Mystique of Murree

Lala Rukh Shaukat

Ferozsons Limited.

Price Rs.925 Pages 192

To an average Pakistani Murree is no more than a tourist resort. All its natural beauty and the people are just meant to be in the service of the tourist trade. All those who take a pleasure trip to the most visited hill station of the country, wanting to derive as much out of their vacation as is possible, entertain this one-point agenda. But now thankfully there is a publication that looks at Murree beyond a touristic destination. 'Mystique of Murree' is not about a pleasure pot or a perceived leisure resort but a place inhabited by people of flesh and blood, equally proud of their culture and history. Lala Rukh Shaukat who spent her early years in the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Murree, did not sever her connection with the place after she left it and has now repaid her due by writing this well-rounded book.

Present day Murree is a creation of colonial rule. After the British annexed the Punjab an organised survey was carried out by a committee nominated by the Lawrence brothers for the specific purpose of selecting a site for the establishment of a sanatorium for the servants of the Raj who were suffering from the adverse effects of heat. Murree's selection as a site was no surprise after Rawalpindi with its growing cantonment had become the headquarters of an army division and Peshawar garrison had rapidly expanded because of the Afghan Wars. Both were within easy reach of this new hill station.

Before the Sikh Rule, the areas now known as Murree and Kahuta were independent acknowledging the supremacy of the Gakkhars and through them of the Mughal Emperors. During Hari Singh rule the mountaineers were forced to submit to the Sikh Rule. In 1831 this territory was assigned in jagir to Maharaja Gulab Singh of Kashmir. It was an oppressive reign and the local populations' uprisings were crushed ruthlessly in which the Dhund tribe suffered the most. The imposition of British rule was welcomed by most seen as the termination of the repressive rule of the Dogras.

The British in all fairness had put their stamp of identity only on those places which they had developed themselves. They had no desire to change the names of old cities and towns like Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Peshawar. There are a number of explanations to the name Murree. Probably derived from the local Marrhi which means a ridge, it could also be Turkish marg meaning a meadow. After the Turkish influence declined it became Mari but according to another explanation it is attributed to Mary for she is presumed to be buried at the highest place on Pindi Point. The presence of an ancient graveyard is responsible for this story. Yet another explanation of the name is that there is a grave of an old woman on Pindi Point named Marrian or Marrhi. The date of the old woman's death is not known nor the original construction of the grave, but the local population holds it in great esteem considering it to be the shrine of a saint.

In pre-partition days Muslim, Hindus and Sikhs used to visit the shrine regularly. The irrefutable fact is that Murree was a place of merriment and joy for its original constructors and as there is not much difference between the pronunciation of Murree and Merry, so Murree remained Marrhi for the locals and became Merry for the foreigners who wanted to take in its lush greenery. Travelling down the centuries, the word coined by the two nations Merry and Marrhi became Murree.

The people who inhabited the land round Murree were Dhund Abbasis, Sattis, Kethwals and Dhanials. The whole of western portion of Murree Tehsil is Dhund Abassi territory. They prefix Raja to their names. According to one source these Abbasis came to India with the armies of Mehmood of Ghaznavi. According to another explanation they came to India with the Arabs when Muhammed Ghauri defeated by Prithviraj asked for help from Arabia. Nine hundred Abbasis came to India for help and settled in the areas after Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated in Kashmir under commander Adil. Later they spread to other parts of India like Sindh, Rothak, Karnal, Muradabad, and Bahawalpur.

One of their ancestors Shah Wali Khan on the orders of Bahauddin Zikria, while being on an expedition, got lost in the desert. When he was recovered a pleased and relieved Bahauddin Zikria said: "Dhund Khan you made people worried and they started dundana". He since then came to be known as Shah Wali Dhund Khan. However, according to some including Fauq, they were Hindu converts. The Dhunds tribes not only rose in revolt against the cruel rule of Raja Gulab Singh, they later rebelled against the British for usurping the birthright of their land. Their most famous leader in this uprising was Baz Khan.

The Sattis derive their origins from Shah Alam, an Iranian Sardar who traced his ancestry to Sirdar Birlas and then to Nausherwan. In one of the battles the child of this tribe was given protection by the Brahmins and they called him Satti, the true one. The Kethwals trace their ancestry to Alexander the Great. Dhanials claim to be the descendents of Ali yet they do not call themselves Alvis or Awans. The smaller tribes that inhabit the area are Jaskams, Gujjar, Mughals, Kashmiris, Baltistanis and Poonchis.

