Marwat (Pashtun Tribe)
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The Marwat () is a
Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...
tribe, a branch of the
Lohani Lohani, also known as Nuhani, is a nomadic Pashtun tribe which had made deeper incursions into India, as far as Bihar, and settled therein during the days of the Lodi dynasty. The exact ethnicity of Lohanis is disputed. While some authors refer to ...
tribe and belong to Lodi section. The Marwats were named for their ancestor Marwat Khan Lodi.Mohmand, Sher Muhammad, ''The Marwats''. p. 50-53


Distribution

They are located primarily in
Lakki Marwat District Lakki Marwat (, ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Bannu Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It was created as an administrative district on 1 July 1992, prior to which it was a tehsil of Bannu District. Geogra ...
, parts of
Dera Ismail Khan District Dera Ismail Khan District (Urdu and , ), often abbreviated as D.I. Khan is a district in the Dera Ismail Khan division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The capital of the district is the town of Dera Ismail Khan. The district has ...
, Sara-e-Naurang Tehsil,
Bannu District Bannu District (, ) is a district in the Bannu Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Its status as a district was formally recorded in 1861 during the British Raj. This district constitutes one of the 26 districts that coll ...
and
Tank district Tank District (, '; ') is a district in the Dera Ismail Khan Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The city of Tank is the headquarter of the district, which consists of Union Council City I and Union Council City II. There ...
in Pakistan, and in the
Katawaz Khairkot (), also known as Zarghun Shar (), Zarghun Shahr (), or Katawaz (), is a town in and administrative seat of Khairkot District, Paktika Province, in eastern Afghanistan. The town is located within the heartland of the Sulaimankhel tribe o ...
area of
Paktika Paktika (Pashto: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktika has a population of about 789,000 residents, who are mostly ethnic Pashtuns but smal ...
, Afghanistan.


History

:''See also
Bannu Bannu (, ), also called Bani Gul or Bani (, ) is a city located on the Kurram River in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the capital of Bannu Division. Bannu's residents are primarily members of the Banuchi tribe and speak Banuch ...
'' Marwats, as well as other branches of Lohanis, lived in Zarghun Shar (located in the
Paktika Paktika (Pashto: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktika has a population of about 789,000 residents, who are mostly ethnic Pashtuns but smal ...
province) as well as Wana valley of South Waziristan. They had a long-standing dispute with Sulaiman Khels and other Ghilzais, who had already forced other Lodi tribes to migrate en masse to India. In one of the decisive battles, in the mid-15th century, Lohanis were thoroughly defeated by the Ghilzais, and had to leave Katawaz to the latter. Lohanis and their Dotani cousins had to be content with just Wana valley and surroundings. The Marwat and other Lohanis expanded from
Waziristan Waziristan (Persian language, Persian, Pashto, Ormuri, , ) is a mountainous region of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Waziristan region administratively splits among three districts: North Waziristan, Lower South Waziristan Dis ...
further east, occupying large tracts of present-day
Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; Urdu and , ), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 10th largest city of Pakistan and third or fourth largest in the province of Khy ...
and Tank, by defeating Prangi, Suri and Sarwani tribes. Marwats stayed in Waziristan while Daulat Khels and Taturs migrated to newly conquered Daman. The headman of Kati Khel (branch of Daulat Khel), then the chief of all Lohanis, agreed to give shares in the income from the lands of Daman to Marwats and Miankhels. In the late 16th century, or in the beginning of the 17th century, Wazirs issued from their homeland
Birmal Barmal District (, ) is a district of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It shares a border with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Pakistan. The Angur Ada is the official border checkpoint and border crossing between the people of Paktika and K ...
and encroached upon the territories of Marwats in the nowadays South
Waziristan Waziristan (Persian language, Persian, Pashto, Ormuri, , ) is a mountainous region of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Waziristan region administratively splits among three districts: North Waziristan, Lower South Waziristan Dis ...
(present day abodes of Ahmadzai Wazirs). Wazirs, with the aid of Mehsuds, defeated Marwats and Dotanis, the former were expelled while the latter was allowed to retain some lands in Wana. When the Marwats arrived in Daman to take possession of their lands, the Daulat Khel Lohanis opposed that. In the subsequent battle, the Daulat Khels were defeated by Marwats, and were expelled from Daman. The Daulat Khels sought the help of Gandapurs, Babars and Bhittanis, and this alliance was able to defeat the Marwats."The Marwats" by Sher Muhammad MohmandBannu Gazetterr The defeated Marwats stayed in Dara Pezu and surroundings for some time, until they got the invitation from a section of Niazis, who were settled in present-day
Lakki Marwat Lakki Marwat or Lakki (Urdu and ) is the headquarters of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Lakki Marwat has become List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, one of the fastest growing cities in Khyber P ...
, to assist them in defeating the rival clan. Marwats turned against the Niazis. The
Niazi Niazi (; , ), Niazai or Niyazai is one of the largest Pashtun tribes which resides in Afghanistan and northwestern part of Pakistan. Origin The earliest work which provides the details about origin of Niazis is '' Makhzani-i-Afghani'' (1610 A ...
clan first defeated the Marwat clan against whom they were hired and slaughtered them in great numbers. After the friendship with their brothers Marwats, Niazis fled towards
Mianwali Mianwali (Saraiki language, Saraiki, ) city in Mianwali Tehsil is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The Largest cities of Pakistan, 81st most populous city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse popu ...
. Somewhere between 1601 and 1607, Marwats had taken possession of all the 'Tal' tract. Marwats were nominally part of Mughal empire. After decline of Mughals, the area came under Durranis. Ahmad Shah Abdali didn't enforce taxes on Marwats but put the condition of providing contingents of Marwat warriors for his military campaigns. In the most important military campaign of Abdali, 120 Marwat horsemen accompanied him under their chief Begu Khan to India. Ahmad Shah's successor, Timur Shah Durrani, enforced Tax on Marwats. After the battle of Panipat, Marwats split into two factions, White and Black and fought each other for next 60 years. Taking advantage of their internal rift, Wazirs conquered some area from Marwats in the sandy tracts of the present day Bannu district. In 1819, Nawab of Mankera interested in the civil war of Marwats on the invitation of one party and later occupied the area for themselves. The weakened Marwats were unable to resist the occupation and thus Marwats lost the independence. Soon after,
Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...
conquered
Lakki Marwat Lakki Marwat or Lakki (Urdu and ) is the headquarters of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Lakki Marwat has become List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, one of the fastest growing cities in Khyber P ...
and built a fort on the bank of river Gambila near Present day Lakki city. In 1847 Marwats rose in rebellion against the Sikhs but it was successfully suppressed by the latter. In
Anglo-Sikh Wars Anglo-Sikh War may refer to: * First Anglo-Sikh war, 1845–1846 * Second Anglo-Sikh war The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company which took place from 1848 to 1849. It resulted i ...
, Marwats provided great deal of help to British against the Sikhs. The relationship of some Marwat chiefs and British remained friendly for the most part, though some of Marwats joined Faqir of Ipi's movement and fought for Pashtun freedom against British India in the Waziristan War.


