PESHAWAR: Poha Foundation, a literary organisation, on Thursday arranged a seminar to mark the 325th death anniversary of legendary poet Khushhal Khan Khattak (1613-1689) at the Institute of Management Sciences (IMS) in Hayatabad here.

Social worker and educator Arza Nafees Yousafzai said Khushhal Khattak was a multifaceted personality, whose vision for unification of Pashtuns could be used to bring about peace and stability in the region.

She said Pashtuns should shun away male chauvinism and redefine their cultural narrative regarding role of woman in the society.

“In today’s modern world, Pashtun women can’t be suppressed any longer as they could raise voice in this respect. Khushhal Khan Khattak condemned so-called customs and traditions not corresponding to humanism and peaceful co-existence,” she said.

The social worker said the culture was not something static rather it is a dynamic phenomenon, religion and culture should not be confused with each other.

“Woman should be given her due rights in the light of Islamic laws. Unfortunately, she is being exploited under different pretexts. We should seek guidance from the writings of our literary giants like Khushhal Khan Khattak and Rehman Baba as they have portrayed a true image of the period and society they were living in and could also foresee future of Pashtuns. They enjoy unanimous respect and popularity because of their enlightened thoughts,” she said.

Dr Khadim Hussain, director of Bacha Khan Educational Foundation, said Khushhal Khan Khattak’s political, social and literary contributions were not limited to Pashtuns but he also had contributed immensely towards universal thought.

He said Khushhal Khan Khattak wanted to bring Pashtuns together for a purpose and the main objective before him was to educate, inform and enlighten them for meeting future challenges. “Khushhal Khan Khattak challenged the tyranny of Mughal kings through the strength of his vision and unflinching struggle,” he said.

Dr Khadim Hussain said Khushhal Khan Khattak’s approach towards Pashtuns was based on his wisdom and intellect.

He said cultural activities could be used for sustainable development, while Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were rich in natural resources most of which were unexploited and untapped.

Amir Gamaryani, a young poet, recited a long poem eulogising characteristics of Khushhal Khan Khattak and received a standing ovation from the audience.

Shafeeq Gigyani, vice president of Poha Foundation, threw light on the teachings of Khushhal Khan Khattak in light of Khan Baba’s celebrated book ‘Dastarnama’ which he had written during his in Mughal’s imprisonment in Rathambore, India .

“In the book, Khan Baba has enumerated 40 attributes of a leader like courage, confidence, sacrifice, shelter, vision, character integrity, loyalty and respect for woman. There are some elements in ‘Pakhtunwali’ like taking revenge, exclusion of women in giving them share in inheritance etc which needs to be revisited,” he said.

Mr Gigyani said Khushhal Khan Khattak had condemned the negative attributes in Pashtun’s society and never supported subjugation of others through power.

Earlier, a video was shown profiling important aspects of Khan Baba from his early childhood, youth to the age he was made chieftain of his tribe following death of his father Shabaz Khan.

The video showed different stages of Khan Baba’s life, loyalty to Mughal’s kings, imprisonment on the false charges of treason, revolting against Mughal court on his release and his varied tastes from falconry, hunting, marksmanship, medicine to poetry.

He modernised Pashto poetry and prose and touched upon philosophy, mysticism, romanticism and variety of other subjects. Mohammad Ibrahim and Safi Khan moderated the event.