Chachhi dialect
Chhachi dialect is one of dialect spoken in Pakistani Punjab Province. It is a dialect of Punjabi.[1]
Administration
The valley of chach is administered by the district of Attock and Tehsil of Hazro city which is also the nearest urban hub for 84 villages in the valley. In the general election of 2013, Malik Atibar Khan of PML-N won by 85,244 votes and became the member of National Assembly.
Ethology
Its name is derived from Chach region in Attock District of Pakistani Punjab where chhachi clan which is sub section of the Kohli Khokhran clan. Khokharan Chhachi's live in India and Pakistan and are Hindu, Sikh or Muslim. The Khokharan are an ancient clan from the areas of West Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Afghanistan. The Khokharan clan consists of Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Chandhok, Ghai, Gandhok, Kohli, Sawhney, Suri, Sabharwal and Pathan including Yousafzai, Barakzai and Akhunzad. The Chhachi speak Punjabi(Hindko) and are settled in Bhera, Rawalpindi and Hazara. There are approximately 84 villages in the area.
Classification
Chachi was not adequately surveyed, and its classification had been uncertain. It had been historically classified as dialect of Punjabi. In 1920’s Garrison in his Linguist Survey of India classified into Northern cluster of Lahnda (Western Punjabi). Masica in 1991 concluded its closeness with the Kagani dialect. There is also a view that Chhachi is a mixture of Hindko and Potowari dialect of Punjabi. It is also called Southern Hindko.
Dialect speaking area
Chhachi(Hindko) is mainly spoken in Attock District, Hazara Division and adjacent areas of Pakistani Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkha. This entire area has almost the same traditions, customs and culture. The Chhachi dialect of Punjabi has several aspects that set it apart from other Punjabi variants.
Politics
In the elections of 1937, the majority of seats were won by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's Red Shirts while the second majority was Punjab Unionist Party. Muslim League was not able to perform well in the region. Congress did not nominated their candidate in the region because they were officially supporting Red Shirts. After the Lahore Resolution of 1940, Muslim League started to gain popularity from the region but still it was not able to overtake Red Shirts in 1945 elections.