A Kakar Pashtun, famous poet, diplomat, and government official who published unde the pen name Pareshan (worried). He was elected senator and became president of the senate from 1966 to 1973. Born in 1894 in Kabul, he was a graduate of the first class of Habibia High School in 1912. In the same year he became assistant editor of the famous Seraj al-Ald1bar (q.v.) and in 1920 of the Aman-i Afghan (q.v.).
He entered the foreign service, participating in the Rawalpindi and Mussoorie peace conferences. He was appointed Afghan minister in London in 1922, served as minister of commerce from 1925 until his resignation in 1928, and as Afghan minister in Berlin from December 1929-31. From 1933 until 1946 he was imprisoned as an Amanullah supporter.
In 1950 he was elected to parliament and became speaker of the House. He served as secretary of King Muhammad Zahir and tutor of the crown prince. He was appointed ambassador to Cairo (1952-1954), and to Jakarta (1954-58). He retired from political life and died in 1982 in Kabul.
ABDUL RAUF BENAWA
(1913-1984)
A writer, Pashtun activist and diplomat. He was born in 1913 in Kandahar and educated in that city. Published the newspaper Tulu-i Afghan (Afghan Sunrise), a number of articles, and a book entitled Pashtana Likwal (Writers of Pashto).
He became president of the Pashto Academy and later director of Radio Kabul. Served as press attache in New Delhi (1954-55) and Cairo (1964-66) and became minister of information and culture in 1967. He was ambassador to Libya, 1980- 84, and came for medical treatment to the United States where he died in 1984.
ABDUR RAHMAN PAZHWAK
A poet, scholar, and writer in Pashto and Dari who served as president of the 21st General Assembly of the United Nations in 1966, and as ambassador to Bonn (1972), New Delhi (1973?, and London (1976-78).
Born in 1919 in Ghazni and educated Nangarhar and at Habibia School in Kabul, he started a career as journalist. He was editor of Islah (q.v., 1939), director general of the Pashto Academy, 1941, and was appointed press attache at the Afghan embassy in Washington in 1948 and London, 1946 and 1951. In 1955 he was appointed general director of political affairs in the ministry of foreign affairs.
In 195X he became Afghan ambassador to the United Nations. During the Taraki regime he was under house arrest and left Afghanistan for medical treatment in 1982. He applied for political asylum to the United Nations and went to the United States, but moved to Peshawar in April 1991.
QALANDAR MOHMAND
Sahibzada who became Qalandar of Pashto
Shaheen Buneri
The eminent Pushto writer, poet, playwright, linguist, critic, research scholar and the patron chairman of the Peshawar Press Club, Prof Habibur Rehman Qalandar Momand, breathed his last here in Peshawar last year. Qalandar was born on 1st September, 1930. After passing his matriculation examination with distinction, he got admission at historic Islamia College. From his early days, he had a special flair for literary and research pursuits. He was a true revolutionary who worked all his life for the social, political and cultural emancipation of his people. He got his MA in English literature and LLB degrees from the University of Peshawar with distinction.
He started his practical life as an employee in the agriculture department, but his restless soul did not allow him to stay in one place and soon he switched over to Angus Robertson, a private construction company.
Qalandar remained the secretary of the famous literary organisation, Ulasi Adabi Jirga. In 1962, he launched another representative literary organisation by the name of Da Saho Lekonkyo Maraka and worked as the secretary general of this organisation till his death. This organization introduced a number of new trends in the Pakhto poetry and criticism and encouraged a large number of budding writers in their literary activities.
Later on, his literary taste impelled him to join teaching as a profession. He performed his duties as a dynamic and versatile teacher of English at the Government Colleges in Peshawar and Abbottabad. In 1980, Qalandar was appointed as the principal of the Law College of the Gomal University, DI Khan.
In 1983, he devoted himself to the compilation of the first authentic Pakhto dictionary, Daryab, and accomplished this task in 1993. He was not only a versatile writer of Pushto, Urdu, Hindko, Arabic and Persian but also a bold journalist who contributed numberless articles to the well-known English dailies.
He started his journalistic career as a reporter with the daily al-Haq. He also worked in different capacities with the dailies Anjaam, Shehbaz, Bang-e-Haram, Khyber Mail, Peshawar Times, Frontier Guardian, Naqeeb, Laar, Rehbar, Nangyalay, Sarhad and Masawaat.
He performed his duties as a reporter for the famous weekly magasines of the former East Pakistan like the Weekly Holiday and Young Pakistan.
