Urdu translation of book on Pakhtun tales hits stalls

PESHAWAR: The Urdu translation of ‘The Plain Tales of the Afghan Border’ — a book consisting rare and interesting tales related to Pakhtuns’ life has hit the stalls.

As evident from its title, the book, authored by John Charles Edward Bawn, is a collection of 10 tales that have been translated into Urdu by Haroon Shinwari and revised by Rashid Khattak, who has also written the preface.

The author, Edward Bawn, brought into black and white the folk stories told by Muhammad Zareef Khan back in 1943 and published them in the shape of a book after 35 years. By the time of storytelling, Edward was assistant commissioner of Mansehra in the British India while Zareef Khan was serving as political tehsildar at Oghi.

In the introduction, the author writes that he and his subordinate used to exchange pleasantries and discuss social and traditional issues while sitting in Oghi Fort after winding up official work.

Zareef Khan, whom he had given the title ‘prince of storytellers’, would often tell him Pakhtun plain tales.The traditional interesting folk stories impressed Edward to the extent that one day when he visited Oghi and finished his official work, he put pen to paper, sat down before Zareef, asking him to tell him stories, which he wanted to preserve in writing instead of just passing time on listening to.

He also told Zareef about his plan to publish the tales in a book for future generations. However, by the time it was difficult rather impossible to publish the tales, some of which related to government functionaries, as being government servant both of them could not reveal official secrets.

Though Edward and Zareef’s ways got parted after the former’s transfer from Mansehra followed by the end of British rule and division of Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan, the author preserved the stuff and at last published it in the shape of a book after 35 years.

The author also praises Zareef Khan, a tribesman born in the remote Tirah valley of Khyber Agency in 1903 and educated up to graduation at Islamia College Peshawar before joining Indian Civil Service in 1932.

In some of the stories, Zareef himself had a major role like ‘The Death Of A Criminal’ and ‘The Politics Of High Mountains’. The first story is about killing of a proclaimed offender, Jamori of Waziristan, while the second one about expulsion of one Faqir Ameerah, who had launched a jihad in Indus Kohistan against British regime.

Zareef did the job that couldn’t be done by his British assistant commissioner, thus earning praise from the government. Though Zareef died in 1985 and did not see even the English version of the book comprising his stories, one of his sons, Engineer Muzaffar Ali Afridi, succeeded in realising his dream of translating it into Urdu.

Engineer Muzaffar, who is presently serving as secretary for Population Welfare Department in NWFP government, through a common friend Dr Masood Zahid, contacted Haroon Shinwari asking him to translate the book into Urdu, which was done successfully.

It would be no exaggeration to say that by providing the readers with such an interesting stuff, both Muzaffar and Haroon have done a wonderful service, especially to those wanting to know about rare tales related to Pakhtuns’ life.

Moreover after taking the book, one is compelled to go through all its 138 pages in one reading because of its taste and suspense. Edward has also authored another book, titled ‘The Golden Pomegranate’ besides translating two poems, one each of Khushal Khan Khattak and Said Rasool Rasa, from Pashto into English.

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