Origin & Tribes of the People of District Mansehra:   

                    The people of Mansehra district do not belong to a single racial group. they belong to various origins. Some are the old inhabitants of this soil while the others arrived here in different periods of time from different places. some worth mentioning tribes are as under:

    AWAN:

                        There are different views about the origin of the Awan tribe, Hari Kirshan Rai, Major Wes and Raverty consider them of Hindu origin while H.A Rose and Malik Fazal Dad Khan present them as an Arabian race. Sabiha Shaeen in her thesis also supported this theory. According to her Qutab Shah, the remote ancestor of Awans came to India during Sultan Shams-ud-Din Altamash reign and settled in Punjab. The Awans came to Hazara when the Mongols attacked the Punjab. Now they mostly dwell in lower Tanawal, Pakhly and some villages in Konsh valley. Golra is the most famous and respectable clan of this tribe in Hazara Division.

   GUJARS:

                        The Gujars are the oldest inhabitants of the Mansehra. They are descendants of Gujra who came to India with Huns. The Gujar had come to Hazara before the advent of Islam and occupied the whole of Hazara. Afghan tribes one after another came to Hazara and deprived the Gujar of their territory. During the Mughal, Durrani, Sikh and British rules their condition became more miserable. After the independence they were reduced to the states of Dakhalkars(Tenanta). With the passage of time this state of affairs brought them to a lower status in society. Now the period of tyranny and forced labor have nearly ended and in present situation they have become an influential political power of Mansehra District under the leadership of Sardar Muhammad Yousaf (former MNA) and his son Sardar Shah-jahan Yousaf (MNA). They are no longer an oppressed people of lower status, but have regained their position in the society. They are in majority in Kaghan, Konsh and have a considerable population in the Pakhly plain.

     SYEDS:

                        This is the most respectable tribe among the people of this area being the descendants of Prophet (SAW) through his daughter Hazrat Fatima. The Syeds came to Mansehra along with Syed Jalal Baba, a leader of the Swati lashkar and also with the Syed Ahmad Shaeed's Mujahidin. The Syeds of Kaghan are landlords and have enormous political influence in this area. The Syeds of Mansehra belongs to Tirmazi, Gilani, Mashadi and Bukhari sections. They have a considerable portion of land, in various regions of the District in their possession. Syed Qasim Shah (former Senator), Syed Muzammil Shah (former Senator), Syed Ahmad Shah (City Nazim Mansehra) and General Sala-ud-Din Tirmazi also belong to this family.

   SWATIES:

                        About their origin historians hold different views but according to some authentic sources they are of Afghan origin who came to swat with Muhammad Ghuri and established there, their rule. They ruled over Swat and Bajor for four centuries. The Yousafzai defeated them and droved them northwards. In the 18th century they ousted the Turks from Pakhly Sarkar and captured it. now they are considered as the most powerful race in the Mansehra district. they are the occupants of the whole land of Mansehra and Batagram Districts except the Tanawal and one-fourth to Syeds. They mostly dwell in Kaghan valley, Gari Habibullah, Pakhly, Agror and Konsh valley. The tribe has a very strong representation in provincial assembly. Tariq Khan Swati (former MPA) and Azam Khan Swati (Senator) also belong to this family.  

     TANOLIES:

                        The origin of the Tanolies is also uncertain. Wikely and Watson connect them with the Janjooa tribe while Sardar Ayub Khan considers them as Abbasies and according to Syed Murad Ali Shah and Fida Muhammad, the Tanolies are Barlas Mughals. While Ghulam Nabi khan claims to be of an Afghan origin. However all these accept Amir Khan Beerdewa as the ancestor of the Tanoli tribe. The Tanolies came to India with Subaktagin and settled in Swat and Mahabn areas. After eleven generations Haibat Khan and Suba Khan emerged as prominent Khans of the Tribes. The former rulers of Amb and Phulra stats belonged to this tribe. Nawabzada Salahud-din (former MNA) , Habib-ur-Rehman Tanoli (MPA), Sakhi Muhammad Tanoli (Former MPA) and Late (MPA) Yousaf  Muhammad Tanoli ,all belong to this family .

     Beside the Tanawal state and Mansehra District some population of Abbottabad and Haripur are from this tribe.

     YOUSAFZAI  PATHANS:

                    The Black Mountain's tribe have a more certain  origin among the people of this district. They belong to Isazi and Malizai clans of the Yousafzai Pathans. These are divided into five sections or Khels which are Nusrat Khel, Basi Khel,Hassanzai, Akazai, Madakhel. The first two belong to the Chagharzai segment of Malizai clan while the other three are the descendant of Isazai. Basikhel is the largest group consisting of 37% of the population Kala Dhaka while Nustratkhel and Akazai constitute 12% each and the population of Hasanzai Andmad khel is 18.5% and 20% respectively. Basi Khel, Nusrat Khel and Akazi are inhabitants of the left bank of Indus while the Madakhel tribe resides on the right side and Hasanzai area is situated on both the sides of river Indus.

                These tribes always remained a great hindrance in the way of foreign invaders. They have given both moral and material support to every freedom movement and remained a centre of Mujahideen Movement for a long time. The Britishers had sent many expedition in this area but failed to bring it under their sway.

      In addition to these above mentioned tribes, Turks, Qureshi, Mughal, Rajput, Dhund, Gakhars and Kakakhel are other important tribes in district Mansehra.

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