Afghan refugees are usually blamed for the break down of civic order and rash of crimes in Peshawar, once called ‘the city of flowers’. But to be fair, they contributed a lot good too to their temporarily adopted homeland – such as the Pashto literature.

According to some critics Peshawar lost its beauty after the influx of the refugees in the aftermath of the Sour revolution and the US-backed Afghan jihad against it. But it will be unjust to mention only the negative aspect of the changes the provincial metropolis witnessed in its civic and cultural life with the arrival of the Afghans. Apart from introducing some special delicious cuisines, the displaced persons also contributed in the promotion of Pashto literature substantially. As some say: “Great tragedies give birth to great literature.”

After the arrival of Afghan refugees almost a whole generation was attracted towards literature. A large number of people who were not familiar with pen in Afghanistan recorded their personal accounts, miseries and the whole tragedy according to their own perception and adopted different mediums when they reached Peshawar. Some began to compose poetry. Some contributed articles in newspapers. A good number of writers depicted the miseries of the Afghans living in refugee camps in their short stories and novels. A literary journey of 100 years was completed only in 20 years. Thousands of Pashto books were published. The books published during the last 30 years are more in number than that of the early 60 years, increasing the fast diminishing habit of reading Pashto among the native people manifold.

Most of the writers living in Peshawar were using words of other languages in their writings. But interaction with their Afghan literary people they started using ‘pure’ Pashto in their works.

Pashto poetry specially ‘ghazal’ was specialty of native writers while Afghans were at home in ‘literary research’. With close interaction, native writers took keen interest in research while the ‘refugee writers’ adopted poetry especially the ghazal as their favourite genre. Now one can see some very good poets of ghazal among Afghan refugees and on the other hand writers living in Peshawar and its surrounding areas produced valuable research works.

The idea of literary organisations was also a new one for the guest writers. Pashto Tolana was the sole literary organisation in Kabul that too was under the control of the government. But they came across numerous literary societies and organisations in Peshawar, which inspired them to establish free and liberal organisations for writers. The same literary organisations later served as training centres for the beginners and groomed some well versed poets and writers. The guest poets also borrowed the idea of holding ‘free mushaira’ from Peshawar. Earlier there were only state-controlled ‘mushaira’ in Afghanistan and poets were bound to get permission for reciting his poetry in it.

Migration to other countries and observation of different cultures and styles of writings broadened the canvass of Afghan writers. As a result they produced some bestseller books. All these factors geared up publication of Pashto books. One can remember that sale of Pashto books was nominal in Peshawar before the arrival of Afghan refugees. Most of the Pashto writers would present their books as a gift to others, instead of selling them in the market. But even then the gifted books would remain unread. But nowadays almost all the copies of a newly published book of Pashto (if it is worth reading) are sold in the market within six months.

Novelist and poet Amanullah Sahoo (late) used to say: “We have produced good literature in Peshawar. The quantity besides quality has improved. But we have to write more and more about the tragedy of Afghanistan and miseries of ‘muhajerat’. You see western writers are still busy in publishing books about the World War.”