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.
 

غیرت GHAIRAT

Ghairat means zeal. To keep on one's own and his tribe's prestige one has to be zealous, couraeous and somewhat headless.

The one who is not zealous and courageous may come under the chapawal of others.

Ghairat is a part of Namus and it is said that if one has no Ghairat he cannot keep his Namus. Calling one beghairat (unzealous) is shkanza (an insult). Nobody has the right to call anther one beghairat. Any one so insulting another one brings upon himself the liability to pay sharam.

Ghairat does not only concern men, women also must have Ghairat. Ghairat is often tinged with fanaticism. It helps to preserve the tribalsystem. If a Pathan's sister becomes tora i. e charged with illegal sexual relation, he must kill her as well as her seducer.
Ghani khan has beautfully drown the following skectch of his trait of Pathan, throwing light on his Ghairat or Pakhto.

"A Pathan will shoot the seducer of his sister and walk porudly to the British-made gallows for it. "hero", shout the Pathans", "muderer", says the juge. That is why muders are rare and elopements seldom heard of in tribal areas, for the risk is great and price heavy. The secret of about 80 million people, living without law courts, policemen, juges, hangmen and still enjoying peace and tranquillity unparalleled in the world, is easy to understant. And thus the system takes care of crimes by it self"

With regard to adultery Mr. Khan's logic is strange which is reprouduced as follows for the general intrest.

"But there is another point. The Pathan has no hospital of docters. And it is established that the most horrible diseases are given by men to women and women to men. syphilis, for example. The Pathan knew no cure for it , so he took the most dastic preventive measure. Death to him who dares to risk the health of his tribe. It is teachery and sabotage, which you also punish with death. The knot os the same though the thread is different".