Guns, Drugs and Hospitality in Pakistan's Wild West

The North West Frontier in Pakistan stretches for about 700 kilometers with Afghanistan. It is the home of the biggest autonomous tribal society, the Pashtuns. A very independent, proud and hospital people. About 25 percent of NWP is tribal area, this area is divided in different agencies where internal tribal affairs are settled. The agency is overseen by a political agent. This agent acts as an intermediary between the NWP government and the Pashtun tribal chiefs. Inside the agencies Pakistan has no authority.

I wanted to speak to the Khyber chief at his office. A spacious building where meetings are held. Next to the building there was a field with some ruins standing. According to my guide the police knocked down the buildings after a dispute. Unfortunately the chief was not in, I waited a while and had a little chat with the guards. Some pretty hard looking guys.

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The office of the Khyber Chief is located in the Smugglers Bazaar. Smugglers from Afghanistan sell their goods here under the protection of the tribe without being bordered with Pakistani law. Electronics, cosmetics and food are traded here as well as opium, hashish fake money and alcohol.

I entered a shop and was, first of all, offered a nice cup of green tea. After that it was down to business. Would you like some hashish, opium? The very stoned shopkeeper asked? Maybe I would like to buy some fake money, opium or hashish?

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A fake hundred-dollar bill was about 10 euro, better quality about 15 Euro. The money looked genuine enough, the watermark was in there. But if you put it next to a authentic bill you could see the differences.

I was not tempted to buy the local drugs but a beer was offered as well. I could not resist this and bought a can of Heineken for 3 euro’s.

In this video you can see the drugs and the workings of a pen gun.

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In the outskirts of Peshawar you can find small factories that produce all kinds of firearms. The gunsmiths can duplicate any gun within 10 days. As soon as the first copy is made it takes 2 to 3 days to make another. Handguns are a bit more difficult so that takes longer.

We got inside on of these factories and were able to photograph the gunsmiths. According to our guide; 60, 70 people work here.

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Peshawar is the capital of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan lays less than 50 kilometers of the Afghan border. It’s a crowded city; almost a million people live there. Not many woman walk on the streets, and al woman wear headscarves or burka’s. It’s a very conservative town.

Peshawar means frontier town, a name given to the city in the Mugal era. Many armies descending from the Khyber Pass have invaded the city. Until the partition, Peshawar was the frontier headquarters for the British.

The North West Frontier is Pashtun country. The Pashtun’s are a proud people, well known for their ability in warfare. Walking in the old city’s bazaars you’ll notice nothing of a war spirit and you’ll meet nothing but respect, and lavish hospitality. Being a guest to a Pashtun means that however important the host is, he will serve you yourself and you will be treated extremely well.

This is a photo of an exchange market in Peshawar:

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Here are some photos of the old city.