Notable Marwats

*
Mufti Mahmud Mufti Mehmood-ur-Rehman (; 1919–1980) was a Pakistani statesman and Ulama, Islamic scholar who was one of the founding members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI); widely regarded as one of the greatest politicians in the history of Pakistan ...
Pakistani politician who is former cm of the kpk * Fazal-ur-Rehman, Pakistani politician who is member of the National Assembly & chief of JUI *
Salim Saifullah Khan Salim Saifullah Khan (Urdu: سلیم سیف اللہ خان) is a Pakistani politician and former Senator and a former president of Pakistan Peoples Muslim League. He was a member of Senate of Pakistan from 2006 to 2012. He served as Chairman of ...
, Pakistani Politician and former Senator *
Habibullah Khan Marwat Khan Habibullah Khan (), also known as Khan Habibullah Khan Marwat, (; 14 October 1901 – 5 December 1978) was the 1st Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan and former Peshawar High Court judge. He also served as the 10th Interior Minister of Pa ...
, acting
President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.
(1977-1978) *
Khawas Khan Marwat Khawas Khan Marwat was one of the best generals of Sher Shah Suri, having played a major role in defeating the Mughal Emperor Humayun in 1539 at the Battle of Chausa. He belonged to the Bahram branch of the Marwat tribe. He was originally a poor ...
, One of Sher Shah Sur's leading Generals playing a major role in the Victory of the
Battle of Chausa The Battle of Chausa was a notable military engagement between the Mughal Emperor, Humayun, and the Afghan ruler, Sher Shah Suri. It was fought on 26 June 1539 at Chausa, 10 miles southwest of Buxar in modern-day Bihar, India. Sher Shah Suri was ...
against the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
*
Sher Afzal Marwat Sher Afzal Khan Marwat () is a Pakistani politician who is member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since 29 February 2024. Marwat was born into a politically active family in the village of Begu Khel, located near Lakki Marwat. He began his ca ...
, Pakistani politician who is member of the National Assembly


References


Further reading

*
Sher Zaman Taizi Sher Zaman Taizi (3 November 1931 – 22 December 2009) was Pashtun writer, poet, intellectual and journalist from Pakistan. Career Born in Pabbi, Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (then NWFP), Present-day Pakistan. Taizi served in the Army ...
, ''Nara Zheba (The Virile Language)'', (Nowshera: Kamil Pukhto Adabi Jirgah). *
Olaf Caroe Sir Olaf Kirkpatrick Kruuse Caroe, (15 November 1892 – 23 November 1981) was an administrator in British India, working for the Indian Civil Service and the Indian Political Service. He served as the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India ...
, ''The Pathans : 550 B.C. – A.D. 1957'', (London: Macmillan; New York:
St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...
, 1958). . *Parvez Ahmad Khan, "The Bannu Valley (A Perspective)", ''Pakistan'', vol. 15 & 16. (Pakistan Study Centre,
University of Peshawar The University of Peshawar (; ; ; abbreviated UoP; known more popularly as Peshawar University) is a public research university located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The university is one of the oldest universities in the provi ...
, 1987) *Sher Mohammad Khan Mohmand, ''The Marwats'', (Peshawar, 1999) *Haroon Rashid, ''History of the Pathans'' (Vol. III). (Islamabad, 2002) {{Authority control Pashtun tribes Lakki Marwat District Pashto-language surnames Tribes of Afghanistan Tribes of Pakistan