As a political figure, he was the most active and enthusiastic activist of the late Bachaa Khan's Khudai Khidmatgar movement. During his struggle against Ayub Khan's martial law regime, he was removed from service and kept at the Multan, Lahore, Nowshera and Peshawar jails as a political prisoner.
He has a large number of research and creative books to his credit, among which his two books, Gujrai of Pakhto fiction (1957) and Sabawon of poetry collection (1976) got immense popularity among the lovers of the Pakhto literature. His research works include A Critical Study of Khairul Bayan, Pata Khazana fil Mezan, Nazmiyat, Translation of the Chapter on Criticism from Introduction to the Study of English Literature by Hudson, Da Rehman Baba Kuliyat, Da Muhammadi Sahibzada Diwan, Critical Study of two books of Munshi Ahmad Jan, Hagha Dagha and Da Qissa Khwani Gup and Da Abol Qasim Diwan. Qalandar Momand was decorated with the Pride of Performance Award and Award for Democracy by the Government of Pakistan for his meritorious services in the fields of literature and journalism.
Being a multi-dimensional personality, his death has created a vacuum which will take a long time to be filled. He will be remembered for his outstanding services to the Pakhto literature.
Sulaiman Laeq
A Sulaimankhel Ghilzay Pashtun, Sulaiman Laweq, initially a student of the College of Theology, graduated from the College of Literature in 1957. His father was a representative (khalifa) of the Mojaddidi family; hence, Ghulam Mojaddidi (Slave of Mojaddidi) was Laweq's original name. His family was also related to the Mojaddidi family by marriage.
An excellent poet and a writer in Pashto and Dari, Laweq held various posts in the government-controlled mass media from the time he graduated until 1968, when he began editing Parcham. By this time he had become a member of the central committee of the Parcham faction of the PDPA and a close associate of Khybar, his brother-in-law.
After the communist coup he became the minister of radio and television and for a time was admitted to membership of the politburo after the government had expelled the Parchamis. Then he was imprisoned for being pro-Karmal, but the authorities treated him mildly. Following the invasion, Laweq held some unimportant posts until 1981, when he was promoted to membership in the central committee and appointed president of the Academy of Sciences and minister of tribes and nationalities.
Featured Treaty Signers
Abdul Hadi Dawai Pareshan
(1894 - 1982)
A Kakar Pashtun, famous poet, diplomat, and government official who published unde the pen name Pareshan (worried). He was elected senator and became president of the senate from 1966 to 1973. Born in 1894 in Kabul, he was a graduate of the first class of Habibia High School in 1912. In the same year he became assistant editor of the famous Seraj al-Ald1bar (q.v.) and in 1920 of the Aman-i Afghan (q.v.).
He entered the foreign service, participating in the Rawalpindi and Mussoorie peace conferences. He was appointed Afghan minister in London in 1922, served as minister of commerce from 1925 until his resignation in 1928, and as Afghan minister in Berlin from December 1929-31. From 1933 until 1946 he was imprisoned as an Amanullah supporter.
In 1950 he was elected to parliament and became speaker of the House. He served as secretary of King Muhammad Zahir and tutor of the crown prince. He was appointed ambassador to Cairo (1952-1954), and to Jakarta (1954-58). He retired from political life and died in 1982 in Kabul.
ABDUL RAUF BENAWA
(1913-1984)
A writer, Pashtun activist and diplomat. He was born in 1913 in Kandahar and educated in that city. Published the newspaper Tulu-i Afghan (Afghan Sunrise), a number of articles, and a book entitled Pashtana Likwal (Writers of Pashto).
He became president of the Pashto Academy and later director of Radio Kabul. Served as press attache in New Delhi (1954-55) and Cairo (1964-66) and became minister of information and culture in 1967. He was ambassador to Libya, 1980- 84, and came for medical treatment to the United States where he died in 1984.
ABDUR RAHMAN PAZHWAK
A poet, scholar, and writer in Pashto and Dari who served as president of the 21st General Assembly of the United Nations in 1966, and as ambassador to Bonn (1972), New Delhi (1973?, and London (1976-78).
Born in 1919 in Ghazni and educated Nangarhar and at Habibia School in Kabul, he started a career as journalist. He was editor of Islah (q.v., 1939), director general of the Pashto Academy, 1941, and was appointed press attache at the Afghan embassy in Washington in 1948 and London, 1946 and 1951. In 1955 he was appointed general director of political affairs in the ministry of foreign affairs.
