Aheer

Aheer (Urdu: اھععر) is a Muslim Jat tribe^[1] found mainly in the western districts of Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan.^[2]

History

The tribe is also known as Heer or Purewal depending on the dialect of the speaker. Those that tend to speak dialects of Lahanda, such as Seraiki or Pothari tend to refer to themselves as Aheer, while those found in central Punjab refers to themselves as Heer. Their connection with the Ahir caste of North India is unknown, and Sir Denzil Ibbetson in his report on the Census of Punjab simply states that these are Aher Jats as distinct from the Ahir caste.^[3] There is a further division as the Heer can be either Muslim or Sikh, while the Aheer are always Muslim. According to tribal traditions, the Heer together with the Bhullar and Maan clan are the original Jat tribes, while other tribes were latter incorporated into the Jat ethnic group.^[1] According to other traditions, the Aheer claim descent from Qutab Shah, the ancestor of the Awan and Khokhar tribes.^[4] However, in Khushab District, the Aheer family of Khushab were substantial landowners, and were confirmed a fairly large jagir by the British colonial authorities.^[5]

Distribution

The Aheer are found mainly in the western districts of Punjab, stretching from Rawalpindi,^[6] Khushab, ^[7]Jhang, Bhakkar and Faisalabad districts.

Language

The Aheer in Punjab speak Jhangochi and Seraiki, while those in Sindh speak Sindhi.^[8]

See also

• Heers
• Maan

References