Pashtunwali

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Pashtunwali (Pashto : پښتونوالی, romanized: Pəx̌tunwālay, Pashto pronunciation: [pəʂ.tun.wɑ'laɪ,pəʃ.tun.wɑ'laɪ,pəç.tun.wɑ'laɪ,pəx.tun.wɑ'le/pʊx.tun.wɑ'le] ), also known as Pakhtunwali and Afghaniyat, [1] is the traditional lifestyle or a code of honour and tribal code of the Pashtun people, from Afghanistan and Pakistan, by which they live. Many scholars widely have interpreted it as being "the way of the Pashtuns" or "the code of life". [2] Pashtunwali is widely practised by Pashtuns in the Pashtun-dominated regions, and dates back to ancient times. [3] [4] It is widely criticized by human rights organizations and modern scholars for maintaining harmful traditional practices that result in the systemic marginalization of women and the perpetuation of generational violence. [5] [6]

Contents

In the modern era, a significant cultural divide has emerged the Pakistani Pashtuns have largely integrated into the Islamic legal systems [7] [8] criminalizing the objectification of women through the framework of Zan Zar Zamaka (Women Gold Land), enforcement of Swara (Compensation Marriage) the practice of giving away or selling minor girls to settle tribal feuds and the mandatory cycles of Badal (Violent Revenge) that often result in systemic gender based discrimination and honor killings. While in Afghanistan, pushtunwali remains the dominant law, where critics argue that Islamic religious terminology is often used as a veneer to uphold ancient tribal practices that deny women their basic rights. [9] [10]

Overview

The native Pashtun tribes, often described as fiercely independent people, [11] who inhabit the Pashtunistan region (southeastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan) follow this traditional code of conduct that governs the social behaviour and values of the Pashtuns, which is called Pashtunwali, and it is described as being ancient, which the Pashtuns follow and predates Islam. [12] [13] [14] Because of that, much of their mountainous territory has remained outside government rule or control. Pashtun resistance to outside rule and the terrain they reside in is sometimes speculated to be why Indigenous Pashtuns still follow the "code of life".[ citation needed ]

Pashtunwali rules are accepted in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and also in some Pashtun communities around the world. Some non-Pashtun Afghans and others have also adopted its ideology or practices for their own benefit. Conversely, many urbanized Pashtuns tend to ignore the rules of Pashtunwali. Passed on from generation to generation, Pashtunwali guides both individual and communal conduct. Practiced by the majority of Pashtuns, it helps to promote Pashtunization. [2]

Ideal Pukhtun behaviour approximates the features of Pukhtunwali, the code of the Pukhtuns, which includes the following traditional features: courage (tora), revenge (badal), hospitality (melmestia), generosity to a defeated... [15]

— Maliha Zulfacar, 1999

Pashtuns embrace an ancient traditional, spiritual, and communal identity tied to a set of moral codes and rules of behaviour, as well as to a record of history spanning some seventeen hundred years. [16]

Pashtunwali promotes self-respect, independence, justice, hospitality, love, forgiveness, revenge and tolerance toward all (especially to strangers or guests). [17] It is considered to be the personal responsibility of every Pashtun to discover and rediscover Pashtunwali's essence and meaning.

It is the way of the Pashtuns. We have melmestia, being a good host, nanawatai, giving asylum, and badal, vengeance. Pashtuns live by these things. [18]

— Abdur, A character in Morgen's War

The Pashtun tribes are always engaged in private or public war. Every man is a warrior, a politician and a theologian. Every large house is a real feudal fortress. ... Every family cultivates its vendetta; every clan, its feud. ... Nothing is ever forgotten and very few debts are left unpaid.
Winston Churchill (My Early Life, Chapter 11: "The Mahmund Valley")

Pashtun institutions

Pashtuns are organised into tribal or extended family groups often led by a "Malik" (a wealthy and influential leader from the group). Disputes within clans are settled by a jirga (traditionally a tribal assembly involving all adult males). [19] In times of foreign invasion, Pashtuns have been known to unite under Pashtun religious leaders such as Saidullah Baba in the Siege of Malakand [20] and even under Pashtána female leaders such as Malalai of Maiwand in the Battle of Maiwand. [21]

Main principles

From left to right: Jamaluddin Badar, Nuristan governor, Fazlullah Wahidi, Kunar governor, Gul Agha Sherzai, Nangarhar governor, and Lutfullah Mashal, Laghman governor, listen to speakers talk about peace, prosperity and the rehabilitation of Afghanistan during the first regional Jirga in 2009. Afghan provincial governors front row.jpg
From left to right: Jamaluddin Badar, Nuristan governor, Fazlullah Wahidi, Kunar governor, Gul Agha Sherzai, Nangarhar governor, and Lutfullah Mashal, Laghman governor, listen to speakers talk about peace, prosperity and the rehabilitation of Afghanistan during the first regional Jirga in 2009.

