The Tribe of Kalash

The Kalasha Valleys surrounded by beautiful Hindu Kush Mountains in Chitral District consists of Kalash people. Today, around 3000 in number, the Kalash refuse to accept Islam which is the root cause for their marginalization in the region.

For the longest time, Pakistan has been known for hatred and disgust towards religious minorities. This led to creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Pakistan has unfair (or even non-existing policies) for minorities, such as Muhajirs, Balochis, Shias, Ahmadis, Ismailis, and more. Even though, the Kalash are merely 1% of the total population, their unique history has given them value and importance.

In April 2017, a provincial court in Peshawar officially recognized the Kalash community as a separate ethnic and religious group. Recognition was the culmination of a long fight in the predominantly Islamic country, where religious and other minorities often come under scrutiny by authorities and even attack by militants.

They represent a religious minority with unique and rich cultural traditions. As their number is constantly shrinking, the Kalash people are found to be staying in three valleys of the Hindu Kush: Rumbur, Bumburet and Birir in the Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Rumbur and Bumburet grouping form a single culture due to similarities in their cultural practices, while the Birir grouping being the most traditional one of the three, forms a separate culture of its own. The Kalash language is said to be part of the Dardic group of Indo-Aryan languages. As per UNESCO, the language is listed as being critically endangered as like many other tribal languages all over the world, Kalash has no proper script. Even the Government of Pakistan has made no effort to document and keep a record of this unique language. What is even worse is that till date there does not exist a single standard text devoted solely to this culture.

Living within an Islamic State, pressure to convert to Islam has always been there on the Kalash & has existed for nearly centuries. In fact, at one point in time, the Kalash people had similarities in traditions and cultural practices with the local people of neighbouring Nuristan province of Afghanistan. Interestingly this area was known as Kafiristan- land of the Kafir. The Kalash who live today in the valleys of Hindu Kush are the last survivors amongst the people of Kafiristan.

A study conducted by Institute of Current World Affairs, in 1992, narrowed down the dangers faced the Kalash community in their valleys. The study stated that local, non-Kalash people, have been pressurizing the Kalash to convert. The Kalash have been promised benefits only if they convert. The benefits include debt forgiveness and other financial pressures. The local Christians have also lured the Kalash families to convert in exchange for electricity and monthly stipend. Since conversions through missionaries is illegal in Pakistan, these Christians visit the Kalasha Valleys pretending to be artists. The poor economic conditions of the Kalash has also played a very important in such forced conversions. It has been observed that Kalash women are often married to non-Kalash men in search of a better way of life. These women then convert to Islam and give up their original way of life.

The meager population of the Kalash, and the surrounding hostile habitat have created tremendous pressure as they increasingly become less celebratory of their own religious festivities and rituals. Battling an existential crisis, it is ironical that those with no understanding of peaceful co-existence put the Kalash to scrutiny over their very ethos and way of life.