The book Tribes of Pakistan is co-authored by three people and discusses the tribal areas of Pakistan. Although the tribal areas have now been merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the FCR law has been abolished, this writing should be viewed in the context of when it was part of FATA.
As the name suggests, South Waziristan Agency (SWA) is the southern part of the agency. In the nineteenth century, invading British regiments dubbed this region "Hell's Door Knocker" in recognition of its difficult terrain and formidable population.
South Waziristan was the largest agency by area, spanning 6,620 square kilometers; it was given agency status in 1895. (After its merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it was divided into two districts: Upper Waziristan and Lower Waziristan).
The political administration of this agency operated from two seasonal headquarters: Tank in the winters and Wana in the summers. Its northern border meets the Razmak area of the North Waziristan Agency (NWA).
Places on the map: Miranshah — North Waziristan — Razmak — Wana — South Waziristan — Jandola.
The region is mountainous and arid, with very little rainfall. Winters are extremely cold, and summers are hot.
Oliver described South Waziristan as follows: "It is a land of high and difficult hills, deep and rugged valleys. Its people are brave and hardy, independent and patriotic in their own way, and even in the presence of a common enemy, they have rarely been less united than the famously patriotic people of Thal."
Preghal (Pir Ghar) is the most prominent mountain range in the area. It stands at 11,600 feet and is located along the Pak-Afghan border in the western part of the agency. The two major sources of water in the agency are the Gomal and Tank Zam rivers, but their water volume is very low, making agriculture highly restricted. Agriculture in this region is rain-fed, occurring in July and August. Heavy rains irrigate adjacent areas through numerous hill torrents, but the resulting flash floods also cause widespread damage.
For administrative control, the South Waziristan Agency was further divided into three sub-divisions: Sarwekai, Ladha, and Wana. Since 1895, Political Agents (PAs) oversaw the civil administration of South Waziristan according to the FCR and Rewaj (customs), which included the Jirga and Malik system initially introduced by the British. (Presently, Waziristan is formally administered by the provincial government, with the two districts managed from Tank and Wana).
The Mahsud, Burki, and Wazir are the main tribes of the South Waziristan Agency. Originally, the term Wazir included both the Darwesh Khel and Mahsud, but over time, the Mahsuds established their own distinct identity.
The Mahsud tribe is divided into three major groups known as Dre Mahsud (Three Mahsuds). These are the Alizai (which is further divided into sub-branches), Shaman Khel, and Bahlolzai. The Mahsuds reside in the northern part of South Waziristan. This region is completely arid, mountainous, and difficult, offering very little possibility for cultivation or permanent settlement. Therefore, the Mahsuds primarily have a nomadic and pastoral lifestyle and do not rely on business or trade. (Nowadays, the people of Waziristan migrate to most parts of the country in the winter while spending their summer days in their ancestral areas).
Next is the Urmur nation, also known as Burki. They claim to be of Pashtun descent; however, later genealogists of Pashtun lineages have disputed this claim. They speak their own distinct language, Bargasta (Ormuri). (Many researchers consider the Burki to be a Pashtun tribe, though formal research on this is yet to be conducted).
The Burki are primarily settled in Kaniguram, which is the most populous settlement in the South Waziristan Agency. Pir Roshan, the founder of the 16th-century Roshaniyya movement who had thousands of followers, belonged to this tribe.
Sources
- 1.Tribes of Pakistan