Culture of Mianwali

ambila. There they lived in peace for about fifty years, when the Marwat Lohanis, a younger branch of the Lodi group, swarmed into the region after them, and drove them across the Kurram at Tang Darra, in the valley beyond which they found a final home. The most important sections of the expelled Niazais were the Isakhel, Mushanis and a portion of the Sarhangs. The first took root in the south of the new area and shortly developed into agriculturists ; the second settled further to the north at Kamar Mushani, and seem for a time to have led a pastoral life. Some Sarhangs took up their abode at Sultan Khel, while others, after drifting permanently established themselves cis-Indus on the destruction of the Ghakkar stronghold of Muazzam Nagar in 1748 by Niazis. The Niazis after a victorious war drove ghakkars out of the area and with this the long connection of the Ghakkars with Mianwali was terminated. The remains of Muazzam Nagar, their local capital, were visible on the left high bank of the Indus about six miles south of Mianwali, until the site was eroded by the river about the year 1870.

In Mianwali, Awans are mostly known as MALIK. Awans claim themselves to be of Arab origin, a claim which is disputed by many British anthropologists and historians. Some label them as remnants of "Bactrian Greeks" while the others insist that they are the descendants of Raja Risalu of Sialkot, thus insisting on their Rajput origins. Some also relate them to the Qutab Shah who had Arab ancestry thus giving a proof to their claim. The Awans now occupy part of the district which lies east of the Dhak Spur of the Salt Range and is known as Khudri, Pakhar, or Awankari. "Men of Mianwali mostly know the name Pakhar; but residents of the Kacha and Isakhel generally speak of the tract and parts beyond as utrad. i.e., the high country."."DHAROEE" family lying in the alluwali village are also from awan family and known as a warrior family. They have