal Khan of Jamal Garhi, Peshawar

Afzal Khan, like Jafar Khan, belongs to the senior branch of the family of the Akora Chiefs. Before annexation he distinguished himself by murdering the chief, Khawas Khan, who has been mentioned in the account of the Teri Khattaks. At annexation be was found in possession of the Khwarra and Zira tappas and of part of Pattiala. He was ousted in 1851 for mismanagement, when he retired to Jamal Garhi; where he has since resided. In 1852, his former jagir valued at Rs. 1,400 was confirmed to Afzal Khan in perpetuity. The income was made up to Rs. 3,000 by a cash grant of Rs. 1,600 for life to be reconsidered at his death. In 1854, when the jagir was taken under direct management, it was decided that he should receive only half the jagir realisations. These amounted to Rs. 700, but have been increased by the new Settlement to Rs. 812-8. In 1858 he was allowed an additional pension of Rs. 822 on account of mutiny services. He at one time received a share of the income from the Khwarra and Zira raid’s. This was commuted to a fixed sum of Rs. 395 a year, in 1873.

He now enjoys: Half revenue of jagir villages, Rs. 812; fixed allowance fromrakhs, Rs. 395; pension paid from Peshawar, Rs. 1,600; pension paid from Kohat, Rs. 822. Total Rs. 3,629. The jagir grant is in perpetuity, and presumably the rakh allowance also. As regards the cash pension of Rs. 2,422, Rs. 1,000 of this pension was to be continued in perpetuity to a selected heir during loyal conduct. Afzal Khan belongs rather to the Peshawar than to the Kohat district.

Biland Khan of Khushal Garh

Biland Khan is a great grandson of the chief Saadat Khan. Before annexation his uncle Murtaza Khan held two villages, Khushalgarh and Khwaza Khel in jagir. These villages were situated in the large jagir hold by Afzal Khan, and previous to 1854 Murtaza Khan had been obliged to struggle for his rights which Afzal Khan wished to override. Murtaza Khan died in January 1871, but the succession to the jagir had been previously confirmed to Biland Khan in 1858. Biland Khan resides at Amir in the Khwarra. He holds for life only, but the jagir will probably be continued in the family. He gets a percentage of 7 per cent of the income from the Khwarra jungles, of which his uncle Karim Khan is Superintendent. The jagir is assessed at Rs. 290.

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KAKAKHEL:The tribes, the generations of “KAKASAHIB” are called “KAKAKHEL”. Both of these two words “Kakasahib” and “Kakakhel” are not very old, Kakasahib’s real name was “Sheikh Sayed Kastheer Gul”, and was famous with the names of: “Sheikh ji sahib”, “Sheikh Rehamkar”, and “ziarhey-kaka” (due to his pale complexion as he was very weak for his practice of vigorous worships), people used to call him “kaka”, as the elder of village …which became “kaka-sahib” and this name got more popularity then the former names, hence his kin’s and all other generations later on also got this name “kakakhel” (from kaka).The name “kakakhel” was not very popular till the 12th century, but slowly and steadily it got its popularity in 13th century. The reason behind this fact is that till 12th century, the number of “kakakhels” was in a less amount, so less that it cannot be included as a definition of a tribe. When their population grew more and the sources of media also developed then slowly and steadily they were considered as a “tribe”…A tribe of pustoon nation with “Arab blood”.This tribe became so popular and active that it got a special place in politics and Government policies. The British Empire when began rule over Sub-Continent, they used the name of this tribe in their official documents and policies.The Holy spirituality in Kakakhels carried on till 5 generations and they were very pious, loved worship, and practiced Islam authentically. Most of the kakakhels were so qualified, intellectual and respectable that mostly Pustoon tribes preferred to discuss and solve their problems, crises and tribal clashes by Kakakhels.
The general means of earning of Kakakhels is business, but they also like agriculture. Now they have accepted to work as Government officers also and they are serving in Civil and military service and all walks of life.

Kakakhels played a great role in Independence Movements for an independent country. A great number of Islamic Scholars with an expert knowledge about Shariah were Kakakhels. Still in this age there are many great Islamic Scholars among Kakakhels. Beside this there is a great number of Kakakhels as an Engineers, Doctors, Agricultural-specialists, Professors, Advocates, Barristers, and in many other fields like Art, literature, and military forces of Pakistan Kakakhels present their talents.

Kakakhels have served their mother language “Pastho” more than any other tribe in pustoon culture. They were also interested in Persian language about 70-80 years before but they had more passion for Pashtoo. In every age there is a writer or poet in “Pashtoo” literature from Kakakhels. In the beginning of 20th century all the writers of Kaka sahib formed a union called: “Milliah Rehamkaria”. This union benefited people with a big Library, which contained about 4000/ books, and all daily newspapers and weekly magazines. A pashtoo “dictionary” with 45,000/ words and proverbs, their translations and summary was also compiled and published by a famous Kakakhel writer,” Mian Bahadur Shah Zafar”.

Kakakhels are settled mostly in their own village, “ziarat Kakasahib”, but also spread throughout the country and in foreign lands. They live mostly in Nowshera; Peshawar, Mardan and Charsadda District and Islamabad etc .It is a great Blessing of God that wherever they live, they get a great respect and honor from people. Infact this is a reward from Allah to Hazrat Sheikh Rehamkar, Kakasahib that even after hundreds of years of his death still people among all their weaknesses and faults are respecting his generations. This is a common observation that among all Saadath (syed’s), from Pakistan and Afghanistan, Kakakhels are rewarded more respect and honor with the Grace of God.

