SWABI: People of Kalu Khan union council and its suburbs here on Tuesday blocked the Swabi-Mardan road to protest alleged distortion of the character of Pakhtun hero, Kalu Khan, in the grade 9 English book published by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board, Peshawar.

The people marched from the Kalu Khan village to the hospital bus stop where they erected blockade, halting all kinds of vehicular traffic. They also chanted slogans against the officials of the textbook board. Awami National Party district deputy general secretary Ashfaq Khan and representatives of local government led the protesters.

On the occasion, the ANP leader pointed out that in a chapter of the English book, Kalu Khan has been portrayed as a leader of robbers who used to loot trade caravans crossing the Indus during the rule of Mughal king Akbar. He said Kalu Khan was also shown as merciless man who killed people who put up resistance.

The ANP leader insisted that Kalu Khan was hero of Pakhtuns, that’s why their ancestors had named their village after him. Mr Ashfaq said there was no other Kalu in Pakhtun history and what was said about him in the textbook was complete distortion of his character. He said if the lesson was not removed from the book the protests would spread to other districts of the province.

When contacted noted writer Noor-ul-Amin Yousafzai told Dawn it was true the character of Kalu Khan had been distorted in the English textbook of class 9.

“Kalu Khan was a Yousafzai and chieftain of Pakhtuns during Akbar’s period. He was not a dacoit. Imagine that how a Sardar (chieftain) of Pakhtuns could become a dacoit. In fact, he used to provide justice to people,” he said.

Kalu Khan ruled the terrain from DI Khan to Kala Dhaka with great justice, recalled the writer. It was wrong to portray Kalu Khan as a dacoit, and if we have minute study of history books it is Akbar who had occupied the land of Pakhtuns and subjugated them; Kalu Khan was arch-rival of Mughals,” he observed.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2016