The Shah Khel refers to the members of the Muslim Shaikh community that speak Pashto and live in North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan.
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The term Muslim Shaikh refers to a community that embraced Islam from the Hindu Chuhra caste. The Hindu Chuhra were the scavengers and sweepers of Punjab region.[1] There are a number of traditions as to the origin of the Chuhra. Most of these carry its history back to Balmik, as the ancestor of the tribe.
During the 19th Century, many Chuhras converted to Islam, especially in the western parts of Punjab, and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Muslim Shaikh were tanners and sweepers of the village communities, and use to live in huts at a distance from the village. Their job included collecting sewage from houses. But by the 19th Century, most of them had taken to agricultural work. They were paid in kind by the farmers, and not cash.
In the North-West Frontier Province, and the Chach region of Punjab, the Muslim Shaikh is known as the Shah Khel. Their traditional occupation is both grave digging and sweeping.
They are found throughout the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province provinces of Pakistan.
The Shah Khel are a Pashto speaking community, but are not recognized by other Pakhtun tribes as Pakhtuns. The Muslim Shaikh speak various dialects of Punjabi, depending where they reside.[2]