Bangash

Bangash (Pashto: بنګښ, Urdu: بنگش) is the name of a Pashtun tribe. The Bangash tribe inhabit Kurram Agency, FATA, Miranzai Valley(Hangu) bordering the Samana Range, Tirah, Kohat and Peshawar of Sarhad province. Some Bangashes also inhabit Rudain, Kaimganj and Farrukhabad India, most notable of whom were the Nawabs of Farrukhabad; where they established their own Afghan colony. Some Bangashes also inhabit Khorasan and Mazandaran in Iran.

History

Bangash, a Pashtun tribe who inhabit the Miranzai valley (Hangu), the Kohat defile in British territory (now North West Pakistan), and also the valley of Kurram river in Afghanistan. They (especially the Samilzai Bangash) are noted for their bravery and could turn 3000 plus fighting men. They are said to be the descendants of a person named Ismail, who was surnamed Bankash or Bangash (meaning "root-destroyer")or some one who destroys the enemies from their roots. Their subdivisions are the Gar, with the sections Amir Janshidi, and Miranzai; and the Samilzai, with the sections Tuzi, Namani and Alizai. The Bangash inhabited Kurram for a few hundred years. The emperor Babur (A.D. 1504) found them located in Kuram, which formerly divided into Bangash-i-Bala and Bangash Payan, Upper and Lower Bangash. The emperor Babur enumerates Bangash as one of the fourteen provinces then dependent on Kabul, so that the settlement of the Bangash tribe is of very ancient date. They had been estimated to number 5600 in Kurram. The three main divisions of the clan are the Miranzai, with three clans; Baizais and Samilzai, with five sections. The Miranzai; the Baizai inhabit the Kohat valley proper, and the Samilzai are in the wild jungle district of the same name. They are very hospitable and of good physique.

The Kohat Gazetteer of 1883-84 records

'The Orakzai tribes are said to have been converted by the Tirah Syeds about the beginning of the present century. The Bangash of Samizai were probably converted a little earlier.

Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, in his biography where he mentions the names of the local tribes (of Pashtuns), He wished to master them all, but Babur could not master the territory bounded on the north by the Koh-i-Sufaid down as far as Bannu, where Bangash, Turis, Wazirs live, as is clear from his comments: "Bangash is another tuman [of Kabul]. The area round about is full of Afghan highway robbers such as the Khugiani, Khirilchi, Turi and Landar. Since it is isolated they do not pay the desired revenue. As greater tasks such as the conquest of Qandahar, Balkh, Badakhshan and Hindustan occupied me, there has been no opportunity to subjugate the Bangash". He writes in a similar tone about Wazirs, but his hope of dominating them was never fulfilled.

Courtesy: Dr Farooq Bangash, PhD UK.

The Bangash Tribe

	Main Bangash Lineages	Genealogical Descen	Political Affiliation	Religion
	Baizai	Gar	Gar	Sunni
	Miranzai	Gar	Gar + Samel Minority	Sunni + Shia
	Samelzai	Samel	Gar + Samel Minorty	Shia + Sunni Minority

Clans

Tribe	Division	Subdivision	Section of subdivision(Khel)
Bangash	Gaar	Baizai	Alisher, Gulshah, Landi, Shingi, Biland, Hasan, Mandar, Tapi, Dang, Isa, Mastu, Daulat, Shamshedi, Musa, Darsamand, Kamal, Mysaro, Doda, Kati, Shadi etc.
		Miranzai	Aba, Alisher, Azi, Badda, Hasan, Isap, Khoja, Labi, Lodi, Mandar, Mardo, Shahu etc.
	Samil		Ali, Darbi, Kalesar, Kasi, Khadi, Khadir, Khoti, Landi, Mama, Mari, Mastori, Mozu, Musa, Naso, Pae, Tana, Tazi, Ustari etc.

Language

The Bangashes speak the hard Kabuli Pashto, as do the Afridis and Orakzais. A Bangash says Pekhaur; a Khattak pronounces it Peshawar. The Barak Khattaks have a very broad pronunciation, changing the a's into o'e and au's. The word razi;mould in their dialect be pronounced rozi or rauzi. The languages of the Bangashes is not as clear as the Yusafzai Pashto, and that of the hill tribes is much worse.

Religion

Bangashe follow the religion of Islam. Most of Bangashes follow the Sunni school of thought. while some Bangashes follow the Shia school of thought also. Bangashes from both sects lived in relative harmony with each other before the talibanization of tribal areas by then-president Zia Ul Haq.

Notable people

• Mohammad Khan became Nawab of Farrukhabad during Mughal Emperor Farruksiar's period.
• Ali Haidar Bangash,of Shahu Khel (but lived all his life in Lodhi Khel) Distt: Hangu, the only pashtun to receive the Victoria Cross during WWII for his bravery.
• Former President of Pakistan, Ghulam Ishaq Khan was Bangash. He was from Bangakhoo Kalay in District Bannu.
• Lieutenant General Arif Bangash. Former Governor NWFP

See also

• Beliamen
• Pashtun tribes
• Pashtunistan
• Lodhi Khel
• Marai Balla