Bajwa

Bajwa (Hindi: बाजवा) (Urdu: باجوہ) is a Jat gotra or clan. They originally belonged to the region known as 'bajwat'. They are now spread across the Punjab region divided between Northern India and Pakistan.

Etymology

Bajwa is a well-known last name amongst Punjabis. According to one theory, the word "Bajwa" is derived from the term Baaj Wala, which can be loosely translated to "Clan of the Falcon". "Baaz" (pronounced as Baaj in colloquial Punjabi) is the Arabic word for hawk or falcon, while "wala" is an Indian suffix indicating a person involved in some kind of activity.

Bajwa in Persian also means "those who levied tax". Bajwas living in the Bajwat area (the Sialkot and Narowal districts in Punjab (Pakistan)) were known to harass the invading armies of Timur, Ahmed Shah Abdali and others, who invaded India from the northwest.

Origin

Bajwa is a prominent Jat clan of the Punjab. They are believed to be the bravest Jatt Clan. They claim Suryavanshi descent. The place of Bajwas' origin is Bajwat in the Sialkot and Narowal districts of Pakistan. This place is located in the Shiwalik foothills and is quite near the Indian border as well as the city of Jammu. At one time, Bajwa Jats had eighty-four villages in the Sialkot area.

The founder of the Bajwa clan, Bajwat (or Wajab) used to live in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. From there, he migrated to Sialkot and Gujranwala. One of his descendants became the ruler of Multan. The Bajwa ruler Raja Shalip, who owned a large estate in Multan, was ousted from Multan at the time of Sikandar Lodhi by the local Governor with whom he had quarreled. Shalip had a number of sons who were killed fighting with him, but two sons named Kals and Yas managed to escape. Both used to rear hawks (baaz) and are reputed to have left their father's fort disguised as falconers, thereby providing the clan name.

Another legend is that one of their ancestors, Rai Jaison, was forced to leave Delhi by Rai Pithora (Prithvi Raj Chauhan).

The Bajwa clan have given their name to the Bajwat area on the Sialkot/Kashmir border but are thought to have migrated from Multan and Uch in central Pakistan. As with all Jat clans, however, they are thought to have Scythian origins. The area of Bajwat is located in the Shiwalik foothills and is close to the Indian border and to the city of Jammu. Bajwa Jats have founded many villages and towns in the Sialkot area and the names of villages and towns of the area still reflect this.

A Bajwa by the name of Kholu settled in Panwana and had six sons; each of which founded a town. The eldest, Naru established the town of Narowal . The other towns founded are Bhagowal, Rurki, Khanowali, Chawinda (famous for the tank battle in the 1965 war with India), and Pasrur. Pasrur was founded by Mankah.

According to one legend, the ancestor of the Bajwas is Baba Manga. Baba Manga had seven sons. The eldest, Naro established a village, which was named as Narowal after him. Another son, Deepa founded Kotli Bajwa and a third one, Chandu founded Chanduwal.

There are reputed to be three main divisions of the Bajwa clan in Sialkot; with the descendants of Mankah settled around Pasrur, the descendants of Mangah clustering around Chawinda and Narowal is the headquarters for the children of Naru.

Customs

Both Bajwa Jatts and Bajju Rajputs are settled in the Bajwat region of Jammu-Sialkot-Narowal. Their customs were very similar as they would take their newly wed brides to the Samadhi of their ancestor, Baba Manga to pay obeisance. Like other Jat clans, Bajwas give a cut to the tree of Jand.

Religion

Indian Bajwas are mostly Sikhs, while in Pakistan, they are overwhelmingly Muslims.

Muslim 40%, Ahmadi Muslim 10%, Sikh 46% & Hindu 4%

Notable Bajwas

• CH:MUHAMMAD AMIN BAJWA ,SUPERIDENT POLICE IN PUNJAB(RETIRED) HE BLONGS TO SIALKOT , HE SEARVED HIS LIFE FOR PUNJAB POLICE,HIS VILLAGE IS DILAWAR BAJWA BHAGH IN TEHSIL PUSRUR ,DISTRICT SIALKOT

• Maj. General Anis A. Bajwa, Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Timor-Leste. and former head of the Pakistan Tourist Development Corporation.(6/30/2007)

• Commodore Rehmat-Ullah Bajwa - Pakistan Navy and Ambassador to SEATO

• CH:UMER HAYAT BAJWA , ADVOCVATE ANDSEEMS TO BE MPA .HE IS THE GRAND SON OF CH:MUHAMMAD AMIN BAJWA(RTD.SP).U CAN CONTACT HIM AT +92333-8242473

 VILLAGE: DILAWAR BAJWA BAGH , TEHSIL :PUSRUR ,DISTRICT :SIALKOT

• Captain Gurmukh Singh Bajwa of Shah Hussien Village brought 250,000 people safely from Pakistan to India.

• ENG.AHMAD HAYAT BAJWA ,ELCTRICAL ENGINEER IN HEAVY INDUSTRY TEXILA .

• Kanwar Idrees Bajwa, was provincial Minister and Chief Secretary Sind, Pakistan.

