THE FOREFATHER OF KALAM'S PEOPLE
Before Nawab Khan Muhammad Sharif Khan's government in Dir, the Yusufzai tribes also had control over Dir. Before the Yusufzai tribes, the Kohistani tribes ruled Dir. The Kohistani tribes are settled in Dir and Swat, and they are the descendants of a single father.
Mohammad Zaman Saghar wrote about the beginning of the Kohistani
tribes that for centuries we have heard from our ancestors that we are related
to the famous Arab tribe Quraysh, and our first ancestor's name was Raja Geer,
whose forefathers migrated to Swat before the arrival of Islam.
In 998 AD, when Mahmud of Ghaznavi’s army defeated Gheera after fierce
resistance, he fled from Hoday Gram, along with his family and arrived in
Patorak, a place in Dir Kohistan, crossing the mountains of Swat Kohistan. This
place is called Rajkot in the local language. After spending some time in
Rajkot, he settled in Lamoti.
Raja Geer had a son named Gheera. Gheera had two sons named Kais and Keen. Initially, both brothers lived in Lamoati, but one day they had a dispute over their inheritance. During their fight, Kais, along with his family and followers, left Lamoati and settled in Swat Kohistan in the east. Kais had two wives who helped him establish settlements along the banks of the Swat River over the years. One day, Kais encountered a stranger in his territory, and they initially fought. However, Kais eventually recognized the stranger as his brother and gave him half of his inheritance in Swat Kohistan. The stranger's name was Kal.
Later on, Kal's descendants became famous by the name of Kalam
Khel, and the beautiful location of Kalam in Swat is also named after Kal. The
ancestors of the tribes living in Der and Swat Kohistan were infidels, but for
the past four hundred years, through the efforts of Pashtun religious leaders,
they have embraced Islam.