Although not exclusive, the following thirteen principles form the major components of Pashtunwali.

The three primary [22] principles:

  1. Hospitality (Pashto : مېلمستيا, romanized: melmastyā́) – Showing hospitality and respect to all visitors, regardless of race, religion, nationality or wealth, without any expectation of repayment. Pashtuns will go to great lengths to show their hospitality. [2] [23] [24]
  2. Asylum (Pashto : ننواتې, romanized: nənawā́te) – Protection given to a fugitive from his enemies, at all costs. Even those running from the law must be given refuge until the situation can be clarified. [2] Nənawā́te can also be used when the vanquished party in a dispute pleads for forgiveness in the house of the victors, a form of chivalrous surrender. In a notable example, US Navy PO1 Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of a US Navy SEAL team ambushed by Taliban fighters, was aided by members of the Pashtun Sabray tribe. The tribal chief Mohammed Gulab gave the soldier refuge in his village, fending off attacking tribes until he was returned to nearby US forces. [25] [26]
  3. Justice and revenge (Pashto : نياو او بدل, romanized: nyāw aw badál) – To seek justice or take revenge against a wrongdoer. No time limit restricts the revenge period. Even a mere taunt (Pashto : پېغور, romanized: peghor) may count as a mortal insult. [2] Monetary compensation can be an alternative to badal, for example to expiate murder.

Harmful Practices:

The other main principles:

