Very few people in KP are interested to know about Ahmad Shah Abdali

[Razor]

I can see why people like you might not care about history, since the only thing you care about has none of it, and every reminder that Pakistan is just a set of arbitrary borders carved out of India/Afghanistan/etc. by your British masters is a dagger to your heart, but you should actually try reading before responding.

Nothing arbitrary about the Indus valley and the Muslims who realised what a newly created Hindu country would do to them (Kashmir). Could I suggest that you keep quiet about topics you know very little about?

[Samandri]

The most interesting result is that of the name "Sher Shah Suri". Study on him is neither patronized by Pakistani state nor Afghanistan. He has no Ahmad Shah Abdali or Mirwais Hotak like status in Afghanistan (Baba-i-Afghan) as he was born in India and is not related to the history of Afghanistan and Pakhtunkhwa. In the same way he has no special status in Pakistan as he is not known for anti-Hindu wars. He is not part of the curriculum of Pakistani text books in any subject. He is once mentioned in Pakistan studies in the topic of Mughals that he overthrew Humayun.

Yet people of KP, even though internet users are less than the giant province of Punjab, are more curious to know about Sher Shah Sur than any other region of Pakistan. They are not so curious to know about Ahmad Shah Abdali (in Pakistani he is usually addressed as Abdali , fewer call him Durrani). They are not indoctrinated to revere either Ahmad Shah or Sher Shah, but their interest is in the latter during the self-study. What could be reasons for it?

[Traveller]

The most interesting result is that of the name "Sher Shah Suri". Study on him is neither patronized by Pakistani state nor Afghanistan. He has no Ahmad Shah Abdali or Mirwais Hotak like status in Afghanistan (Baba-i-Afghan) as he was born in India and is not related to the history of Afghanistan and Pakhtunkhwa. In the same way he has no special status in Pakistan as he is not known for anti-Hindu wars. He is not part of the curriculum of Pakistani text books in any subject. He is once mentioned in Pakistan studies in the topic of Mughals that he overthrew Humayun.

Yet people of KP, even though internet users are less than the giant province of Punjab, are more curious to know about Sher Shah Sur than any other region of Pakistan. They are not so curious to know about Ahmad Shah Abdali (in Pakistani he is usually addressed as Abdali , fewer call him Durrani). They are not indoctrinated to revere either Ahmad Shah or Sher Shah, but their interest is in the latter during the self-study. What could be reasons for it?

In my own family the Pashtun figure that my grandfather talks about the most is Sher Shah Suri. He loves telling me about how he built the G.T. Road and was one of the Pashtun kings of India.

[toughpashtun]

The most interesting result is that of the name "Sher Shah Suri". Study on him is neither patronized by Pakistani state nor Afghanistan. He has no Ahmad Shah Abdali or Mirwais Hotak like status in Afghanistan (Baba-i-Afghan) as he was born in India and is not related to the history of Afghanistan and Pakhtunkhwa. In the same way he has no special status in Pakistan as he is not known for anti-Hindu wars. He is not part of the curriculum of Pakistani text books in any subject. He is once mentioned in Pakistan studies in the topic of Mughals that he overthrew Humayun.

Yet people of KP, even though internet users are less than the giant province of Punjab, are more curious to know about Sher Shah Sur than any other region of Pakistan. They are not so curious to know about Ahmad Shah Abdali (in Pakistani he is usually addressed as Abdali , fewer call him Durrani). They are not indoctrinated to revere either Ahmad Shah or Sher Shah, but their interest is in the latter during the self-study. What could be reasons for it?

When we were kids we would read about Sher Shah Suri in our school books , he is famous for constructing Grand Trunk Road in his rule.
There are other stories about him too , which may not be as well known though , such as killing a tiger with his bare hands.
And he is considered to be a Pashtun/Pathan.

As a matter of fact , I remember reading somewhere that he hailed from either the southern parts of KPK or North Balochistan.

