Tribe of “Kalash”: The Last Kafirs (Non-Muslims) of Pakistan — Hindu-Kush mountains.

4 min readSep 23, 2022

Do you know there is a tribe in Pakistan that lives in the mountains of Hindu-Kush and practice an ancient form of Hinduism called “Kalash”.

The Kalash kafirs (kafiristan) are facing an existential crisis and are being forced to convert to Islam.

These people living in 3 remote mountainous valleys in Pakistan, are the last remnants of the ‘Kafirs’ of the Hindu Kush.

In 1896 they are more than 100,000.

Today they are around 3,000, which indicates a drastic decline in the population of those Kalasha people.

The Kalash people are animists, nature worshippers and refuse to convert to Islam. It is this emphasis on non-conversion that can be perceived as the root cause of their marginalization in the region.

Living within an Islamic State, pressure to convert to Islam has always been there on the Kalash & has existed for nearly centuries.

However, the religious fundamentalist groups have insisted on calling it an Islamic nation of a particular kind ignoring the thousands of years of history of communities and nations that the region once belonged to.

A people who withstood the invasions of Alexander, Genghis, Arabic, Timur & Babur, would vanish into the pages of history Not just India, but entire international community must make all-out efforts to protect & preserve the Kalash population.

Valley of Kafiristan (land of infidels) Kalash people are best-known for their unique & well-preserved culture, which led to it being listed by UNESCO for consideration as an Intangible Cultural Heritage This is not enough.

The Kalash people are the last of the surviving indigenous communities of the Hindu Kush. They are the remnants of what was once a unique region with varied culture marked by beautiful valleys, orchards, mountains and rivers. The aggressive Islamization and the apathy of the State are two aspects rapidly engulfing the local people within the fold of a regimented religion. The meager population of the Kalash, and the surrounding hostile habitat have created tremendous pressure as they increasingly become less celebratory of their own religious festivities and rituals. Battling an existential crisis, it is ironical that those with no understanding of peaceful co-existence put the Kalash to scrutiny over their very ethos and way of life.