Aghakhanis in Gwadar

Near the south eastern part of the emerging port town of Gwadar lies an old neighborhood of Baloch fishermen. Near their little homes are some narrow streets with abandoned locked shops of a few Hindus who left long ago during 1940s-50s. Going along that line, a few other shops lead to 20 feet high boundary walls lined up from the four sides opening with an ornate wooden gate. Entering to that particular compound, one can find a community with a totally different culture, language and religion. 

Gwadaris often experience some sort of astonishing expressions from the outsiders when talking about the diversity they have in the town. Gwadar and its nearby districts have a large number of Balochi speaking communities and it is very hard to find minorities living there however other than Baloch community Gwadar is home to more than 150 Agha Khanis or “Kojas” as locally known. It has been more than four centuries since they have been living here.

According to our ancestors, a large number of Agha Khanis migrated from India to different parts of the district including Gwadar, Pasni and Ormara during the 17^th Century. While most other areas of the province were part the British colony, Gwadar remained a part of Omani Sultanate.

During that period for the protection of the minorities including Hindus and Agha khanis, the Omani government constructed a compound with boundary walls on four sides. Within it the Agha khanis had their homes, “Jamat Khana” or “Kojayani Aano” (as Balochs say) which still exist and the Hindus had their temple. Two famous Omani forts still seen from Shahi Bazar (Old Market) are inside the compound and were used by Arab soldiers to protect the minorities during the days and nights.

Things changed with time and specifically when Gwadar became a part of Pakistan in 1958. The Omani soldiers went back to their country, few Hindus moved to India and Karachi. Along with them several Aagha Khanis moved to Karachi and foreign countries, yet many chose to live in the harbor village in the same colony that their ancestors lived.  

Today a number of Agha khanis still live peacefully in Gwadar and work as teachers, journalists, traders, some have their own department stores and few work in different government departments. One of the famous and widely known whole-sale store in the market belongs to Tariq Koja an Agha Khani.

“We have always found Gwadar a peaceful place for minorities since we Agha Khanis are always treated as a part of the local population,” said Tariq Koja while dealing with some customers “I have had my department store for a long time and sometimes I have even seen Balochs leaving out the stores owned by other Balochs and making straight for my store to shop.”

It is hardly mentioned somewhere that the Agha Khanis somehow have a role in the educational development of the town as well. They were indeed the first ones to establish an English Medium High School in Gwadar. Perhaps the biggest benefit it provided was not only the education but a mind shift it introduced which was “educating girls”. It was among the first schools that encouraged parents to educate their daughters.

 “We have many Balochs who have done their metric from this school and many who got opportunities to work there,” said a Gwadari.

Although the school closed in 2008 but it left behind hundreds of innovative minds and it did complete its 100 years before closing.

Madam Kalsoom an Agha Khani teacher served in the government Girls’ High School for almost twenty years. It has been eight years since she retired. Remembering the days when she first started teaching she says, “We hardly had any Baloch female teachers in the school but today it makes me glade to see my students as teachers.”

This specific community has not only exerted toward the education sector or gender equality within the town but they have played major role in the field of journalism as well. The first journalist from Gwadar Abdul Majeed Jindani belonged to the same community. Following him today his son Akbar Jindani and several Baloch journalists work together for better society through their expressive work.

The Agha Khanis of Gwadar have set excellent examples of entrepurship and  are perhaps the first Gwadaris to initiate trade and business. Today three major fish factories in Gwadar for instance; Gaba, Karim Impex and Sea Food Corporation are owned by the same minority.

According to the locals “Kojas” are somehow the pioneers of the social change in the region. Even if they were just a minority, their innovative efforts somehow played  a vital role in the positive changes we experience in today's Gwadar.

 Midst the political unrest in the province, they had always remained moderate and peaceful and stood with the Balochs when needed.

 Posted by: Mariyam Suleman Baloch on Balochistan Inside