• Colonel Gurjeet Singh Bajwa Vir Chakra, Shaurya Chakra - Indian Army - Credited with the capture of post BP 638 in the Longewala Sector during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

• Sardar Chet Singh Bajwa, a Deorhidar who served Ranjit Singh and Kharak Singh; killed by the Dogras in 1839 A.D.
• Sardar Jodh Singh Bajwa, ally of Maharajah Ranjit Singh and whose daughter married Prince Kharak Singh, son of Ranjit Singh.

• Kulbir Singh Bajwa, Indian Police Service officer who served in Delhi Police, BSF (Border Security Force), I.B. and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force). He supervised the 'Incarceration Lists' during the Emergency proclaimed by Indira Gandhi from 1975-1977.

• Wg. Cdr. Kuldeep Singh Bajwa, Indian Air Force commander; during the Indo-Pak War of 1971 he was credited with checking the advance of Pakistan's tanks into the Rajasthan sector. In the movie 'Border' this role was played by Jackie Shroff.

• Dr. Saeed A. Bajwa, U.S. neurosurgeon of Pakistani origin; honored with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz medal, Pakistan's highest civilian honor, for his role as the first doctor in the US to successfully perform a spinal-column replacement surgery.

• Sardar SWINDERJEET SINGH BAJWA (s/o of Late Sardar Sohan Singh Bajwa) a braveheart, courageous, kind and honoured leader of the B.J.P. One of the most respected Deputy Mayors of DELHI (Capital of INDIA).

• Prof. (Wg Cdr) Gulshan Bajwa, Advocate-on-Record (Supreme Court of India) and 1971-war veteran; he won six Medals, and assisted in the operationalisation of Air Force Forward Base in Udhampur in record time. He also made many written proposals for improving the Logistics system in the Force, and their implementation saved crores of rupees to the Exchequer every year.

• Rupa Bajwa, Amritsar-based author. Her book The Sari Shop (2004) won the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction, the Best First Book award in the regional round (Eurasia) of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Sahitya Akademi Award. (6/29/2007)

• Waqar Ahmed Bajwa, Captain of the Pakistan Hockey Team in 1960 which won the Olympic Hockey Gold Medal for the first time, defeating India in the final.

• Muhammad Asif Bajwa (born June 6, 1972) son of Chaudhry Asadullah Khan Bajwa, Advoacte. He was Pakistan's Hockey Team Manager and Chief coach field hockey. He was member of Pakistan's world cup winning Hockey team (1993).(6/29/2007)

• Satinder Bajwa, squash player and coach who coached Jansher Khan(6/29/2007)

• Dr. Farooq Naseem Bajwa has published two books “Pakistan & the West; The First Decade 1947-1957” and “Pakistan (A historical and contemporary look).(6/29/2007)

• Bushra Bajwa got fame when she challenged Ahmadies in Rabwa with her younger brother.(25/9/2007)

• Rafiq Ahmad Bajwa, Advocate, served as a Vice President of Jamiat Ullama-a-Pakistan (JUP) and Secretary-General of the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) movement against Zulfikar Bhutto. (6/29/2007)

• Mrs Sajeela Ansar Bajwa served as Member District Council, Sialkot; and has been elected as Member Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in General Elections 2002 against one of the seats reserved for women. (6/29/2007)

• Brigadier Asim Saleem Bajwa served as Musharraf’s Deputy Military Secretary and played an active role in the publication of the Urdu edition "Sub Sey Pehlay Pakistan".(6/29/2007)

• Aslam Ahmed Bajwa served as President of Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan and is the father of Atif Aslam Bajwa who is the President of Muslim Commercial Bank

• Lt. Colonel Hameed Bajwa, younger brother of Aslam Bajwa (see above), credited with many heroic acts while in service of the Pakistan Army. Credited with raising a unit in Lahore. Died in a car accident. His son Aamir Hameed Bajwa is now a Brigadier in the Pakistan Army.

• Akhtar Ahmad Bajwa served PTCL (Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited) as a Chairman & CEO for three years (2001-04) plus 38 years service with the same company.(6/29/2007)

• Hasrat, Sukhpal Vir Singh Bajwa is a famous poet and was awarded by the “Sahitya Akademi” in the year 1980 for his book, “Suraj Te Kahkashan”. Two of his books “Shakti Naad” and “Suraj Da Kafla” were awarded prizes by the Punjab Govt. also as best collections for the years 1967-68 and 1971-72 respectively.(6/29/2007)

• Partap Singh Bajwa is a popular politician in East Punjab and Minister for PWD and B& R. (6/29/2007)

• Fouad Riaz Bajwa is a renowned speaker, researcher and writer on technology for human development issues, one of the very few amongst young Pakistani technologists and thinkers.

• Sardar Chanchal Singh Bajwa, PhD - SP, Punjab Police

• Colonel. H.S.Bajwa awarded with Ati-Vishist Seva Medal

• Dr. Taloot S. Bajwa Orthopedic Surgeon and tehsil nazim Of Sadikabad.

• Muhammad Zafar Bajwa s/o late Muhammad Ismael Bajwa was retired as the Vice President of the United Bank Limited of Pakistan in 2007

Online Communities

• Bajwa the Lords of Punjab

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