Talokar (village)

Talokar is the name of a village in the Haripur area of Hazara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province) in Pakistan.^[1] and is situated at Latitude 33.9852778 degrees; and Longitude 72.9419444 degrees.

History

It was originally founded during the 12th or 13th century AD by the Talokar Jatt tribe, who were later ousted from the area along with other earlier settlers by a succession of Afghan/Pashtun invasions circa the late 17th and early 18th centuries. From the 18th century onwards it was the central location of a Jagir and Zamindari estate and seat of a prominent family of Zamindar Tarin/Tareen Pashtuns.^[2] The most well-known member of this family was the late Khan Sahib Abdul Majid Khan Tarin, OBE, Barrister.

Further information

The approximate population of the main Talokar village at the present time is about 4800^[3] and it is primarily an agrarian area, despite the village's proximity to Haripur town (approx. 2 km)^[4] and is well known for its fine vegetables, wheat and maize crops and orchards of loquats, oranges and other fruits. Although the majority of the residents are engaged in farming activities, a fairly large number are also in government and military service and some few working in local industries or working abroad as immigrant labour.

The main tribes and ethnic groups here are Awans, Maliars, Pathans, Syeds, Gujars, Bhatti Rajputs and some others.In terms of religious practices, the population is overwhelmingly Muslim, mostly of the Sunni persuasion. The general level of literacy/education is quite high by Pakistani standards, with schooling for both boys and girls available^[5] and, by and large, Talokar is a prosperous, law-abiding and peaceful community, although, in common with the clannish culture of the region, occasional outbursts of violence are evident.^[6] Among popular pastimes here are hunting, horse riding and the traditional martial art of Gatka.^[7]

Special role in World War 1

Talokar has had a special role in World War 1 as it was one of the villages (now in Pakistan) that made the biggest contribution of soldiers to the British Indian Army at that time, around 240 men;^[8] the village in all of British India with the highest number was Dulmial in Chakwal District of Punjab. Among those people from Talokar who died in action in the Great War, were Jemadar Abdul Latif Khan, IDSM^[9] of the 82nd Punjabis and Sowar Ghulam Jan Khan^[10] of the 11th Cavalry seconded to Central Indian Horse. A total of 18 people from here are supposed to have died in the War.

References