Pukhtana (Pathan) is an English text by Sir Olaf Caroe translated into Pashto by Sher Muhammad Karimi. The Pathan book first published in 1958, is an extraordinary piece of history. It is a comprehensive historical description of the brave people which comprises authentic ethnic and political research. Pathan is a classic and modern book at the same time contains an invaluable insightful history of the Pashtuns tribes. It is a document detailing, researching, and documenting a wide range of events from the ancient Greek period of 550 BC to the NWFP of the 20th century. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the latest developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pukhtana (Pathan) is an authoritative work on the social and political history of the Pathans from 550 BC to 1957. It also includes an article in light of recent events in Afghanistan. It is a wonderful scholarly and research work on this strange tribal nation that has become one of the most important populations of the world today.
Although the Pashtuns are generally known as the rural hill tribes living in the Hindu Kush, who live in large non-governmental parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, however, they are now increasingly settling in the big cities. In a city like Karachi, the number of Pashtuns now exceeds 5 million.
This brilliant research work by Mr. Caroe is an in-depth scientific and research analysis of the synthesis of anthropological data on the long history of the Pashtuns in order to offer a long-term view of their cultural dynamics. An in-depth research work by an expert who has organized the material in a unique and insightful way.
I think this is clearly a book that should be in the home library of every Pashtun family. A book you want to pass on to your Pashtun children for historical reference. Whenever one wants to read about a specific time in Pashtun history, this is a book that should be used, as it contains information from pre-Islamic times to the Arab conquests, the Mughal period, and British rule.
As most of us know and it is often said that the history of our subcontinent is distorted in various books of history especially the history before partition. In this way, the history of Pashtuns is also often distorted in the books of history. The only way to uncover the truth is to read all possible sources. So to ignore this wonderful work of Sir Olaf Caroe on the Pashtun history, or to refrain from it, on the sole ground that he was a defender and soldier of British imperialism, would surely be a folly.
The author of the book, Sir Olaf Caroe, has been acquainted with the Pathans for almost sixty years. He first went to the Northwest Frontier as an officer in the Queen’s Regiment in early 1916 and was stationed at Peshawar and Nowshera. After World War I, he joined the Indian Civil Service and after three years in Punjab, he was posted to the Frontier in the Political Services where he took charge of successive districts of Mardan, Hazara, Kohat, and Peshawar. Later, when Frontier Province was formed, he was appointed as the Chief Secretary.
In 1934, he was transferred to the Foreign Office in Delhi, where he served as Viceroy’s Foreign Secretary during World War II. The British government’s affairs with the northwestern border, Balochistan, and of course the independent state of Afghanistan remained in his hands for almost ten years. Later, in 1946-47, he started his career as the last British Governor of the Frontier Province before independence. He died on November 23, 1981.
Due to the importance of the book “Pukhtana (Pathan)”, it is being offered online for the readers of Pakistan Virtual Library. The book is available for online reading and free download in high-quality Pdf documents. Check out the following links to read online or download the complete book in Pdf format to enjoy offline reading on your computer and smartphone.
