AN ANALYSIS OF THE WAR IN PAKHTUNKHWA IN THE CONTEXT OF TAPPA

Abstract

"My Eid will be the day the smoke of gunpowder disappears from the land."

Pashto folk literature has a long and rich history. It consists of many distinct genres, such as Charbeta, Tappa, proverbs, Qissa, Neemki, Bagti, Allahu, Da Mashumano Sandari, Ghara, Sanda, Khairi, Dua, Kakari, and Da Marwato Kasruna.

Among these, the Tappa is unique. Although it consists of only two short lines, those lines hold an ocean of meaning, philosophy, and knowledge. Tappas cover an incredible breadth of topics; there is almost no subject that has not been addressed within them.

For a long time, the clouds of war have loomed over Pakhtunkhwa in various forms. These conditions have weakened the Pashtun people and left them psychologically scarred. Consequently, Pashtun literature—and the Tappa in particular—has been heavily influenced by these war-torn conditions.

For example, consider these Tappas“No one used to see their faces, but now they walk the Torkham road without their shawls.” The world is made beautiful by peace, but nations are destroyed by evil and corruption. ”Her beloved was martyred in the bombing. Now, she watches the village road, waiting for a return that will never come.”