PESHAWAR: In the rugged mountains of Tirah and the plains of Bannu, one name still echoes in Pakhtun hujras, folk songs, and resistance poetry: Pir Roshan or Bayazid Ansari.
He was not just a religious leader. He was the first Pakhtun intellectual to challenge empires, kings, and mullahs all at once and to tell the Pakhtun tribes: “Your language, your dignity, and your rights matter.”
Who Was Pir Roshan?
Born in 1525 in Jalandhar to a Pashtun family of the Ormur tribe, Bayazid Ansari was given the title “Pir Roshan” — The Enlightened Saint. He later settled in Kaniguram, South Waziristan, which became the center of his movement: The Roshaniyya Movement.
This was the 16th century. The Mughals under Akbar ruled much of South Asia. The Pakhtun tribes were divided, often used as mercenaries, and had no unified social or religious voice of their own.
His 4 Major Contributions to Pakhtun Tribes
1. He gave Pakhtuns their first written literature in Pashto
Before Pir Roshan, Pashto was mostly a spoken language. He wrote books like Khair-ul-Bayan and Fakhr-ut-Talibeen in Pashto using a modified Arabic script.
For the first time, Pakhtuns could read philosophy, spirituality, and law in their own language. This laid the foundation for Pashto literature, poetry, and later, the Khushal Khan Khattak tradition.
2. He created a social reform movement for tribal equality. The Roshaniyya movement preached that:
· All tribes are equal before God — no “superior” or “inferior” tribes. Women deserve education and respect. Landlords and mullahs should not exploit the poor. Jirga decisions should be based on justice, not tribal feuds.
For 16th century Pakhtun society, this was revolutionary. Thousands of tribes from Wazirs, Afridis, Khattaks, and Bangash joined him.
3. He led the first major Pakhtun resistance against the Mughal Empire
Pir Roshan openly opposed Akbar’s policy of interfering in tribal affairs. He told the tribes to reject unjust taxes and foreign rule.
This sparked decades of guerrula warfare in the hills of Tirah, Bannu, and Waziristan. Even after his death in 1585, his sons and followers kept the resistance alive for 50+ years. The Mughals called it their “Pakhtun problem.”
4. He built the idea of Pakhtun self-determination
Pir Roshan’s message was simple: Pakhtuns should rule themselves by their own customs, language, and faith, not by outsiders.
That idea never died. Later Pakhtun leaders from Khushal Khan Khattak to Bacha Khan drew inspiration from the Roshaniyya spirit of unity, education, and resistance.
Legacy Today
His shrine in Kaniguram, South Waziristan, is still visited. His descendants, the “Roshanis”, live across FATA and Afghanistan.
But his biggest contribution was psychological. Before Pir Roshan, tribes fought for land. After Pir Roshan, they started fighting for an idea — that Pakhtuns are a nation with a language, history, and right to self-rule.
As a Pakhtun proverb from that era says: “Pir Roshan gave us pens when others gave us swords.”
He died in 1585, but the movement he started shaped 500 years of Pakhtun political and cultural identity.
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