Akora Khattak

is a city along the Peshawar-Rawalpindi road, in the NWFP province of Pakistan.Akora Khattak is the birth place of the famous poet Khushal Khan Khattak. The poet is also buried here. The Khushal Khan Khattak Memorial Library has been constructed here to commemorate the poet.

today most people living in akora khattak are not natives. Most of foreigners are mohmands, hasankhel afridis and hindku speaking awans etc. The descendents of khushal khan khattak still have grip of regional political power. While during khattk’s kingdom it was akora khattak with the central powers of both south and north khattaks. The rulers of Teri were from akora khattak. Khattaks in akora together with that of nizampur, khattaknama, cherat are sini branch one of two main branches of khattaks. It is to be noted that although literacy rate is less but peoples have more knowledge of socio-political matters.

Every place in the world has some causes of having some special name. Just as Akora Khattak has name on the name of the Malik Akor Khan the grandfather of the great warrior & Pushto poet Khushal Khan Khattak.

Sher Shah Suri Period When the emperor “Sher Shah Suri’s” army digs two wells in this place and made it a rest place and named the place Sarai Malik Pura. Caravans came from the Central Asia for trading purpose and stayed at this place.

Mughal Period In 1581 Mughal emperor ‘Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar’ came to Peshawar to finish the mutiny of his brother ‘Mirza Hakeem’ and stayed there for a few years. During his stay the Mughal emperor convened a meeting (Jirga) of all chieftains for the betterment of the area. The mughul emperor appointed Malik Akor Khan as a government representative, who was living at Neelab (Nizampur) and assigned responsibility of tax collection and protection of the caravans crossing the Indus river at Attock.

Malik Akor Khan came to the Sarai Malik Pura (Akora Khattak) for this purpose and made this area his living place after some time this place was renamed as ‘Sarai Akor Khattak’ and by the passing of time it’s name became “Akora Khattak”.

Sikh Period In the year 1820 Sikh’s of Panjab have conquered Peshawar and other Pathan areas and ruled on it up to 1849. In 1826 the Mujahidin-I-islam (Sayed Ahmad Barelvi) have fight a battle against Sikhs at this place. In the year 1834 Sardar lehna Singh build the forte of Akora Khattak near the river Kabul and made Ahmad khan the chief of the forte. British Period The British period starts from 29 August 1849. In the year 1809 the first British person “Sir Mount Stewert Alfiston” visited Peshawar and afterwards in the year 1949 at the end of the Sikh rule all the pathan areas were gone under British rule. The cant of Akora Khattak was established in the year 1850 and at 23 rd march 1851 Lord Dilhozi visited the cant. In 1916 the first police station of Akora Khattak was established

This golden district played main role for political asylum for Afghanistan refugees. A number of Makeshift camps were built at various locations within the jurisdiction of district Nowshera for stay of Afghan refugees.

Jehangira is a town and Union council of Nowshera District. It is located at 33°57’46N 72°13’17E with an altitude of 281 metres (925 feet). According to the British record of 1871, Jehangir Khan was the founder of Jehangira town. In the beginning it was known as “Jehangir village” and then became famous as “Jehangira”. Geographically, River Kabul dividing this town in to two Union councils and two districts. Eastern union council is under Swabi District, while the western is under Nowshera District. Majority of the people of eastern part are KHATTAK, AWANS & YUSUFZI; most of them are belong to agriculture. The western part is a commercial zone famous for marble industries and Kabab (famous food), etc. Markets, industries, bus stands and railway station boosts the familiarity of the western part. A Famous Tomb of Sheikh Baba is situated in the Eastern Part of the City and is called “Mohallah Sheikh Baba”. In 1834 a Hindu “Baniya” was converted into Islam by the famous religious family of the town called Haji Azim Family. Baba Jee lived there until his death. Haji Muhammad Azim Khan of the Village Jehangira, Mohallah Sheikh Abad is presently taking care of the Tomb and adjacent mosque for its maintenances and preservations etc. An annual “URS” is celebrated each year on 12th Rabiul Awal on the Mazar Of Sheikh Baba. A large number of people gather there and get blessed on the occasion.

• Khushal khan khattak; a great poet, valiant warlord and visionary chieftain of the major Khattak tribe was born and raised here.
• Pir of Manki Sharif; a well regarded spiritual leader.
• Maulana Abdul Haq; Sheikhul Hadith, Sheikhul Quran and the founder of Daral Uloom Haqqania, Akora Khattak.
• Maulana Samiul Haq.
• Maulana Anwaarul Haq.
• Qazi Hussain Ahmad.
• Maulana Mujahid.
• Maulana Sher Ali Shah.
• Sartaj Aziz, Ex-Finance Minister & Senator
• Major General (Rtd.) Naseer Ullah Baber, Ex-Interior Minister
• Samandar Khan Samandar, Badrashi
• Maulana Abdullah Ustad, Nowshera city.
• Muhammad Ajmal Khattak, Akora Khattak
• Professor Dr Afzal Raza, Akora Khattak
• Siraj Ul Islam Siraj, Akora Khattak
• Khan Bahadur Muhammad Zaman Khan Khattak, Akora Khattak
• Ameer Ghulam Sadiq
• Hazrat Nisar Ullah Bacha, Azakhel
• Maj Gen (Rtd.) Fazal Elahi
• Maj Gen (Rtd.) Shu Ul Qamer
• Dr Sher Zaman Taizai
• Syed Rasul Rasa
• Saadullah Jan Barq
• Mr Justice Shakir Ullah Jan

Nowshera district is also enjoying prominence over other districts and maintained good reputation throughout NWFP on account of best educational institutions.Following are some of the renowned seats of learning: