The Kalash Kafirs of Chitral

The Kalash are an ancient people, who inhabited the present day Nuristan Province in Afghanistan and the bordering region of north-eastern Chitral in Pakistan. Nuristan was referred to as Kafiristan, ‘The Land of the Infidels', until the Afghan king Abdur Rehman Khan converted the Kalash people in that region into Islam in 1895 and renamed the Province as Nuristan or ‘The Land of the Enlightened'. On the Pakistani side of the border the Kalash people continued with their ancient way of life in the heavily wooded narrow valleys of Brumboret, Birir and Rumbur, an area of about 150-kilometer radius, isolated from and surrounded by Muslim villages and towns. About 3000 Kalash people, who live in these narrow valleys, continue to practice their ancient religion and their unique style of life. But these valleys are no longer as isolated as they once were and the impact of tourism and visitors from the surrounding regions is beginning to show in their lifestyle and religion.
Physical features & complexion
Most Kalash people have a complexion which is between the brown of the sub-continent and white of Europe. They have Aryan features. The men have magnificent physiques; they are lightly built but strong, and carry themselves with a certain degree of grace. The women are lightly built with muscular limbs. As young girls they are very beautiful, but they age very early due to hard work and prolonged exposure to harsh weather. The women are quite outgoing and chirpy.
Religion
The Kalash people worship about two dozen gods and goddesses. Their principal god is Imra, the creator of the heavens and the earth, Moni, the prophet and Gish the god of war. Dezane and Nirmali are two of their important goddesses. They also believe in demons and fairies. There used to be a temple of Imra in virtually every Kalash village, in which images of this god were placed. Shrines to Gish, Nirmali and other gods and goddesses were quite common. The worship consists of obeisance in front of idols of gods, dances, animal sacrifices, mostly of cows and goats, and chanting of hymns.
Customs & Traditions
The Kalash people grow grapes and make wine, which is quite alien to the customs of the people in the surrounding regions. Ceremonies involving communal dancing and wine drinking are very much a part of the life of the Kalash. In some instances these ceremonies may go on for three or four days and incorporate lavish feasting and animal sacrifices. One such ceremony to pray for the departed soul of the deceased involves huge wooden effigies of the deceased. Groups of men and women dance round these effigies, make sacrifices and feast. The duration of such ceremonies and the lavishness of food serving wine drinking and musical accompaniment to the dances depend on the importance and the wealth of the deceased. After the ceremonies the effigies of the deceased are erected at prominent places, where they go through the normal process of gradual deterioration.
Language
The Kalash have their own languages and different dialects are spoken by different tribes inhabiting the valleys.
Dress
The women wear a long black cloak made of homespun wool (called cheo), dozens of necklaces made of beads, and headdress with cowry shells, red beads and trinkets. In some tribes, the women wear double-hat which is quite similar to the kausia worn by ancient Greeks (a number of Indus Greek rulers, e.g. Demetrius, appear wearing this hat on the coins of the Indus Greeks). The men folk these days wear a dress which is very similar that worn by the common Chitralis, comprising of a long shirt (Kameez0, baggy trousers (shalwar) and a turban, which is sometimes mounted with peacock feathers.
Character, Attitudes and Appearance
The Kalash are courageous people, with deep affection for their family members, great desire for freedom and deeply attached to their customs and traditions. They are fond of decoration and wood carving. Until very recently they showed scant respect for cleanliness and personal hygiene. The clothes their average women wear were usually dirty and their hair oily and untidy. Presently through contact with Chitralis who have settled in nearby valleys, and through access to the cities in Chitral, there is some improvement in this respect. 
Houses
Kalash houses are fairly spacious compared to houses outside Kalash territory. They are solidly built of logs and stone.
Towns & Villages
Brumbutu is the largest town in Brumboret valley. It has some inns where tourists can put up for a few nights. Important villages in the Brumboret valley include Burungram and Trakal. Bishala is the main town in the Birir Valley and Balenguru in the Rumbur Valley.
Generally the villages and towns are of the fort type and are located on the banks of rivers or streams. They may have about a hundred, two or three story houses round a courtyard. Part of the courtyard is occupied by the outdoor dancing place and a dance hall called grommo.
Living conditions
The bulk of he Kalash people are very poor, uneducated and out of reach of suitable medical facilities.
Resemblances with Ancient Greeks
Because of their very different lifestyle and customs compared to the other people inhabiting the surrounding region, there has been a lot of speculation that these Kalash people may be remnants of Greeks and Macedonians who came with Alexander the Great, when he invaded the northern areas of South Asia around 327 BC. The region where they live is most likely the region through Alexander's army entered the sub-continent. The most important Kalash tribe, the Katirs, assert that their ancestors came from the West.
There are some resemblances such as blood sacrifices, communal dancing, wine making and drinking (which is very rare in this region), and in the shapes of some domestic vessels. Therefore a certain degree of Greek influence in their lifestyle cannot be ruled out.

(ArticlesBase SC #4294585)

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RAFI SAMAD - About the Author:
Mr.Rafi Samad is a author, freelance journalist and news analyst. His special interests include Cultural History, Ancient Civilization, Renewable energy and current affairs.
Following two books have been published so far:
1. Ancient Indus Civilization
2. Greeks in Ancient Pakistan
His first novel 'Where the earth quaked' is being processesed for publication

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Pakistan Electricity Crisis

The latest and perhaps the most troublesome crisis faced by the Pakistani nation these days is the shortage in supply of electricity. The country is facing a huge electric power crisis these days. Though it has been more than a year since when the country is facing this crisis, but till now no proper solution has been made to this problem neither any proper planning has come into existence since the symptoms and begging of this short supply of electricity. While rolling blackouts or load shedding as it is locally known has always been a staple of daily life in Pakistan, the problem has become acute in the last couple of years.

This crisis appears insurmountable in the near or even long-term future, unless proper understanding and correct implementation is undertaken on priority basis. At present total power production capacity in the country is about 19,500 MW, out of which Hydel Power is only 6,500 MW, balance of 13,000 MW is thermal either using Natural Gas or Furnace Oil. Small capacity of 450 MW is Nuclear and only 150 MW is through coal.
It is very important to understand the consequence of the prevailing situation. Current price of furnace oil is about Rs.49,000 per ton, which amounts up to Rs.49/- per kg. On an average one kg of furnace oil produces 3.8 kWh of electricity. Thus, the cost of furnace oil for generating one unit of electricity is about Rs.13. On top of this the fixed cost of a thermal plant works out to be about Rs.3 per unit. Therefore, one unit (kWh) of the electricity produced by all thermal plants using furnace oil is Rs.16 per unit. According to WAPDA/IPP agreement, the private power producers will charge WAPDA the actual fuel cost for which they have a direct contract with PSO. As we all know that WAPDA tariff charged from the consumers is about Rs.5 per unit (kWh).

The production cost of furnace oil electricity is Rs.16 per unit, add to it the transmission, distribution cost (including loses), “the total cost of such electricity works out to approximately Rs.22 per kWh. The difference between WAPDA tariff and the furnace oil electricity is Rs.17 per kWh.” It is estimated that the country consumes at least 25 billion units of electricity produced annually through furnace oil, which amounts to the total deficit of Rs.425 Billion. If WAPDA has to balance its books it would require a subsidy of Rs.425 Billion. This deficit is somewhat reduced due to cheap power produced through hydel energy and natural gas, but the deficit cannot change substantially, unless bulk of electricity is produced through hydel energy. Obviously, a deficit of Rs.300-350 Billion cannot be sustained, the government does not have resources to pay such a huge subsidy, and it is also not feasible to increase the power tariff very much. Therefore the power crisis is far greater than what is being perceived. In the absence of extremely heavy subsidy, WAPDA is delaying payments to IPPs and also to the oil companies. The result is that IPPs are now producing much less electricity than their capacity.
In the second half of December last year, the situation got so bad that WAPDA & KESC (power generation entities in Pakistan) resorted to draconian levels of load shedding. The power cuts during this time amounted to 20-22 hours a day in most small cities and even cities like Karachi were seeing 18+ hours of load shedding.
To any planner, it should be obvious that the country cannot afford electricity produced through oil. Indigenous fuels like coal, gas, atomic will have to be developed and developed quickly.
Way Forward: Notwithstanding the systemic issues such as the failure to build new dams and previous Government’s inability to add even a single megawatt of new power to the grid during 9 years of its rule, it seems that the present crisis is a result of bad management and the lack of foresight. The total installed capacity of WAPDA and KESC totals around 19,500 megawatts. Almost two third of this power comes from thermal power plants (fossil fuels), one third is generated by water and about 2% comes from nuclear power plants.
In the short-term, the shortages have to be somehow met. The foremost immediate action which can give some relief is the conservation of energy. The government has already announced certain measures like shutting down power on billboards, hoardings and neon signs. Recently in Lahore super size televisions have been installed on important traffic points. In order to keep the temperature down air conditioners are installed behind these sets. In spite of government directions, the energy saving measures are not being implemented. Shops use excessive lights, which can be conveniently reduced. A suggestion that cities be divided in zones, and the market on these zones be closed on different days, can also save peak time energy usage. In order to implement conservation measures, the nazims, naib nazims should visit the areas and try to convince and negotiate with the people, shopkeepers etc. requesting them to cooperate in the individual interests as well as of the society at large.
At present the IPPs, and WAPDA owned thermal plants are averaging about 50 percent plant factor, which means that they are not being used to their potential level, 70 to 80 percent plant factor is quite feasible; this would require better maintenance of such plants. A higher plant factor on these power stations can provide 20 to 30 percent more energy, which will circumvent the present shortages to a certain extent. Improving the plant factor of the existing plants is far more economical then setting up new plants, although new plants will still be needed. One of the reasons for low plant factor is that the funds are not made available for the purchase of oil; solution for this factor will help in short term increase in energy production. The government has announced that immediately 1200 MW of additional plants will be set-up. At present the country has about 28 Trillion cft of recoverable gas available, the yearly consumption is about 1.2 Trillion cft, which means that even if gas consumption is increased, the existing recoverable gas will be sufficient for the next 15 years. Therefore the additional thermal generation should be based on gas, but in order to make additional gas available, the gas pressure and its transmission system will have to be enhanced.
For hydroelectric projects, the large ones can only be built on the Indus River, where not only hydroelectricity can be produced, but highly needed water storage can also be a by-product. Some legitimate objections on the environment and social impacts of large dams are there, but solutions for such objections can be satisfactorily found.

The current power crisis is grossly due to very high oil prices, and the country has to prepare itself at least for the next several years to somehow cope with it, since no immediate cheaper alternate solutions are available. It has been a big set back that new Hydel Projects have not been undertaken, neither the indigenous coal mining has started, investments in the existing as well as new gas field have been lacking. The policy orientation needs a drastic modification and indigenous resource like hydel energy production as well as development of coal mining and new gas fields should be the top priority.

Mehrgarh -One of world's earliest settlements

 The eighth millennium BC signalled a new era in the history of mankind. The pattern of life on earth began to change. The nomadic way of life gradually began to give way to growth of farming communities. The bands of hunters and gatherers first restricted their wanderings by opting for seasonal camps in which the womenfolk and children experimented with skills in cultivation of food crops, domestication of animals and weaving mats or shawls to protect their bodies against the effects of weather, while the able-bodied males scoured vast areas hunting birds and other wild animals and gathering berries, cereals. In the second phase permanent settlements began to take shape at favourable locations, where activities of the family groups were mainly focused, while wanderings in search of food became a supporting task.
Mehrgarh emerged as the first settlement in South Asia, and one of the first anywhere in the world, early in 8th millennium BC. It remained occupied for about 7000 years and attained the size of about 200 hectares. Because of its size and long period of occupation, Mehrgarh produced a much greater impact on the development of human society compared to any other early settlement anywhere in the world.
Location & Physical Environment                                               
Mehrgarh is located in the Kachhi Plains of Eastern Baluchistan – an area, which is contiguous with the Plains of the Indus River. It therefore displays features, which are similar to those of the Indus Valley. The nearest modern settlement from Mehrgarh is the Dhadhar Village, which is just a few kilometres off the main road, which links this region with the Indus Valley in the east.
About 100 kilometres to the west of Mehrgarh is the mouth of the Bolan Pass, which cuts through the mountains of the Central Brahui Range to provide access to Quetta, the capital of present day Baluchistan Province of Pakistan, and the key city on ancient trade routes linking this region with Afghanistan, Eastern Iran and Central Asia. Mehrgarh was therefore well-connected with important ancient cultural sites and trade centres, both on the east a well as the west.
Bolan River, a perennial stream, originates in the surrounding mountains, flows past the Mehrgarh site, imparting fertility to this region. During the Monsoon season, the Bolan River receives large quantities of water from the hill torrents, which result in flooding of the region around Mehrgarh. The fresh layers of silt deposited annually along the banks of the Bolan River made the area around Mehrgarh highly suitable for agricultural activities.
Transition from camping ground to permanent settlement
Archaeological investigations indicate that from 8300 BC to 7500 BC, the site of Mehrgarh served as a camping ground for hunters and gatherers. For several seasons these hunters and gatherers came down from the hills surrounding Mehrgarh during the summer season and set up semi-permanent camps on the banks of the Bolan River. Gradually over a period of several seasons, the economic activities at the camps became more and more productive. More and more concentrated efforts were made on cultivation of crops and breeding of animals, in which the whole family worked together. This gradually led to the realization among the nomadic tribes that life could be made much easier if they cultivated their own crops and bred their own animals instead of the men folk wasting a lot of their time in the wild in search of food. Thus ultimately the seasonal migrations of the semi-nomads ceased, and Mehrgarh gradually assumed the character of a permanent settlement.
Progress over six millenniums
Mehrgarh' conversion from a camping ground to a permanent settlement was a revolutionary development. The fixing of the early settlers to a particular location gave them time to think and plan and observe. They improved farming methods to increase the yields; they were able to concentrate on systematically breeding their animals and put the wool, skins and bones of the animals to a variety of uses. They learnt to build permanent structures with mud and straw, to protect themselves and their stocks from weather and from attacks by the wild animals. After playing around with clay and making toys and miscellaneous articles out of it, they realized that the plastic properties of clay could be used to mould this material into useful articles, such as containers, bowls, cooking pots and plates.
For more than thousand years, Mehrgarh was the only permanent settlement in the vast area, which included Eastern Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. This early advantage over other regions made Mehrgarh the focal point for nomads and fortune seekers. The fruits of settled form of life and the development of simple technologies put Mehrgarh in a position, in which it could offer a number of items, which were not available elsewhere. The nomads brought trinkets, precious and semi-precious stones metal nodules, skins, wool and dry fruit and exchanged them with food-grains and clay vessels produced at Mehrgarh. This growing interaction of Mehrgarh with various scattered groups in distant regions, led to further improvements in their living conditions. Through domestication of plants and animals, the people who settled in Mehrgarh achieved control over their food supplies. Through production of pottery, ornaments and tools, they not only made their life easier and colorful, they also opened up avenues for trade of these items in exchange for raw material and items of food, which he could not produce himself. The settled form of life left enough spare time to broaden their horizons through intellectual pursuits. This gave rise to craving for understanding the forces of nature and views on religion began to take shape.
After an extended transition period, Mehrgarh began to make rapid progress in all fields. From its original site on top of a mound near the banks of the Bolan River, the settlement began to expand to three other mounds located in the area and reached its ultimate size of about 200 hectares.

Harappa's Civilization

Archaeologists discovered two 4000 year old cities lying 400 meters away from each other on the bank of the River Indus. Harappa is one of the largest and most important cities of the Indus Civilization. It is one of the best known sites in Pakistan and is located on the bank of the Ravi River in Punjab Province. It is believed that this city was occupied around 3300 and 1500 BC and covers an area of 250 acres. Like Mohenjodaro, several well built structures displaying great architectural skills have been discovered at Harappa. These include the remains of a citadel, a granary and some cemeteries. The people of Harappa lived in strong brick houses that were often up to three stories high and the city also had an excellent drainage system. The entire city plan is proof of the fact that the people who lived here were civilized and lived in a proper societal setup.
The Harappan civilization was basically urban and the society consisted of many traders who traded with southern India and Afghanistan.
Much of the artwork from this civilization was small and made for personal use. The first objects discovered from this ancient site were small stone seals made of steatite which had pictures of animals, both real and imaginary. Carvings of an ancient script have also been found on the seals. It is believed that the seals may have had some sort of a religious or symbolic significance. Female figurines made of terra cotta have also been unearthed from Harappa. These figures are often crudely made with females wearing huge head dresses with spaces for small lamps on the sides, which indicate the dress code of that time and place. Jewellery items made of shell or semi precious stones have also been excavated from this ancient site.
The Harappan civilization reached its zenith around 2500 BC and began to decline about 2000 BC. The causes of its downfall are uncertain. Some historians suggest that the Aryans may have conquered the territory while others suggest that the people dispersed and became nomads possibly because the soil had lost its fertility so agriculture became difficult.
Despite the fact that it is in ruins, the city still serves to be an attraction for historians, students as well as a number of tourists because of its grandeur and its excellent architecture. To cater to tourists and students, a souvenir shop which offers a large variety of items, is located within the city so that visitors can send gifts to Pakistan and also take something back with them as a reminder of the secrets buried within the ruins. In fact, the shop also offers courier facilities through which Pakistan gifts can be sent to relatives and friends so that they too, can get a glimpse of what the historical site has to offer. It must be remembered that Harappa is an ancient site and therefore it is uncertain as to how long it will remain. Therefore, it would be wise to give your loved ones an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this ancient city with you by sending them souvenirs and Pakistan gifts that they will actually cherish.

K2 or Mountain Austin Godwin

The peak K2 is known by the name of "Chogo Ri" that means "The Great Mountain" which measures 8611 meters and is known as the second highest mountain in the world. K2 is basically located on the Pakistan – China border on the mighty Karakoram range. With the difficult route, K2 is the finest and the most dangerous mountain of the world.
It is quite massive in the size and is also having the unsuccessful attempts by the various expeditions that mostly includes the American expeditions.
About K2:
K2 is the mountain that is located at the altitude of 6000 meters and it also becomes the ocean of snow. One of the route to K2 goes from Skardu that is linked with Islamabad by the good road. From Skardu the route that goes through Shigar-Dassu- Askole up to Concordia over the Baltoro glacier.
The range K2 was discovered and was measured by the survey of India in 1856 and was first coined by the name by the English topographer Henry Godwin Austen who has explored and surveyed the region.
Karakoram Mountain Range:
The Karakoram mountain range extends up to the distance of 480 kilometers which is between the Indus and Yarkant river North Kashmir, South central Asia; South Easy extension of the Hindu Kush mountain range. The Karakoram range covered the disputed province of China on the north, India on the east, and Pakistan on the west.

Cheap Flights To Lahore For Collecting The Historical Marks

"The heart of Pakistan" the fruitful land, Lahore is settled at the bank of River Ravi. The charming city owns a rich and proud culture. The public is known for their jovial and friendly nature. Lahore has existed since old times, even the geographia written in 150 AD also mentioned Lahore. By some Hindu folklore the city is named after the son of ruler of Lahore. In 713 CE it was dominated by the Muslims and thus Islam was introduced in the region. The site allows you to search and booking of the cheap flights to Lahore with various airlines from London UK. The city has been witnessed the rise and falls of various empires Sikhs, Mughals, British. There are still standing the buildings telling the stories of those times. Lahore in itself is carrying a complete world in it, a mass of the ancient times and the eagerness to outshine in the future.

