The Bhittani/Bettani is a Pashtun

Pashtun people

Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...

 tribe located in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. The Bettanis reside in a territory that is a buffer zone separating Tank District

Tank District

Tank , is the southern district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, the city of Tank is the capital of the district, which consists Union Council City I and Union Council City II. There are totally sixteen Union councils of district Tank. Tank was formerly part of district Dera Ismail...

 from the Mahsud

Mahsud

Mahsud is a Pashtun tribe in South Waziristan, a tribal region in Pakistan. Mahsud are considered to be one of the bravest and toughest Pashtun Tribes. The Mahsud tribe lives in the centre of South Waziristan valley, surrounded on three sides by the Darwesh Waziris, and being shut off by the...

 tribe of South Waziristan

South Waziristan

South Waziristan is the southern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . Waziristan comprises the area west and southwest of Peshawar between the Tochi River to the north and the Gomal River to the south, forming...

 Region. The Bettani tribe live in the Frontier Region of Tank District and in Lakki Marwat District

Lakki Marwat District

Lakki Marwat is one of the Southern Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. It was created as an administrative district on July 1, 1992, prior to which it was a Tehsil of Bannu District.-Etymology:...

, Khyber Pakhtunkwa Province (Formerly called N.W.F.P). Jandola

Jandola

Jandola is a town in Frontier Region Tank, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan....

 is considered the capital of the Bhittani tribes in Tank District. The Frontier Region Tank (FR Tank) is a small administrative unit in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. The region is named after Tank District which lies to the south-east and also borders the South Waziristan Agency to the north, south and west and Lakki Marwat District to the north-east. It is administered by the district coordination officer (DCO) of Tank District. Some of Bettani tribes are residing in Haiderabad Dakkan India. Marwats are their cousins, living in Lakki Marwat

Lakki Marwat

Lakki Marwat or Lakki is the headquarters of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 32°41 25N 70°50'5E and has an altitude of 255 metres , the town is administratively divided into 2 union councils.-History:In 1844 Fateh Khan Tiwana, the revenue collector...

. The region is mostly covered by the dry Bhittani hills, gradually sloping from north-west towards south-east.The highest point of the region is 1,943 m (6,375 ft) above sea level.

Organisation of the tribe

The Bettani tribe has three sub-caste

Caste

Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...

s, which are called Tattha, Wraspoon and Dhana. The Tattha is further subdivided into three clans: the Aba Khel, Naimat Khel, and Khaishi. The Dhana tribe is divided into Ali khail, Bobi,Waroki and Dadi Khel subclans. The Wraspoon subdivides into Mazyani, Tari, Chapli and Shakhi. The Bettani tribe includes between 90,000 and 100,000 individuals according to estimates.

A large number of Bettani are also present in Balochistan province especially in Quetta Cantt.they have been there for last 70 or 80 years. Nowadays they have mix them self with the Nasuran. They had built strong family relation with them. Although they have arranged marriages in between them, yet they still remain two different Pushtun tribes.

Members of Bettani tribe (approximately 8,000 individuals) are also living in France for nearly a century.They are now totally mixed in French culture.They basically immigrated there during British rule in subcontinent in 1897. Members of Bettani tribe are also living in West Indies but they now call themselves Indians.

Cultural notes

Hospitality is given importance and tea

Tea

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...

 is the most important consumable item. Bettani are fond of traditional dancing called (Attan). During marriage parties anyone can join the night dancing party without needing an invitation. The tribe has demonstrated a keen interest in facilitating educational accomplishments of youth; as a result, several doctors of this tribe contribute their services in different parts of the Province and abroad. Bettanis are patriotic and loyal to their country. The tribal youth are fond of sports, including traditional sports Hinda, Kabadi, Kath Kath, football, volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 and cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

. Commonly eaten foods include ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

, a bread called aishal, beef

Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...

, Painda

Painda

Painda is a town in Attock District, Pakistan. Before the 1947 Partition of India, Painda was major living place for Sikh religion peoples and they had major gurdawara in Painda where now Boys primary school Painda stands. Majority of peoples living in Painda are migrated from other nearby...

, and boiled rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

 with Lassi

Lassi

Lassi is a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink of the Indian Subcontinent. It is made by blending yogurt with water and Indian spices...

