The Mohmand () or Momand is a prominent tribe of Pashtuns people.
Distribution
They are based primarily in the Mohmand territory, which is located in Nangarhar,
Afghanistan and
Mohmand District,
Pakistan. In Afghanistan, their areas of presence include
Nangarhar,
Ghazni Province,
Kandahar,
Kunar Province,
Logar Province and
Kunduz Province. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa they predominantly reside in the Mohmand Agency (formerly part of the Tribal Areas), with others later settling in Charsadda,
Mardan District and Peshawar District.
[Nisar, S., & Raza S. S. (2022). Borders Divide: Fencing the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border and the Question of Political Identity of Mohmand tribe. Global Strategic & Security Studies Review, VII (II), 25-30 University of Peshawar][The Program for Culture & Conflict Studies Mohmand tribe Naval Postgraduate School][Peter Bergen, Katherine Tiedemann (2012) Talibanistan: Negotiating the Borders Between Terror, Politics, and Religion Oxford University Press]
History
The Mohmand
Ghoryakhel originally lived in the present-day Mohmand region, as well as in areas of
Kandahar,
Ghazni,
Ghor, and between the basins of the
Tarnak River,
Amu Darya and
Indus rivers, along the present Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Ghoryakhel consists of tribes descended by the son of Kand, son of Kharshbun, son of Sarbans, and son of Qais Abdur Rashid, They originally lived in Ghwara Marghay, Arghistan, Kandahar, and are now mostly found in Ghazni, Nangarhar, Logar Province, Ghor, Kabul, Kunar Province, Paktia, Kunduz, Zabul and Herat. Ghoryakhel had four sons: Chamkani, Daulatyar, Khalil, and Zirani. Daulatyar had two sons Mohmands and Daudzai
The Mohmand are historically known for resisting outside forces. From 1672 to 1676, under the leadership of Aimal Khan Mohmand, they rebelled and fought deadly wars against the Mughal Army.[Amnesty International (2010) ‘As if Hell fell on me’ Crisis in North West Pakistan]
In May 2018, Mohmand tribal elders condemned the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and expressed support for the creation of a separate province, Qabailistan.
Notables
-
Rahman Baba Abdur Rahmān Mohmand (1632–1706) (Pashto: عبدالرحمان بابا), or Rahmān Bābā (Pashto: رحمان بابا), was a renowned Pashtun Sufi Dervish and poet.
-
Abdul Hamid Baba Abdul Hamid Mohmand ( –1732) (Pashto: عبدالحميد ماشو گگر), or Abdul Hamid (Pashto: عبدالحميد ), was a Pashtun poet and a Sufi figure.
-
Aimal Khan Mohmand, Afghan warrior ruler who fought in the Afghan-Mughal Wars of the 17th Century against Emperor Aurangzeb
-
Qalandar Momand, Pashto scholar, poet, critic, short story writer, journalist, linguist, lexicographer and academic.
-
Mohammad Gul Khan Momand, Afghan Army Officer during the 1919 Anglo-Afghan War
-
Abdul Ahad Momand, the first Afghan and the fourth Muslim to reach outer space.
-
Rustam Shah Mohmand, former Chief Secretary of N.W.F.P, Diplomat, commissioner for Afghan refugees and ambassador of Pakistan to Afghanistan
-
Jamshaid Khan Mohmand, Member of Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
-
Imran Khan Mohmand, former ANP and later independent candidate in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, martyred in a suicide blast in Shergarh
-
Zain Khan Sirhindi (Mohmand), made Governor (Subahdar) of Sirhind province, India by Ahmad Shah Durrani (Abdali).
-
Haji Sahab Turangzai (Fazal Wahid 1842-1937), Led resistance against British Empire rule, established over 120 schools, and promoted social reforms in the Pashtun tribal areas
External links
