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Awan (tribe)

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Awan (Urdu: اعوان), a South Asian tribe, putatively of Arab origin, living predominantly in western and central parts of Punjab, Pakistan.

The Ferozsons Urdu-English Dictionary lists the Awans as a tribe whose name is of Arabic origin and means "assistant" or "helper"; this somewhat supports the traditional claim of the Awans vis-à-vis their origins. Because the majority of Awans subscribe to the belief that they are the descendants of the fourth Caliph, Ali (though the bulk of those belonging to the tribe are not Shias), a number adopt the title, Alvi, although not all of those who refer to themselves as Alvi are Awans.

Origins

 
Awan soldier in uniform

The majority of Awans maintain (and have always maintained) they are descended from an individual named Qutb Shah, a general in the army of Mahmud of Ghazni, who himself was a descendant of the Prophet Mohammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali (but by a wife other than the Prophet's daughter, Fatima). It is said that Qutb Shah and four of his sons accompanied and assisted Mahmud in his early eleventh century conquests of what today forms parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India. It is claimed that in recognition of their services and valour, Mahmud bestowed upon Qutb Shah and his sons (who settled in the Salt Range. Tribal history holds that Qutb Shah's sons married local women who converted to Islam from Hinduism), the title of Awan, meaning "helper".

Differing theories

Other theories have been adduced by the Awans regarding their origins, but most of these hypotheses also point to the tribe being descended from Qutb Shah, who entered the Indian Subcontinent as part of a military campaign (and traced his bloodline to Ali).

However, there are those who dispute that the Awans are of Arab origin; these include Alexander Cunningham, Harikishan Kaul and Arthur Brandreth. Cunningham and Kaul looked upon the Awans as a Rajput clan, Kaul pointing to the fact that in Sanskrit, the term Awan means "defender" or "protector" and asserting that this title was awarded by surrounding tribes due to the Awans successfully defending their strongholds against aggression. Brandreth believed the Awans to be remnants of Bactrian Greeks.

Conversely, there are also those who support the Awan claim to Arab ancestry. Amongst such names are those of H.A Rose, Malik Fazal Dad Khan and Sabiha Shaheen. According to Rose not only are the Awans of Arabian origin, he also accepted that they are indeed the descendants of Qutb Shah. Tracing their lineage to Ali, in Rose's view, the Awans assisted Sabuktageen in his Indian adventure, for which he bestowed the title of Awan on them, meaning "assistant". Malik Fazal Dad Khan has supported this theory but with some modifications. He also considers the Awans to be of Arabian origin and traces their lineage to Ali, but according to him, Abdullah Rasul Mirza was the remote ancestor of the Awans; in the eighth century, he was made a commander of the army of Ghaur by Caliph Haroon-ur-Rasheed, the title of Awan being conferred upon him, and his descendants consequently being called Awans. Sabiha Shaheen (who addressed this issue as part of her MA Thesis) deems this theory tenable. Furthermore, she states that Qutb Shah fled to the Subcontinent along with a small group of people due to Mongol attacks and joined the court of Iltutmish. The majority of his descendants came to refer to themselves as Qutb Shahi Awans (most Awans are able to trace their family trees to Qutb Shah).

The findings of the geneticist, S. Dorning, suggest that the Awans are ethnically distinct from Jats and Rajputs.

History

 
Awan soldier

The Awans have a strong martial tradition and are renowned for their bravery. They were prominent in the armies of the Slave Dynasty and the Khilji dynasty during the Delhi Sultanate period. Timur met great resistance from the Governor of Meerut, Qiladar ("Fort Commander") Ilyaas Awan Alvi during his invasion of South Asia in 1398. Timur eventually defeated Ilyaas after nearly two months of fighting and a heavy loss of life on both sides. Timur was so impressed by Ilyaas' courage and bravery that he wrote about him in his memoirs.

Awans also held prominent military positions during the Mughal era. According to Denzil Ibbetson, the Awans may well have accompanied the forces of Babur and the Awans of Jalandhar, who claimed to have shifted from the Salt Range at the behest of one of the early Emperors of Delhi, were particularly notable for being in the imperial service at Delhi. In the early nineteenth century, one of the most powerful men in Delhi was Malik Durrab Khan Awan.

