Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) is today arguably one of the most dangerous places in the world.

But while that may be true of regions where the Taliban proliferate, there are still areas of NWFP where life goes on as normal.

The most prominent of these is the Kalash region in the northern-most district of Chitral.

It is named after the Kalash tribe which has been settled here since time immemorial. snip

Hundreds of years ago about 3,000 Kalash people made their home in the Birir, Rumbur and Bumburet valleys among the Hindu Kush mountains of Chitral.

Generally speaking, the people of Chitral, Muslim or Kalash, are liberal when it comes to religion.

But the Taliban threat has now jeopardised all that, with the neighbouring district of Upper Dir firmly under their control.

“Chitral is one of the most peaceful regions in Pakistan,” Abdul Wali, a local lawyer says.

“All communities here have brotherly relations with each other.

“People here believe culture has precedence over religion.”

BBC

Wazir Ali Shah goes on to state that the Kalasha believe that God had kept the three Kalash valleys as his own preserve and then gave it to their ancestors when they were unwilling to marry. He also refers to the popular belief among foreign historians, that the Kalasha are descended from the soldiers of Alexander. He mentions that, in records to Alexander’s campaign in the Hindu Kush, there are accounts of skirmishes with pagan tribes with a culture similar to the Kalasha. Other scholar, including G.A. Grierson and Ghulam Murtaza, think that possibly the Kalasha inhabited the area between lower Bashgul Valley and Ghaga Serai (in Afghanistan) for approximately three centuries. Then, around the tenth and eleventh century A.D, they were driven north towards Chitral by the Bashali Kafirs.

In his book ‘Bolor and Dardistan’, Jettmar puts forward a number of parallels between the Kalasha and other remote tribes. He mentions that there is a possible relationship between the wooden images of the Kafirs and those made on western Nepal. Jettmar also draws a link between goat worship among the mountain tribes of Iran and the region of the Karakorams in the east where there is intense goat breeding, and the Kalasha who are famous for their peculiar rites and beliefs connected with wild and domestic goat.

Hindu Kush Conservation Association, UK (HKCA)

Marriage by elopement is rather frequent, also involving women who are already married to another man. Indeed, wife-elopement is counted as one of the “great customs” (ghōna dastÅ«r) together with the main festivals.

Girls are usually married at an early age. If a woman wants to change husbands, she will write a letter to her prospective husband offering herself in marriage and informing the would-be groom how much her current husband paid for her. This is because the new husband must pay double if he wants her. For example, if the current husband paid one cow for her, then the new husband must pay two cows to the original husband if he wants her.

>Wikipedia

Insurgents attacked an ISAF base in Paktika Nov. 16 leading to a coordinated artillery strike into Pakistan.

The ISAF base received two separate rocket attacks from a location within Pakistan. Following the second attack, ISAF soldiers were able to identify the origin of the enemy rocket launches. Upon positive identification, ISAF coordinated with the Pakistan military and fired a total of 20 artillery rounds on the enemy location. The artillery fire caused a secondary explosion at the rocket launch site, which indicates additional munitions in the location.

ISAF and Pakistani soldiers observed all fired artillery rounds. The Pakistan soldiers assured ISAF that they would engage any insurgents attempting to flee deeper into Pakistan.

There were no ISAF casualties.

ISAF

NATO forces defend Pakistani border post!

Insurgents attempted to attack an ISAF base twice October 11 and failed both times.

During the first incident, three insurgents were spotted as they prepared for a rocket attack. In self defence, two ISAF bases fired a total of seven sets of artillery rounds at the insurgents’ location inside Pakistan. The Pakistani military later confirmed the attack had killed two insurgents.

Within an hour of the attack, insurgents were identified as preparing to rocket attack a nearby Pakistan Border Point. In defence of the Pakistani military, ISAF fired four sets of artillery rounds at the insurgents’ location inside Pakistan. The attack caused three secondary explosions. The Pakistani military later confirmed the attack killed three insurgents.

ISAF

ANA, ISAF destroy truck of explosives

Afghan National Army and ISAF soldiers destroyed a jingle truck carrying more than 400 pounds of illegal explosives in Paktika province on 15 June.

Afghan soldiers manning a border check point stopped a jingle truck that the soldiers believed was a vehicle IED. They detained the driver and secured the area, then discovered that the truck was carrying a large amount of explosives.

Shortly after the discovery, ISAF destroyed the truck and the munitions.

ISAF destroys two enemy munitions bunkers

ISAF’s Task Force Currahee destroyed two bunkers of munitions in Zirok district of Paktika province on 15 July.

Soldiers from TF Currahee received information regarding the location of enemy munitions in two separate bunkers near a combat outpost.

The soldiers called in an air strike to dispose of the enemy munitions. Pilots dropped several bombs on the first bunker resulting in a large secondary explosion confirming that the bunker had munitions in it. They then dropped another bomb on the second bunker.

Immediately following the air strike, ISAF forces positively identified insurgents in the open near the bunkers and dropped two bombs on their position.

ISAF responds to attacks from inside Pakistan

ISAF’s Task Force (TF) Currahee in Paktika province received multiple rocket attacks from militants inside Pakistan on 15 July.

The troops indentified a qalat as the point of origin of the attacks and responded in self defence with a combination of fires from attack helicopters and artillery into Pakistan.

TF Currahee and Pakistan military coordinated their operation closely from the outset. The Pakistani military agreed to assist and search the area if the border firing continued.

International Security Assistance Forces in the Spera District, Khost province in coordination with the Pakistan military killed insurgents along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border after an attack on an ISAF combat outpost today.

Insurgents fired rockets, followed by a direct fire attack and rocket propelled grenades at an ISAF outpost while in Afghanistan. ISAF responded with mortar, artillery fire and close air support.

Once the militants crossed into Pakistan, the ISAF forces coordinated with the Pakistan military border area counterparts. The Pakistan border force fired artillery on the retreating insurgents inside Pakistan.

There were no non-combatant casualties reported.

DVIDS