PLACES (BAJAUR)

The Glory and Misery of Bajaur:

Some of the information about the erstwhile tribal agency of Bajaur (since merged in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as a district) can be obtained from Wikipedia. Bajaur is nestled to the north of Peshawar. It abuts the Durand Line with Afghanistan for about 52 kilometres through a formidable wall made up of mountains. On the other side of the mountainous terrain lies Kunar in Afghanistan. Alexander the Great is said to have crossed over into India through this present-day divide between Pakistan and Afghanistan. With more than a million people inhabiting its environs, Bajaur is the most poplous of the seven tribal districts of KP. In terms of area, Bajaur is the smallest in size. The people of Bajaur are strong, sturdy with good looks which they appear to have inherited and retained over a pretty long period of time from their progenitors of the European stock. But what is to be made of the fact that quite a large number of these physically strong and handsome men from Bajaur could now be seen doing menial jobs (notably shoe-shining) across the length of Pakistan!