The Awans were amongst those the British considered to be "martial races" (a designation created by officials of British India to describe "races" - peoples - that were thought to be naturally warlike and aggressive in battle and to possess qualities such as courage, loyalty, self-sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, orderliness and fighting tenacity and to be hard-working and adept at military strategy. The British recruited heavily from these "martial races" for service in the colonial army[1]) and as such, formed an important part of the British Indian Army, serving with distinction during World Wars I and II. Of all the Muslim groups recruited by the British, proportionally, the Awans produced the greatest number of recruits during the First and Second World Wars. Contemporary historians, namely Professor Ian Talbot and Professor Tan Tai Yong, have authored works that cite the Awans (amongst other tribes) as being looked upon as a martial race by not only the British, but neighbouring tribes as well.

The Pakistani military heavily recruits Awans and along with Rajputs, Awans occupy the highest ranks of the Pakistani Army.

Awans: past and present

 
Awan soldier in battle uniform

Awans in general enjoy a respected status in Pakistan. Many play/have played prominent roles in areas as varied as the military, business, politics and literature. On a rural level, Awans are respected as members of the Zamindar or landed class. Many Awan families to this day live on and cultivate land, which their ancestors have held for centuries. They often carry titles typical to Punjabis who own tracts of ancestral land such as Malik, Chaudhry and Khan. The modern surname system often results in members of the same family with different surnames, some choosing their position as a surname i.e. Malik or Chaudhry, and some choosing their clan/tribe/family name of Awan.

Prominent Awans

Royalty

  • Malik Mohammad Asad Khan (Current Nawab of Kalabagh)
  • Prince Malik Ata Mohammad Khan (Hereditary lord and master of Fatehjang and one of Pakistan's most powerful feudal lords. Michael Palin interviewed him, whilst staying at his palace, Kot Fateh Khan, as part of the BBC series, Himalaya with Michael Palin)
  • Malik Ghulam Mohammad Awan (Raees-e-Azam, Numal Valley)
  • Malik Muzaffar Khan (Raees-e-Azam, Khabakki)

Government and Politics

  • Malik Amir Mohammad Khan (The Nawab of Kalabagh. Governor of West Pakistan, 1960-66)
  • Air Marshal Nur Khan (Governor of West Pakistan, 1969-70. Presently serving the Egyptian government as adviser to the Minister of Defence. Also see 'Armed Forces' below)
  • Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Awan (Founder member of the Pakistan Peoples Party- PPP. Former Senior Federal Minister - for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis - former Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, former Minister for Rehabilitation and also served as Media Advisor to the Prime Minister)
  • M. Yaqoob Awan (Former Law Minister. Founded the Faisalabad branch of the PPP)
  • Ayub Bukhsh Awan (Was the senior-most IP/PSP officer in Pakistan. Inspector-General of Police by the age of thirty-nine. Spent eight years as Director of the Intelligence Bureau, with the status of Federal Secretary. Retired as Interior Secretary. Was awarded the Police Medal, Sitara-i-Khidmat, Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam and Sitara-i-Pakistan, as well as awards for gallantry in action. Also authored the widely-acclaimed, Balochistan: Historical and Political Processes)
  • Malik Zahoor Ahmad (Former diplomat. Former Minister of Information at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington. Also see 'Academia' below)
  • Dr. Babar Awan (Senator. PPP Finance Secretary)
  • Ghulam Sarwar Khan (Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis)
  • Major Tahir Iqbal (Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas - KANA)
  • General Abdul Majeed Malik (Former Federal Minister for KANA. Also see 'Armed Forces' below)
  • Sumaira Malik (Federal Minister for Women Development and Youth Affairs)
  • Malik Naeem Khan Awan (Former Federal Minster for Commerce, former Federal Minister for Communication and former Federal Minister for Science and Technology)
  • Sabir Hussain Awan (Member of the National Assembly - MNA - Peshawar)
  • Qari Fazal-ul-Rehman Alvi (MNA - Peshawar)
  • Malik Mahmood-ul-Hassan Awan (MNA)
  • Malik Karam Bakhsh Awan (Ex-MNA)
  • Dr. Firdous Ashaq Awan (Parliamentary Secretary Cabinet Division)
  • Malik Mushtaq Ahmed Awan (Former Provincial Minister)
  • Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum (Former High Court Judge. Between 1998 and 2000, headed the cricket match-fixing inquiry in Pakistan).
  • Ejaz Hussain Awan (Additional District and Sessions Judge, Lahore)
  • Zafar Iqbal Awan (Additional Advocate General, Lahore)
  • Mohammad Hanif Awan (People's Party Azad Jammu and Kashmir – PPAJK - legislator)
  • Zia Ahmed Awan (President of Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid - LHRLA)
  • Shahadat Awan (President of the Peoples Lawyers Forum, Sindh)
  • Ruby Hayat Awan (Finance Secretary of the Lahore High Court Bar Association - LHCBA)
  • Dr Faisal Awan (Project Management Office Director of the Capital Development Authority – CDA – Islamabad)
  • Saeed Ahmed Awan (Sindh Labour Director)
  • Dr. Farooq Awan (District Health Officer – DHO – Abbottabad)
  • Malik Aurangzeb Awan (Organising Secretary of the Traders Action Committee, Islamabad)
  • Nasreen Awan (2006 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. President of the NGO, Anjuman Falah-e-Niswan Chichawanti. Member of the District Council of Sahiwal. Member of the National Steering Committee of the Pakistan Social Forum)
  • Malik Mohammad Khan Awan (Vice President, Cantonment Board, Multan)