  1. Bravery (Pashto : توره, romanized: túra). A Pashtun must defend his land, property, and family from intruders, killing them if provoked. [2]
  2. Loyalty (Pashto : وفا, romanized: wapā́). [29] A Pashtun must be loyal to family, friends and tribe members.[ citation needed ]
  3. Kindness (Pashto : ښېګړه, romanized: x̌egřh). Pashtuns should act for the welfare of others. [29]
  4. Arbitration (Pashto : جرګه, romanized: jergá). Disputes are to be resolved through the Jirga. [29]
  5. Faith (Pashto : ګروه, romanized: groh) Trust in Allah. [2] The notion of trusting in the Creator generally equates to Islamic monotheism ( tawhid ).
  6. Respect (Pashto : پت, romanized: pat) and pride (Pashto : وياړ, romanized: wyāṛ). A Pashtun man's pride must be respected, and he must respect himself and others, especially strangers. Respect begins at home, among family members and relatives. A man without respect is unworthy of being a Pashtun. [2] In the poetry of Khushal Khattak, “The loss of life and wealth should not matter, what matters is pat." [30]
  7. Female honour (Pashto : ناموس, romanized: nāmús). A Pashtun must defend the honor of women at all costs and must protect them from all harm and disrespect. [31]
  8. Honour (Pashto : ننګ, romanized: nang). A Pashtun must defend the weak around him. [32]
  9. Manhood or chivalry (Pashto : مېړانه, romanized: meṛā́na). [33] A Pashtun must demonstrate courage. A turban is considered a symbol of chivalry.[ citation needed ]
  10. Country (Pashto : هېواد, romanized: hewā́d). A Pashtun is obliged to protect the land of the Pashtuns and the traditional customs. [19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rzehak, Lutz (2011). Doing Pashto: Pashtunwali also known as Afghaniyat as the Ideal of Honourable Behaviour and Tribal Life Among the Pashtuns. Afghanistan Analysts Network.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Banting, Erinn (2003). Afghanistan the People . Crabtree Publishing Company. p.  14. ISBN   0-7787-9335-4 . Retrieved 29 October 2010. Erinn Banting.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2020-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ Singh, Ms Priya; Chatterjee, Ms Suchandana; Sengupta, Ms Anita (15 January 2014). Beyond Strategies: Cultural Dynamics in Asian Connections: Cultural Dynamics in Asian Connections. KW Publishers Pvt. ISBN   9789385714535.
  5. 1 2 "Harmful Traditional Practices and Implementation of the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women in Afghanistan" (PDF). UNAMA Report. pp. 57-page report by the United Nations.
  6. ↑ "Afghanistan: Stop Women Being Given as Compensation | Human Rights Watch". 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
  7. ↑ www.pljlawsite.com http://www.pljlawsite.com/html/ppc310a.htm . Retrieved 2026-02-14.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.senate.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-04-19. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
  9. ↑ global.oup.com https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-pashtun-question-9781849042925 . Retrieved 2026-02-14.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ "Afghanistan 2022 Human Rights Report" (PDF). State Department Human Rights. 2022–2023.
  11. ↑ Shane, Scott (December 5, 2009). "The War in Pashtunistan". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-10-29.
  12. ↑ Brooks, Melanie C.; Ezzani, Miriam D. (March 2023). Great Muslim Leaders: Lessons for Education. Information Age Publishing, Incorporated. p. 293. ISBN   9798887301839.
  13. ↑ Pirzada, Hafsa (April 11, 2022). Islam, Culture, and Marriage Consent: Hanafi Jurisprudence and the Pashtun Context. Springer International Publishing. p. 108. ISBN   9783030972516.
  14. ↑ Margolis, Maxine L. (October 10, 2019). Women in Fundamentalism: Modesty, Marriage, and Motherhood. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 49. ISBN   9781538134030.
  15. ↑ Zulfacar, Maliha (1998). Afghan Immigrants in the USA and Germany: A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Ethnic Social Capital. Kulturelle Identitat und politische Selbstbestimmung in der Weltgesellschaft. LIT Verlag. p. 33. ISBN   9783825836504.
  16. ↑ "Afghan and Afghanistan". Abdul Hai Habibi . alamahabibi.com. 1969. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
  17. ↑ Yassari, Nadjma (2005). The Sharīʻa in the Constitutions of Afghanistan, Iran, and Egypt. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. p. 49. ISBN   3-16-148787-7.
  18. ↑ Leonard Schonberg, Morgen's War (2005) p. 218.
  19. 1 2 H. Cathell, Major John. "Human Geography in the Afghanistan - Pakistan Region: Undermining the Taliban Using Traditional Pashtun Social Structures" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on August 8, 2019.
  20. ↑ Swat), Sir Abdul Wadud (Wali of; K̲h̲ān̲, Muḥammad Āṣif (1963). The Story of Swat. Ferozsons.
  21. ↑ M.d, Bashir Zikria; Facs, B. a Zikria MD (2017-02-17). Malalai Joan of Arc of Afghanistan and the Victors of Maiwand: The Second Anglo-afghan War 1878-1882. Xlibris Corporation LLC. ISBN   978-1-5245-7785-8.
  22. ↑ Amato, Jonathan N. (May 2012). Tribes, Pashtunwali and How They Impact Reconciliation and Reintegration Efforts in Afghanistan (PDF). BiblioBazaar. ISBN   978-1-248-98954-8. The three primary pillars of Pashtunwali are badal, or revenge, melamstia, or hospitality, and nanawatia, or refuge.
  23. ↑ Schultheis, Rob (2008). Hunting Bin Laden: How Al-Qaeda Is Winning the War on Terror . New York: Skyhorse. p.  14. ISBN   978-1-60239-244-1.
  24. ↑ Hussain, Rizwan (2005). Pakistan and the Emergence of Islamic Militancy in Afghanistan. Aldershot: Ashgate. p. 221. ISBN   0-7546-4434-0.
  25. ↑ Patrick, Robinson (2015). The Lion of Sabray: The Afghan Warrior Who Defied the Taliban and Saved the Life of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN   978-1-5011-1798-5.
  26. ↑ Yousafzai, Sami; Moreau, Ron (8 November 2013). "The Afghan Village That Saved Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell". The Daily Beast . Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  27. ↑ Doing Pashto: Pashtunwali as the Ideal of Honourable Behaviour by Lutz Rzehak. Afghanistan Analysts Network. 2011. "The triad of Zan, Zar, Zamaka defines the male-centric property rights that often negate a woman's individual agency." Maliha Zulfacar, Afghan Immigrants in the USA and Germany.
  28. ↑ "Human rights in Afghanistan". Amnesty International. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
  29. 1 2 3 Junaid, Muhammad (March–June 2011). "Poetics of Identity: On Entrepreneurial Selves of Afghan Migrants in Pakistan". Tamara: Journal for Critical Organization Inquiry. 9 (1–2): 44 – via Research Gate.
  30. ↑ Junaid, Muhammad (March–June 2011). "Poetics of Identity: On Entrepreneurial Selves of Afghan Migrants in Pakistan". Tamara: Journal for Critical Organization Inquiry. 9 (1–2): 45 – via Research Gate.
  31. ↑ Yousafzai, Malala; McCormick, Patrick (2014-08-19). I am Malala. Hachette Children's. ISBN   9781780622170.
  32. ↑ Yousafzai, Malala (2014-11-13). I am Malala. Orion. ISBN   9781474600293.
  33. ↑ Naz, Arab; Khan, Waseem; Daraz, Umar; Hussain, Mohammad; Chaudhry, Hafeez-ur-Rehamn (12 June 2012). "International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology". SSRN   2083022.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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