Murree land was purchased from the locals by the British. Initially Mall was laid along the crest of the ridge from one end to the other and then other roads, laid below the crest, were cut out in the hillside. Soon land was disposed off for the construction of bungalows; buyers were mostly civil and military officers who had retired from service. Price that was fixed was Rs.50 for an acre with the condition that not more than two acres of land could be acquired. The earliest buildings built round 1850 were Fairfields, Holmes Villas, Doctors Commons, Pinnacle Hill -- the site of the present Presidents House, Dovecot, Spur Cottage, Abbey House and Rock Edge. Some of the famous people associated with Murree have been mentioned. John and his son Francis Edward Younghusband, the founders of Convent of Jesus and Mary, Bishop French who founded the St.Deny's.

The hill station grew and the book charts the course of development of the white man's Murree as well as the growth of the town administration. The British quickened the pulse of the district a little but the quiet routine of the ordinary hillman was never seriously interrupted or changed. The same hillmen are still not supposed to be seen but still serve the tourists as servants, guides, petty shopkeepers, labourers and vendors. The same hillman's life pattern, his family, his customs, his rituals, his superstition, his language and his dialect have been discussed sympathetically with the intention of understanding the ethos of the people. In the spiritual tending of the hillman, the peculiarities and miracles, the famous shrines and Sufis of the area like Baba Lal Shah, Khawajagan-e-Mohra Sharif, Syed Rajab Ali Shah have been recounted.

Murree now is facing many problems especially those created by the tourists and the thrust for building resorts for the promotion of tourism. This 'Mystique of Murree' can help the planner in developing the place without killing its soul.

After the existing bus services with India and Afghanistan, Pakistan has started another cross-border bus service on June 15, with China: through the Karakoram Highway. Whereas another bus service with Iran (Quetta-Mashhad) is on the cards, and the Rawlakot-Poonch bus service has also started.

At the launching ceremony for Gilgit-Kashgar bus service, federal minister for communication Shamim Siddiqui disclosed a plan to make the Karakoram Highway a dual carriageway by the year 2012. China has promised to invest $350 million that would help Pakistan open up its northern borders for trade with China and central Asian states. The Tashkorgan-Sust bus has also been turned into a regular service. A survey to connect China and Pakistan through railway is underway. On June 15 two buses, with one containing a 28 member delegation of officials and journalists, and the other containing passengers left for China

The people of Northern Areas, who call it the "area of no constitution," though happy with the bus service are demanding a little more from the government of Pakistan. The Speaker of the Northern Areas Legislative Council, Malik Miskeen, talking to TNS during inaugural ceremony said, "it's right that this bus service will develop bilateral relations between Pakistan and China and other neighbouring countries but more importantly what will the area get from this service? We are providing a lot of resources but in return we are getting nothing."

Northern Areas Transportation Corporation (NATCO) is plying its buses on the route. The bus service will operate on daily basis, covering a distance of around 700 km in nearly 14 hours with $44 one way fare. From Gilgit the bus leaves for Kashgar at 06:00am (PST), while from Kashgar towards Gilgit it starts its journey at 09:00am (Beijing Time).

The details about this bus service were decided in a meeting held in Urumqi earlier this year. Zafar Iqbal, managing director NATCO, however, feels "the reaction of Chinese authorities has not been very positive."

Iqbal tells TNS that on the first day along with 28 member official delegation, there were 17 passengers while on second day 22 passengers traveled through NATCO bus to China and on the third day there were only six passengers. Talks are also underway to launch a bus service with central Asian states.

Farooq Ahmad Khan, a passenger travelling on the bus said that though this was his fifteenth trip to China, yet it was a special one for him. "I think this bus service will provide a big opportunity to small businessmen like me to prosper, which will help in elevating the economy of Northern Areas."

On return, however, the passengers said that the road on the Chinese side was not up to the mark, and around 300 kilometers stretch of road is yet to be completed. During first three days five passengers travelled by this bus from China into Pakistan. According to a disappointed Farooq Ahmad Khan, he had some samples of different Pakistani goods with him but he was not allowed to take those into China.

Shams Mir, chief consultant and member managing committee of Northern Areas Chamber of Commerce and Industries is of the view that the bus service is in China's interest. "It is right that such activities will have a positive impact on trade between the two countries. While import/export activity increases, definitely more money will flow into our area because all the traders of the Northern Areas work as carriers for Pakistani or Chinese businessmen." But, feels Mir, the downside is that "to them it does not make much difference if either exports or imports boost. We should keep in mind that Chinese authorities will never encourage the import of Pakistani goods. If some Pakistani exporter sends goods to China there are many hurdles he faces. It is a fact that our exporters go to China pretending to be importers. At present our trade ratio with China is less than 10 per cent." With the result, points out Mir, that "the ultimate beneficiary will be Chinese businessmen."