Armed Forces

  • Air Marshal Nur Khan (Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Air Force, 1965-69)
  • General Abdul Majeed Malik
  • General Sher Bahdur Khan
  • General Sarfaraz Khan (During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, he was GOC of the Pakistani army’s 10th Division)
  • General Akhtar Hussain Malik (During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, he was GOC of the Pakistani army’s 12th Division)
  • General Abdul Ali Malik (During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, he played a vital role in the Battle of Chawinda, ensuring that Pakistan successfully resisted the Indian thrust into Wazirabad. The battle proved to be the most crucial of the war, because the Indian objective was to capture the Grand Trunk Road and divide West Pakistan into two. The battle is also considered second only to the Battle of El-Alamein, as the greatest tank battle in history. It was also the largest tank battle since World War II)
  • General Tajammul Hussain Malik (Following the 1971 Indo-Pak war, he was the only Pakistani Brigadier to be promoted to the rank of Major General. He was also highly praised in the Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission Report which recommended that he be awarded the highest military honours)
  • General Mohammad Hussain Awan (Was on the ill-fated flight that ended the Pakistani President’s - General Zia-ul-Haq - life)
  • Brigadier Mohammad Marghub, AEC (Recipient of the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, the highest honour that can be awarded to those who have attained the rank of Brigadier and Major General)
  • Brigadier Mohammad Younis, AEC (Commandant of the College of Army Education, Upper Topa, Murree)
  • Brigadier Mohammad Zafar Iqbal Awan (Colonel of the Ekasi Regiment. Upon his appointment, he was highly praised by General Shafaatullah Shah, the Lahore Corps Commander)
  • Aizad Baksh Awan (In 1933, he became one the first five Indians to be commissioned into the British Indian Air Force - all five being commissioned as Pilot officers; He was also the sole Muslim of the five. He went on to join the Pakistani Air Force and retired as Wing Commander)
  • Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed (Recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan's highest military award)

Business

  • Malik Gulzaman Awan (Owner of the popular Awan Transport Company)
  • Nighat Awan (Manchester born businesswoman. Ranked amongst Britain’s richest Asians. She is Chief Executive of the highly successful international brand, the Shere Khan group. In 2004, she was awarded an OBE - Order of the British Empire - for services to export and charity. Also serves as a race adviser to the British government)
  • Dr. Moneeb Awan (Manchester born business entrepreneur. Founder and Managing Director of the award-winning eSAY Group - a £1m turnover IT, m-commerce and marketing consultancy. He is also a prominent figure in the Salford Chamber of Commerce, The Institute of Directors North West and the Confederation of British Industry – CBI. Also see 'Academia' below)
  • Malik Shahbaz Hussain Awan (Exporter of leather goods throughout the European Union)
  • Dr. Hafiz-ur-Rahman (Vice President of GTT International Inc. which imports fabric goods from China and supplies them to stores in the United States, such as Macy's)

