I’d like to express my gratitude with a heartfelt “Thank You”. This picture was taken by Shazade Khan, the grandson of the legendary Manawar Khan, inside the Deputy Commissioner Kohat Office, where he had gone to register his inherited arms license.
If our friend, the esteemed late Rahim Ullah Yousafzai, were alive today, he would undoubtedly feel proud. As the only journalist who had the privilege of interviewing Usama Bin Laden and Mullah Umer, the founder of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, Rahim Ullah Yousafzai was a remarkable individual. He also wrote a well-deserved eulogy for the legendary Manawar Khan of Katlung, a notable figure who championed the rights of common people. Despite being a Minister, Manawar Khan did not accumulate wealth; instead, he left behind debt for his children.
However, the respect he earned has outlived his demise, and even outlaws from his area, notorious for their criminal activities, respected him for his fairness and justice, transcending social and class boundaries. Anyone who sought justice at his doorstep was never disappointed, which made him a beloved figure among the common people and a force to be reckoned with, commanding respect from those in power.
Today, his grandson would have faced immense difficulties if not for the officers in our system who believe in efficient public service. The spirit of Manawar Khan would be at peace, knowing that his grandson, a chartered accountant in the corporate world, received help at every step to retain the title of the firearm license, which holds more sentimental value for him than its practical use as a weapon.