Source: Mohammad Enam Wak
WAK Foundation
Email: abdaliwak[at]yahoo.com

Mohammad Enam Wak is the author of the "History of Pashto" section. Hence all credit goes to him and if you have any question he will be pleased to answer them through his email.
 

The word literally means revenge. whatever is paid for Tawan is also Badal. whoever commits an offense is liable to pay Badal. It may be levied by Maraka or Jirga on the offender or the offended person may take his own Badal. The Badal for killing is to kill, but this may be mended through Nanawati and Jirga.

Mount Stuart Elphinstone, an english researcher and political officer who has travelled in the beginning of 19th century though some Pakhtun tribes writes in his book"the kingdom of Cabul"that according to the Pakhtunwali every one has the duty to take his Badal. Dispite goverment porpeganda against Badal, it has become part of the code of tribal law. 'A person may wait for a long time to take Badal. for a Pashtun it is Peghor not to take Badal, The one who does not take his Badal, is considered as a coward. In some in some tribes the family will take the Badal and in some the whole tribe will help to take the Badal. Badal can be avoided through reconciliation by Nanawati.

"Badal" i Pakhtunwali is the most important, dominanat and greatest of all Pathan traits. The urge to take revenge on his enemy, is infused in the very blood of a Pathan. There are instances that milk feeding children have avenged the murder of their fathes, brothers'etc on attaining age. "The stone of Pashto (i. e Badal) does not rot in water" (DE PUKHTO KAnAI PO OBO KE HUM NA WRASTEGI)

"The Pathan's enmity is the camel's enmity". (د پښتون کینه د اوښ کینه ده).
"God may save thee of a Pathan's revenge. ". (الله دې د پښتون غصه نه وساته).
"It is the question of pukhtu" (to take revenge). (دا د پښتو خبره ده).
"A Pathan enmity is the fire of a dunghill". (د پښتونه کینه د حشر اور دی).
"A Pathan does not leave vice or virtue un-revenged". (پښتون خپل بدل نه پرېږدي). etc etc are commonly cited sayings amongst the pthans. Mr. Ghani khan has beautifully drawn the following sketch in his book "The Pathans-A sketch" about this trait of the Pathans.

"When a Pathan is a child, his mother tells him"the coward dies but his shrieks live llong after", and so he learns not to shriek. he is shown dozens of things dearer than life so that he will not mind either dying or killing.
He is forbiden colorfull clothes or exotic music, for they weaken the arm and soften the eye. He is though to look at the hawk and forget the nightingale. He is asked to kill his beloved to save the soul of her children. It is a prepetual surrender__ an eternal giving up of man to man and to their wise follies".

Revenge is the Pathan's characteristic which does not allow any crisis to sprout. Elphinstone says"A Pathan stops the crime himself even if he is finished in the process". Abdur Rehman in his "Tuzk" says, "the Afghan is fiery, fierce and rash by very disposition". The fire of revenge in this race remains always aflame which means that unless enmity us avenged, the fire of retation keeps on burning in a Pathan's chest.

Unluckily, the Pathans have earned not a good name in the matter of Badal for he does not sit at rest until he sees through his enemy by overcoming him in which process he becomes savage, brutal and bestial. His barbarism reaches an extent where he finishes all male members of his enemy's house so much so that no heir of deceased is left. This action of his at times leads to rising up of the whole sect against him in which case, he may say a permanent adieu to his soil and take refuge in a powerful clan somewhere else in tribal territory.

IN this case he becomes humsaya whose protection becomes the responsibility of the one who gives him refuge. In some areas however revenges are very brutal, and dastardly. An organized gang assaults the enemy and attacks the enemy's village where every memeber fo the enemy's family is killed, his house set on fire, his animals and house hold luggage taken away. This is called 'Botha'.

On the contrary, if thought rationally, it is due to this unremitting principle of revenge that crimes remain subdued both in nature and extent. The rule of might is automatically subduet and vanished. A powerful and affluent malik will have to think twice before he dictate his terms upon the poor or a weaker tribe, for the consequences are grave if not immediate. The alst Briths Political Agent of sout Waziristan Agency Mr. Duncan was murdered by a Mehsud yuoth at sara Rogha simply because, according to him, he is as encounter with Faqir of Eppi had killed his father, thus earing his father. (A common Pathan says, "he has earned his Mar'hai (deceased) by killing his enemy). Instance of collective revenge are also noticed in the Afghan societies. The recent Afghan War stretching over more than 12 years period against a super power is an instance of collective vengeance.