Academia

  • Abdur Rahman Awan (Pakistan’s first Mathematics PhD Laureate and Senior Scientist at Kahuta Research Laboratories)
  • Dr. Moneeb Awan (Manchester born scientist, specialising in Biochemistry. Along with Professor Dave Saggerson, co-authored a research paper on the break down of fats in the heart, that has been well-received and widely acknowledged in scientific circles)
  • Shaukat Ali Awan (Pakistan's Chief Meteorologist)
  • Malik Zahoor Ahmad (Political Analyst - Middle East and South Asia expert. CNN commentator)
  • Maulana Ismail Alvi (Prominent Deobandi scholar)
  • Malik Mohabbat Hussain Awan (Philosopher)
  • Maulana Pir Fakirullah Bakoti (Theosophist)
  • Dr. Asif Raza Awan (Distinguished homeopath)
  • Mohammad Obaidullah Alvi (Historian, linguist and anthropologist. Also see 'Literature and Journalism' below)
  • Sabir Hussain Awan (Prominent Hindko researcher and author)
  • Maulana Ameer Mohammad Akram Awan (Famed Sufi. Shaikh of the Naqshbandia Owaisiah Order. Mufassir, philosopher and reformist. Dean of the Siqarah Education System. Also head of a welfare organisation, the Al-Falah Foundation)
  • Mohammad Ahmed Ali Awan (MS Distributed Systems, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden)

Literature, Journalism and Art

  • Sultan Bahu (Sufi poet-saint. Founded the Sarwari Qadiri Sufi order)
  • Ahmad Nadeem Qasimi (Renowned author, poet and journalist. Founded, published and edited the prestigious literary journal Funoon. Served as Secretary of the Progressive Writers Movement. Recipient of the President’s Pride of Performance, the Pakistan Academy of Letters Lifetime Achievement award, as well as one of the country’s highest civilian honours, the Sitara-i-Imtiaz for Literature)
  • Wasif Ali Wasif (Eminent Sufi author and poet)
  • Ghulam Rasul Meher (Acclaimed journalist and writer)
  • Fazil Jamili (Distinguished poet. Twice elected as General Secretary of the Karachi Union of Journalists)
  • Mohammad Obaidullah Alvi (Founder and Editor of the Media Monitor by Research and Analysis Syndicate. Research Editor of the Daily Islam in Karachi)
  • Abdul Qadir Hassan (Well-known columnist)
  • Jashar Awan (American illustrator. Regular contributor to The New York Times, The New Yorker and Dark Horse Comics)
  • Inayatullah (Founder and Editor of Hikayat)
  • Ahmad Nadeem Awan (Broadcaster and prominent Hindko poet)

Entertainment

  • Fariha Pervaiz (Actress and one of Pakistan’s most popular female vocalists)
  • Fakhar-e-Alam (Singer, actor and compere)
  • Samina Awan (British actress. Star of the movie, Love+Hate. In 2005, she was nominated in the Most Promising Newcomer category at the 8th Annual British Independent Film Awards)
  • Shakeel Awan (Folk singer)

Sport

Geographical distribution

The majority of Awans are found in the Punjab (Pakistan). Their population is concentrated in the districts of Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Sargodha, Khushab (particularly the Soon Valley), Mianwali (Awan tribes residing here are believed to have been the sole occupants of the Mianwali Salt Range for nearly six hundred years), Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, and Layyah and also scattered throughout the rest of Punjab (for example, Malakwal. Tracts in regions such as Jhelum and Mianwali are so heavily populated by Awans that they are referred to as "Awankari". Pre-Partition, an Awankari existed in Jalandhar. Awankari is also a dialect of Punjabi). Though these areas are their ancestral homelands and many own farms and other property there, many Awans live in the major cities of Pakistan such as Lahore (where a section of the Awan tribe has established a settlement, aptly named Awan Town), Islamabad, and Karachi.

The Awan tribe is also to be found in great numbers in the North West Frontier Province, particularly in the Hazara Division, Peshawar valley and the districts of Nowshera, Kohat, Abbottabad, Haripur, Manshera, Bannu and Swat. A smaller portion of the tribe resides in Azad Kashmir. A minor proportion of the tribe is also present in the Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. In addition, they can also be found in Afghanistan and some parts of India.

References

  1. ^ Glossary of the tribes and castes of the Punjab and NWFP, H. A. Rose

Awan Travels, Dr. Asif Raza Awan

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