Mohmand

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Mohmand is one of the strongest Pashtun tribes, living in Afghanistan and western North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. Abdul Ahad Mohmand who spent nine days aboard the MIR space station in 1988, becoming the first Afghan Pashtun cosmonaut in space is also one of known mohmand . Mohmands still live under "strict" medieval tribal laws, and follow the customary feudal "code of honour", Pashtunwali. Like all Pashtun tribes, they are extremely primitive and backward, living a wild and violent life in mountain wastelands, with material standards a little better than that of the [[stone age].though there is some sects that rely on crime to earn a living - indulging in smuggling, banditry, kidnapping, gun running, narcotics production, car theft, counterfeiting and forging. Their "legal" jobs consist mainly business, industrial and government officials and also daily wage labour in the urban areas. They pay no taxes at all, and insist on the use of free electricity. Literacy and education are extremely low, but healthy shift is taking place toward education now . Pakistan and Afghanistan are both unruly and lawless societies to begin with, but even their regular laws don't apply in their autonomous Pashtun tribal territories. For this reason, the Pashtun tribal areas also welcome and give refuge and protection to all kinds of fugitives and outlaws from "settled" (i.e. regularly policed) districts. Although the Mohmands and other Pashtun tribesmen belong basically to the ancient pastoral cultural way of life, their continuous petty clan rivalries, blood feuds and and tribal clashes involve the use of the most sophisticated heavy artillery, mines and rockets - most of which have come to them from the Afghan civil war and jihad - and which they use without compunction. Since they look down upon modern official state and civil laws, their disputes are decided by the informal, customary jirga gatherings, which closely resemble an amerindian pow wow. It is a gathering in which a large number of rough, mostly illiterate tribal elders sit on a circle on the ground chewing snuff and drinking tea - and can decide any thing which may seem right to them. Also another term is practised called "bramtha" which includes keeping some one captive if the person owes him money or any other obligation which he hasn't fulfilled until the demands are satisfied and captive is released to go.

In Pakistan the Mohmand Agency (the term "tribal agency" denotes a special tribal district, approximating a tribal reservation in Pakistani nomenclature) is an abode for Mohmands, further migrations from Afghanistan and Mohmand Agency have occurred and continue down to the plains of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Also mohmands are scattered through out Pakistan in urban areas like karachi,Lahore,Quetta e.t.c.

Sub clans in Mohmands are. Tarakzai, Baizai, Halimzai, Khuwazai, Dawezai, Atman Khel, Bazid Khel, Kuda Khel. Kasam khel.

The mohmand are divided into three main clans
Tarakzai,
Baezai,
Khwaezai.

The Tarakzai are again divided into:

Tarakzai proper.
Halimzai.
Momand of Ghazni Musa khel.-----Esa Khel-----Tarakzai-----Dado khel-----Mansur khel-----Masum khel
Burhan khel.

And then there are the affiliated clans:

Dawaezai.
Utmanzai.
Kukuzai.