In 195X he became Afghan ambassador to the United Nations. During the Taraki regime he was under house arrest and left Afghanistan for medical treatment in 1982. He applied for political asylum to the United Nations and went to the United States, but moved to Peshawar in April 1991.
QALANDAR MOHMAND
Sahibzada who became Qalandar of Pashto
Shaheen Buneri
The eminent Pushto writer, poet, playwright, linguist, critic, research scholar and the patron chairman of the Peshawar Press Club, Prof Habibur Rehman Qalandar Momand, breathed his last here in Peshawar last year. Qalandar was born on 1st September, 1930. After passing his matriculation examination with distinction, he got admission at historic Islamia College. From his early days, he had a special flair for literary and research pursuits. He was a true revolutionary who worked all his life for the social, political and cultural emancipation of his people. He got his MA in English literature and LLB degrees from the University of Peshawar with distinction.
He started his practical life as an employee in the agriculture department, but his restless soul did not allow him to stay in one place and soon he switched over to Angus Robertson, a private construction company.
Qalandar remained the secretary of the famous literary organisation, Ulasi Adabi Jirga. In 1962, he launched another representative literary organisation by the name of Da Saho Lekonkyo Maraka and worked as the secretary general of this organisation till his death. This organization introduced a number of new trends in the Pakhto poetry and criticism and encouraged a large number of budding writers in their literary activities.
Later on, his literary taste impelled him to join teaching as a profession. He performed his duties as a dynamic and versatile teacher of English at the Government Colleges in Peshawar and Abbottabad. In 1980, Qalandar was appointed as the principal of the Law College of the Gomal University, DI Khan.
In 1983, he devoted himself to the compilation of the first authentic Pakhto dictionary, Daryab, and accomplished this task in 1993. He was not only a versatile writer of Pushto, Urdu, Hindko, Arabic and Persian but also a bold journalist who contributed numberless articles to the well-known English dailies.
He started his journalistic career as a reporter with the daily al-Haq. He also worked in different capacities with the dailies Anjaam, Shehbaz, Bang-e-Haram, Khyber Mail, Peshawar Times, Frontier Guardian, Naqeeb, Laar, Rehbar, Nangyalay, Sarhad and Masawaat.
He performed his duties as a reporter for the famous weekly magasines of the former East Pakistan like the Weekly Holiday and Young Pakistan.
As a political figure, he was the most active and enthusiastic activist of the late Bachaa Khan's Khudai Khidmatgar movement. During his struggle against Ayub Khan's martial law regime, he was removed from service and kept at the Multan, Lahore, Nowshera and Peshawar jails as a political prisoner.
He has a large number of research and creative books to his credit, among which his two books, Gujrai of Pakhto fiction (1957) and Sabawon of poetry collection (1976) got immense popularity among the lovers of the Pakhto literature. His research works include A Critical Study of Khairul Bayan, Pata Khazana fil Mezan, Nazmiyat, Translation of the Chapter on Criticism from Introduction to the Study of English Literature by Hudson, Da Rehman Baba Kuliyat, Da Muhammadi Sahibzada Diwan, Critical Study of two books of Munshi Ahmad Jan, Hagha Dagha and Da Qissa Khwani Gup and Da Abol Qasim Diwan. Qalandar Momand was decorated with the Pride of Performance Award and Award for Democracy by the Government of Pakistan for his meritorious services in the fields of literature and journalism.
Being a multi-dimensional personality, his death has created a vacuum which will take a long time to be filled. He will be remembered for his outstanding services to the Pakhto literature.
Sulaiman Laeq
A Sulaimankhel Ghilzay Pashtun, Sulaiman Laweq, initially a student of the College of Theology, graduated from the College of Literature in 1957. His father was a representative (khalifa) of the Mojaddidi family; hence, Ghulam Mojaddidi (Slave of Mojaddidi) was Laweq's original name. His family was also related to the Mojaddidi family by marriage.
An excellent poet and a writer in Pashto and Dari, Laweq held various posts in the government-controlled mass media from the time he graduated until 1968, when he began editing Parcham. By this time he had become a member of the central committee of the Parcham faction of the PDPA and a close associate of Khybar, his brother-in-law.
After the communist coup he became the minister of radio and television and for a time was admitted to membership of the politburo after the government had expelled the Parchamis. Then he was imprisoned for being pro-Karmal, but the authorities treated him mildly. Following the invasion, Laweq held some unimportant posts until 1981, when he was promoted to membership in the central committee and appointed president of the Academy of Sciences and minister of tribes and nationalities.
