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Its the Gun or the Quail
Haroon Rashid
BBC Urdu
Publishing Date: Sunday, August 31 2003
Tribesmen in North Waziristan Agency can always be seen with two things; A loaded Kalashnikov on their shoulders, or a Quail in their hands. Where the Kalashnikov may be used as a weapon, the Quail is used for fighting; a traditional pastime.
Gunshots in Miranshah Bazar is a normal occurance. Occasionally it happens that migratory birds fly over their lands and the young tribesmen can't help but fire off their guns to bring them down. The Kalashnikov is considered an item of 'Jewellery' for the men. Although the government has imposed a ban on display of these jewellery items in all major entry points of the town, no one is serious about enforcing it. One may find many people walking around with their weapons.
Quail Keeping is a Hobby of the Tribesmen
A Local Journalist of Miranshah, Rehmatullah Darpa Khel was asked what kind of weapon the tribesmen prefer to own. He replied that majority of the people prefer the Kalashnikov. He added that there may be 2-3 Lac (2,00,000-3,00,000) of the weapon in North Waziristan alone. Apart from this, some tribesmen are also in posession of Rocket Launchers, Machine Guns, and other heavy weapons.
Apart from weapons, the Miranshah youngsters are also fond of keeping Quails (Known as Battair in local language). These birds are sold or bought daily in a market just off the main road.
A trader Ustaz Qayum Khan says that this Bazar is held everyday and all kinds of birds are sold here. He adds that there may be 3000-4000 people in the city who are fond of bird-fighting, a majority of whom are youngsters. The bird-fights are normally observed on Fridays. Bets amounting to 50,000 and even 1,00,000 are placed on some of the birds. These birds are caught in the mountains or fields and then sold off here.
Be it weapon or the quail, the young tribesmen of Waziristan take pride in their hobbies. It is these specialities that separates them from people hailing from other areas.
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