Wazir (tribe)
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The Wazirs or Waziris are a Pashtun tribe settled in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan, the North West Frontier Province and also across the border in Afghanistan. The tribal agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan are named after them. There are also sizeable communities of Waziri established in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Rawalpindi.
[edit] Origins
The Waziris are an isolated tribe and have lived in the Pashtun tribal belt region for many centuries[citation needed]. Like most other Pashtun tribes, the Waziris are predominantly the descendants Scythians with some Hephthalite and Kushan admixture[citation needed]. Others[who?] claim that the Waziri are an indigenous tribe who have resided in the mountainous region for several thousand years[citation needed] in a similar fashion[citation needed] to the Afridis. According to their own traditions[citation needed], the Waziris call themselves the descendants of Waziri who was the son of Sulaiman[citation needed], the son of Kuki[citation needed], the son of Karlan and grandson of Qais Abdur Rashid. So they are usually described as being a tribe of Karlani Pashtuns.
From this common origin come the Wazirs, a title which properly includes the Wazirs, Gurbaz, Lalawazir in Kugiani in the area of the Sufed Koh in afghanistan and Mahsuds but the word Wazir has now practically been appropriated by the former[citation needed].
[edit] Language
The two agencies have quite distinct characteristics, though both tribes are subgroups of the Wazir Tribe and speak a common Wazirwola language, which is in fact a dialect[citation needed] of the Pashto language.
[edit] Tribes and Sub-Tribes
The Wazirs dominate the hilly tracts; Khaisora, Sherathala Plain, Kaitu valley, Lower stretches of the Kurram River, and upper parts of the Tochi Valley beyond Kharakamar. They are divided into two tribes Ahmadzai and othmanzai, Ahmad zai has two main branches, sain khel(Husain khel) and kalokhel, the othmanzai are divided in to three main sections namely: Ibrahim Khel, Wali Khel and Mamit Khel. These sections are further divided into several sub-sections.
The Wazir tribes are divided into sub-tribes governed by male village elders who meet in a tribal jirga. Socially and religiously Waziristan is an extremely conservative area[citation needed]. Women are carefully guarded, and every household must[citation needed] be headed by a male figure. Tribal cohesiveness is also strong through so-called Collective Responsibility Acts in the Frontier Crimes Regulation.
They have a formidable reputation[citation needed] as warriors and are known for their frequent blood feuds[citation needed]. Traditionally, feuding local Waziri religious leaders have enlisted outsiders[citation needed] while this is not the reality as quoted by the local people who claim they are totally against the the foreign militants living here.
[edit] Transport Industry
The Wazir tribes have managed to monopolize the transport industry of Pakistan running commercial trucks loaded with goods throughout the country. Due to the relative limited resources of the Waziristan region, many Wazir as well as Mahsud send back valuable income to their respective families by working outside of the region. Wazir's have earned a reputation[citation needed] for assuring the arrival of shipments on time through some of the most treacherous and dangerous routes (eg. Karakorum Highway) and as such, are considered the country's lifeline[citation needed] in commercial goods transport. Furthermore, Wazir are prominent businessmen[citation needed] in almost all of Pakistan's major urban centres including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Multan.
[edit] Famous Personalities
Ayaz Wazir, Former Ambassador of Pakistan