Badshahi Mosque – one of the biggest mosques worldwide, constructed by the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in 1674. The red four minarets, three huge marble domes and widespread courtyard present a fine artwork of Muslim architecture. The mosque is equally popular among various ethnic groups and they tenderly get the cheap flights to Lahore to tour the mosque.

Gurdwara of Arjan Dev – built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, is the biggest temple in Lahore. The gurdwara is the foremost religious place of Sikhs. Every year hundreds of Sikhs globally reserve the flights to Lahore to participate in their religious festivals held in the temple.

Lahore fort – built in 1566 the fort is the trademark building. The sights take you to a mysterious world. The fort has various sections like Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Shish Mahal, Naulakha, Moti mosque etc. The building is overall fabulous. Tourists from the worldwide acquiring the cheap flights to Lahore specially take out time to visit the fort.

Lahore Museum – contains 20 galleries displaying the items from Stone Age to 20th century, Islmaic art works, stones and art pieces of Indus Valley, Moenjodaro, Harappa civilization. The tourists reserving the flights to Lahore never forget to visit the museum to get the knowledge of earlier civilization.

Begum Shah Mosque – is dedicated to the mother of Mughal Emperor Jehangir in 1614.

http://www.cheapflightstolahore.org.uk
Kamran Baradari Park – is located on the River Ravi, dedicated to the beloved son of Zahiruddin Babur in 1540. The baradari is in fact a two storey building opened to a veranda having 12 gates. While planning and searching for the cheap flights to Lahore be informed about the peak and special days in Lahore when other people will be journeying to Lahore and air fares get more expensive.

(ArticlesBase SC #2130638)

India's Water War against Pakistan

On March 22 every year, World Water Day is being celebrated on global level, focusing attention on the world's water crisis as well as the solutions to address it. In this context, with reference to India and Pakistan, the issue of water needs special notice.
Notably, since the 9/11 tragedy, international community has been taking war against terrorism seriously, while there are also other forms of bloodless wars, being waged in the world and the same are like terrorism. In these terms, India has been waging water war against PakistIn the recent past, while addressing Islamabad's concerns by speaking in diplomatic language, Indus Water Commissioner of India G. Ranganathan  stated, "India had been affected as much as Pakistan due to water shortage in the Indus." He denied, saying: "Indian decision to build dams on rivers has led to water shortage in Pakistan", while rejecting Islamabad's concerns regarding water-theft by New Delhi including violation of the Indus Water Treaty, assuring his counterpart, Indus Water Commissioner of Pakistan, Syed Jamaat Ali Shah that all issues, relating to water between Pakistan and India would be resolved through dialogue.
In international politics of today, these are deeds, not words which matter, so ground realties are quite different as to what G. Ranganathan indicated in his statement. In fact, India is acting upon water war against Pakistan.
Besides other permanent issues including the thorny dispute of Kashmir which has always been used by India to malign and pressurise Pakistan, water of rivers has become a matter of life and death for every Pakistani as New Delhi has continuously been employing it as a tool of terrorism to blackmail Pakistan.
In the recent past, Indian decision to construct two hydro-electric projects on River Neelam which is called Krishanganga in Indian dialect is a new violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty of 1960. The World Bank, itself, is the mediator and signatory for the treaty. After the partition, owing to war-like situation, New Delhi deliberately stopped the flow of Pakistan's rivers which originate from the Indian-held Kashmir Even at that time, Indian rulers had used water as a tool of war against Pakistan. However, due to Indian illogical stand, Islamabad sought the help of international arbitration. The Indus Basin Treaty allocateswaters of three western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan, while India has rights over eastern rivers ofRavi, Sutlej and Beas.
Since the settlement of the dispute, India has always violated the treaty intermittently to create economic crisis in Pakistan. In 1984 a controversy arose between the two neighbouring states after India began construction of the Wullar Barrage on river Jhelum in the occupied Kashmir in violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty.
In the past, the issue of Wullar Barrage has also been discussed in various rounds of talks, being held under composite dialogue process between the two rivals, but Indian intransigence has continued.