.. by Prof Rahmat Karim Baig

A number of interesting stories were related during my field work, to collect info about the history of Chitral and its tribes. One old man said that he was a body guard personnel and on duty at Birmogh Lasht where the Mehtar was enjoying summer months. The Mehtar held a session for applicants each morning at 10 am. who had some grievances to express or ask for some favour or a loss to be redressed.

One day a dignified old man submitted his written application. The ruler knew  all about his property  and read the contents of the application and asked him a few questions in angry mood such as:

‘What did you do to the plot at Ayun’?

‘What did you do to the tracts of lands at Lotdeh’?

‘What did you do to the lands at Muldeh’?

The old man listened to all the three questions quite normally and then replied:

‘ I did the same thing to the plots as you did to the region of  Bashqar’.   In fact it was the late time of the rule of H.H. Muzaffarul Mulk  who had by then sold the Bashqar area to the Wali of Swat and had bought a bungalow at Peshawar Cantt. It was a retort and the Mehtar wrote something on the application and returned to him. It is reported that Bashqar valleys were under the rulers of Chitral for many centuries and was then sold at Rs. 60000/- by the ruler as income from it was nil and expenses unbearable. .. by Prof Rahmat Karim Baig, Chitral 13 May 2022.