.

Politics

Bettani tribal culture is different from other Pashtuns.

In minor matters, disputes are common, and sometimes ongoing for decades. On different occasions they also cooperate, and their internal matters are decided in three Bettani jirga

Jirga

A jirga is a tribal assembly of elders which takes decisions by consensus, particularly among the Pashtun people but also in other ethnic groups near them; they are most common in Afghanistan and among the Pashtuns in Pakistan near its border with Afghanistan...

(tribal councils) based upon the three subclans of Tattha, Wraspoon and Dhana. The rival families give complete authority to the three Bettani councils, and the council's decisions are generally obeyed, but in cases of opposition to these decisions, a family may be fined. Most marriages are arranged

Arranged marriage

An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...

, and most people live in a joint family system.
The Bhittani are the hereditary enemies of the Mahsuds, however, over the centuries they have joined with them during important battles against invaders. In August 2007, Bhittani tribesmen threatened a Lashkar against Mahsud tribesmen if they did not return 16 kidnapped Bhittanis.
Mahsud raiders had to pass through Bhittani territory to enter the settled areas so Mehsud tribe always avoid any kind of clash with Bettani tribe. The Bhittani Tribe also maintains a long-standing feud with the Marwats, who may be “cousins” of the Bhittanis, but most of the families are have very friendly and good relations each others.

Occupations

Agriculture is a widespread source of income as the land is very fertile. Crops include tomato

Tomato

The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...

es, sugar cane, wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

, beans, melon

Melon

thumb|200px|Various types of melonsThis list of melons includes members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae with edible, fleshy fruit e.g. gourds or cucurbits. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit...

s and other fruit

Fruit

In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...

s and vegetable

Vegetable

The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....

s. Livestock, such as sheep, goat

Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...

s and cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

, are a primary source of income.Most of the aged tribeswomen in special dress work in fields with the other family members. Specially tomato is the main crop which cultivated in different areas inluding Ummar Adda, Maghzai, Tank Zam area and several other areas.
Many of the men of this tribe serve in the Frontier Constabulary and Frontier Corps.
Many people of this tribe work as PTC and CT teachers in the education department in the frontier regions and Tank. Nowadays scores of Bettani tribesmen are engaged in business, trade, commerce, Government and private services and other respectable professions and are serving the country with a spirit of devotion and dedication.

The climate in the region is hot in summer, with high temperatures around 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and cool in winter, with low temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The average annual rainfall amount is 10 to 11 inches, with most rainfall in July and August. The driest months are October and November.ii Most of the streams which originate from the region are seasonal and normally end up in the arid plains of District Tank.
The region experiences hot summers and cold winters. The summer season is from April to October with June, July and August as the hottest months. The winter season is from November to March with December, January and February as the coldest months
""RELIGION/SECT"": The Bhittani Tribe are of the Hanafi sect of Sunni Islam.

Prominent people

• Tor Faqir He was a renowned freedom activist and took part in the violent struggle against the British raj. He was the only freedom fighter, who fought in parallel with Haji Amir zaali khan alias Faqir of Api till the end of the British raj.

• Rehmatullah bettani (Late) Provincial Secretary, KPK
• Late Dr.Ali Khan Bhittani (PhD Chemistry)EX- Controller BISE,Peshawar Board, Principal Govt College, Budaber, Peshawar.
• Dr.Muhammad Bashir Khan (D.Sc, Dr.Rer.Nat, PhD Molecular Biology, Member of European Synchrotron Radiation Facilities(ESRF), Member of European Molecular Biology Laboratories(EMBL))Vienna,(Austria)EUROPE.
• Late Muntaizir Bhittania prominent Pashtu poet
• Late Akram Beg bhittani, Director, Education, NWFP.
• Gulistan Khan Bhittani (late) MPA
• Late Ramazan Khan Bhittani, a prominent businessman
• Col (R) Zahur Ahmad Khan bhittani, former Station Commander D.I. Khan.
• DR Ali Khan Bhittani ENT Specialist KSA.
• Nazar Gull, Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Islamabad
• Mahboob Khan Bhittani,District Administrator, UNHCR Peshawar
• Brig (R) Hayat Bhittani.
• M.Sohail Khan DGM (SSGC Site Karachi)