Pashtunwali (Pashto:پښتونوالی,romanized: Pəx̌tunwālay,Pashto pronunciation:[pəʂ.tun.wɑ'laɪ,pəʃ.tun.wɑ'laɪ,pəç.tun.wɑ'laɪ,pəx.tun.wɑ'le/pʊx.tun.wɑ'le]), also known asPakhtunwali andAfghaniyat,[1] is the traditional lifestyle or a code of honour and tribal code of thePashtun people, fromAfghanistan andPakistan, by which they live. Many scholars widely have interpreted it as being "the way of the Pashtuns" or "the code of life".[2] Pashtunwali is widely practised by Pashtuns in thePashtun-dominated regions, and dates back to ancient times.[3][4]It is widely criticized by human rights organizations and modern scholars for maintaining harmful traditional practices that result in the systemic marginalization of women and the perpetuation of generational violence.[5][6]
In the modern era, a significant cultural divide has emerged the Pakistani Pashtuns have largely integrated into the Islamic legal systems[7][8]criminalizing the objectification of women through the framework ofZan Zar Zamaka (Women Gold Land), enforcement ofSwara (Compensation Marriage) the practice of giving away or selling minor girls to settle tribal feuds and the mandatory cycles ofBadal (Violent Revenge) that often result in systemic gender based discrimination and honor killings. While in Afghanistan, pushtunwali remains the dominant law, where critics argue that Islamic religious terminology is often used as a veneer to uphold ancient tribal practices that deny women their basic rights.[9][10]
ThenativePashtun tribes, often described as fiercely independent people,[11] who inhabit areas of southeasternAfghanistan and northwesternPakistan follow this traditional code of conduct that governs the social behaviour and values of the Pashtuns, which is called Pashtunwali, and it is described as beingancient, which the Pashtuns follow and predates Islam.[12][13][14] Because of that, much of their mountainous territory has remained outside government rule or control. Pashtun resistance to outside rule and the terrain they reside in is sometimes speculated to be why Indigenous Pashtuns still follow the "code of life".[citation needed]
Pashtunwali rules are accepted in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and also in some Pashtun communities around the world. Some non-Pashtun Afghans and others have also adopted itsideology or practices for their own benefit. Conversely, many urbanized Pashtuns tend to ignore the rules of Pashtunwali. Passed on from generation to generation, Pashtunwali guides both individual and communal conduct. Practiced by the majority of Pashtuns, it helps to promotePashtunization.[2]
Ideal Pukhtun behaviour approximates the features of Pukhtunwali, the code of the Pukhtuns, which includes the following traditional features: courage (tora), revenge (badal), hospitality (melmestia), generosity to a defeated...[15]
— Maliha Zulfacar, 1999
Pashtuns embrace an ancienttraditional,spiritual, and communal identity tied to a set of moral codes and rules of behaviour, as well as to a record ofhistory spanning some seventeen hundred years.[16]
It is the way of thePashtuns. We havemelmestia, being a good host,nanawatai, giving asylum, andbadal, vengeance. Pashtuns live by these things.[18]
— Abdur, A character in Morgen's War
The Pashtun tribes are always engaged in private or public war. Every man is a warrior, a politician and a theologian. Every large house is a real feudal fortress. ... Every family cultivates its vendetta; every clan, its feud. ... Nothing is ever forgotten and very few debts are left unpaid.