[Samandri]

In my own family the Pashtun figure that my grandfather talks about the most is Sher Shah Suri. He loves telling me about how he built the G.T. Road and was one of the Pashtun kings of India.

You are from educated Qazi family, is'nt?

From Pashto sources of 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, it is evident that educated people of Pakhtunkhwa/Afghanistan knew about Sher Shah Sur. The credit for it goes to Makhzan-i-Afghani which was available in Pakhtunkhwa in original Persian as well as in Pashto translation (grandson of Khushal Khattak, for example, had done Pashto translation of it).

[Samandri]

When we were kids we would read about Sher Shah Suri in our school books , he is famous for constructing Grand Trunk Road in his rule.
There are other stories about him too , which may not be as well known though , such as killing a tiger with his bare hands.
And he is considered to be a Pashtun/Pathan.

As a matter of fact , I remember reading somewhere that he hailed from either the southern parts of KPK or North Balochistan.

The first time i read the details about Sher Shah Sur, was in the monthly Urdu Magazine for children by name of "Taleem o tarbiat" published by Ferozsons. The magazine was publishing his biography in comics form. There was no internet in those times and there was no TV at my home, and no library at my school. There was only one stall in bazaar of the town of my district, which was selling monthly Taleem o tarbiat.......i had no interest in reading those days but the magazine had colored images in it and it attracted me.

[toughpashtun]

The first time i read the details about Sher Shah Sur, was in the monthly Urdu Magazine for children by name of "Taleem o tarbiat" published by Ferozsons. The magazine was publishing his biography in comics form. There was no internet in those times and there was no TV at my home, and no library at my school. There was only one stall in bazaar of the town of my district, which was selling monthly Taleem o tarbiat.......i had no interest in reading those days but the magazine had colored images in it and it attracted me.

He is quite a popular figure , I'm sure many kids magazines would have mentioned him.
The good old days before the internet though..Don't get me wrong , the internet is a wonderful invention but those days had their own charm.

[marwat]

The most interesting result is that of the name "Sher Shah Suri". Study on him is neither patronized by Pakistani state nor Afghanistan. He has no Ahmad Shah Abdali or Mirwais Hotak like status in Afghanistan (Baba-i-Afghan) as he was born in India and is not related to the history of Afghanistan and Pakhtunkhwa. In the same way he has no special status in Pakistan as he is not known for anti-Hindu wars. He is not part of the curriculum of Pakistani text books in any subject. He is once mentioned in Pakistan studies in the topic of Mughals that he overthrew Humayun.


Yet people of KP, even though internet users are less than the giant province of Punjab, are more curious to know about Sher Shah Sur than any other region of Pakistan. They are not so curious to know about Ahmad Shah Abdali (in Pakistani he is usually addressed as Abdali , fewer call him Durrani). They are not indoctrinated to revere either Ahmad Shah or Sher Shah, but their interest is in the latter during the self-study. What could be reasons for it?

Sher shah sur legacy is soo visible in parts of pakistan. He has gained a legendary status. .

[Samandri]

As Sher Shur Sur is a figure of Indian (subcontinent) history so Indians as well as British have done a great amount of research work on him and also because he ties into Mughal history, the favorites of historians around the world.

As far as Ahmad Shah Abdali is concerned , no laborious research work is done on him by Afghanistan. There were/are no history journals from Afghanistan where new findings and documents on Ahmad Shah Abdali could be published. The original 18th century sources on him in Farsi language are not even edited let alone translation into Pashto and English. The best secondary work on Abdali that Afghanistan can boast of , is brief and unsatisfying work by Mir Ghulam Ghabar (its in Farsi but its Pashto translation exists). Because of the unfamiliarity of the Afghans with English, historians from other corners of work rely on Indian sources in English for Ahmad Shah Abdali's history. The most popular work on Ahmad Shah Abdali is not by an Afghan but by an Indian Sikh.

[maneatinglizard]

The most popular work on Ahmad Shah Abdali is not by an Afghan but by an Indian Sikh.

It's probably not too positive then, is it?