Pashtuns are organised into tribal or extended family groups often led by a "Malik" (a wealthy and influential leader from the group).Disputes within clans are settled by ajirga (traditionally a tribal assembly involving all adult males).[19]In times of foreign invasion, Pashtuns have been known to unite under Pashtun religious leaders such asSaidullah Baba in theSiege of Malakand[20] and even under Pashtána female leaders such asMalalai of Maiwand in theBattle of Maiwand.[21]
Hospitality (Pashto:مېلمستيا,romanized: melmastyā́) – Showing hospitality and respect to all visitors, regardless of race, religion, nationality or wealth, without any expectation of repayment. Pashtuns will go to great lengths to show their hospitality.[2][23][24]
Asylum (Pashto:ننواتې,romanized: nənawā́te) – Protection given to a fugitive from his enemies, at all costs. Even those running from the law must be given refuge until the situation can be clarified.[2] Nənawā́te can also be used when the vanquished party in a dispute pleads for forgiveness in the house of the victors, a form of chivalrous surrender. In a notable example, US Navy PO1Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of aUS Navy SEAL team ambushed by Taliban fighters, was aided by members of the Pashtun Sabray tribe. The tribal chief Mohammed Gulab gave the soldier refuge in his village, fending off attacking tribes until he was returned to nearby US forces.[25][26]
Justice andrevenge (Pashto:نياو او بدل,romanized: nyāw aw badál) – To seek justice or take revenge against a wrongdoer. No time limit restricts the revenge period. Even a mere taunt (Pashto:پېغور,romanized: peghor) may count as a mortal insult.[2]Monetary compensation can be an alternative tobadal, for example to expiate murder.
Compensation Marriage (Pashto:Swara orBaad) The practice of giving away or selling minor girls to a rival family to settle a murder or blood feud. This is used as a form of "blood money" where the woman's life is sacrificed to end male violence.[5]
Property Status of Women (Pashto:Zan, Zar, Zamaka) A framework that literally translates to "Women, Gold, Land." It categorizes women as assets to be owned, guarded, or traded. This principle is used to justify the denial of inheritance and the treatment of women as tribal property.[27]
Bride Price (Pashto:Walwar) The practice of selling a bride to the groom's family. While traditionally described as a gift to the father, it is widely criticized as a financial transaction that commodifies women and encourages child marriage.[28]
Violent Retribution (Pashto:Badal) While listed under "Justice," this code mandates mandatory revenge. Failure to retaliate results in a permanent loss ofPat (Respect). This often bypasses state law, creating a parallel justice system of extrajudicial killings and perpetual feuds.
Forced Seclusion (Pashto:Purdah) The extreme interpretation of modesty that prevents women from accessing education, healthcare, or any public presence. In many rural areas, this code is enforced through the threat of violence or "honor" punishments.
The other main principles:
Bravery (Pashto:توره,romanized: túra). A Pashtun must defend his land, property, and family from intruders, killing them if provoked.[2]
Respect (Pashto:پت,romanized: pat) and pride (Pashto:وياړ,romanized: wyāṛ). A Pashtun man's pride must be respected, and he must respect himself and others, especially strangers. Respect begins at home, among family members and relatives. A man without respect is unworthy of being a Pashtun.[2] In the poetry ofKhushal Khattak, “The loss of life and wealth should not matter, what matters ispat."[30]
Female honour (Pashto:ناموس,romanized: nāmús). A Pashtun must defend the honor of women at all costs and must protect them from all harm and disrespect.[31]
Honour (Pashto:ننګ,romanized: nang). A Pashtun must defend the weak around him.[32]
^Zulfacar, Maliha (1998).Afghan Immigrants in the USA and Germany: A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Ethnic Social Capital. Kulturelle Identitat und politische Selbstbestimmung in der Weltgesellschaft. LIT Verlag. p. 33.ISBN9783825836504.
^Hussain, Rizwan (2005).Pakistan and the Emergence of Islamic Militancy in Afghanistan. Aldershot: Ashgate. p. 221.ISBN0-7546-4434-0.
^Patrick, Robinson (2015).The Lion of Sabray: The Afghan Warrior Who Defied the Taliban and Saved the Life of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.ISBN978-1-5011-1798-5.
^Doing Pashto: Pashtunwali as the Ideal of Honourable Behaviour by Lutz Rzehak. Afghanistan Analysts Network. 2011."The triad of Zan, Zar, Zamaka defines the male-centric property rights that often negate a woman's individual agency." Maliha Zulfacar, Afghan Immigrants in the USA and Germany.
