#NORPAK_2021 TOUR BOOK Northern Pakistan - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & Gilgit-Baltistan A cannabis odyssey through the hindu kush mountain ranges Pakistan Can be divided into 4 distinct Cannabis producing regions, each having their own different climate, growing practices, domestication and processing. 1. Temperate flat lands of East and south East such as Punjab and sindh which are also densely populated, hence only wild, feral or poorly domesticated varieties of cannabis could be found here, which produces Thin leaflets, with 4-5X stretch, 11-14 weeks flowering and yields negligible amount of resin. 2. Balochistan - Balochistan is the biggest province of Pakistan and with it bordering countries like Afghanistan and Iran, this place has been able to gain majorly, in terms of Knowledge of Cannabis cultivation, processing and the seeds itself. Only domesticated varieties of cannabis can be seen growing, shaped by various farmers over long periods of time. 3. North-west frontier/Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) - is perhaps one of the most prolific cannabis hotspots out of all, easily growing and processing more plants than any of the other regions mentioned here. The climate here can be categorised as subtropical Highland, as it features enough rain during the monsoons but also receive ample snowfall during the winters. However, With latitudes hovering between 33-35° N, KPK* the northern parts of Khyber have colder climates and lesser rains. 4. Northern Pakistan - This is the northernmost part of the country, which resides on the foothills of the western Hindu Kush Himalayas. Most of the places in this region fall in the rain shadow of the Hindu Kush ranges and are completely deprived of the monsoon rains. Northern Pakistan sits above 35° and goes upto 36° N, with altitude rising upto 2-3000 meters in the Valleys. All of these small factors makes for an extremely cold and short seasons n for cannabis and indeed the plants which have been adapted to these places flower faster, often stay shorter, with broader leaflets to collect sufficient light energy due to lesser lesser insolation each day. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1. Introduction 2. Climate a a glance 3. Mali Din Khel, (tirah valle ) 4. Cultivation Practices an culture 5. Domestication 6. Types of populations an typical characteristics 7. Resin Production 1. Introduction Tirah valley is a collection of countless small and big Cannabis farms, The plant and the culture was brought here by Afridi tribe, approximatel y 600 years ago (as per The local consensus). Afridi's identify themselves as a subset of the larger pashtun tribe which is spread across both Pakistan and afghanistan. The cannabis populations in the valley have been domesticated over the decades by the farmers and have adapted to the most suited expression in response to their respective ecological habitats. Although there's a plethora of diversity within farms to farms in expressions ranging from very squat and short plants to classical highland expression, Every other embodiment of the Tirah valley heirloom brings something different to cherish. Tirah Valley is regarded as one of the biggest resin production grounds in the Pakistan and also the State Doesn't interfere much with tribes who grow cannabis in this Valley, so they can produce Garda (dry sifted resin) from the big resinous flowers after drying it in the Valley.The art of growing Cannabis and Making Hashish within families is traditionally handed down from one generation to another keeping the infamous Hashish carnivals and an entire nation lit up. Tirah Maidan (Valley) in Khyber Agency or Khyber pakhtunkhwa province is situated at an altitude of over 2000-2500+ meters of floor elevation at 32°- 33° North of Equator , Just on the cusp of Pak-Afghan Border towards the southern fringes of Hindu Kush Ranges and Around 150 km south, South West of Chitral.The valley is placed perfectly in the transition zone (33-34 N) where we typically begin to see cannabis populations expressing significantly different phenotypic characteristics. Tirah valley spans from the north west of the pakistan towards the North, the climate doesnt show a great deal of variance when it comes to precipitation and temperature ranges, However, the onset of the snowfall and the duration of the snow coverage itself, differs greatly between the north western and the extreme northern span of the tirah Valley respectively. 2. Climate a a glance khyber pakhtunkhwa features an array of climates ranging from Arid cold to humid subtropical and temperate regions influenced by oceanic winds. However, the most abundantly experienced climate in Khyber pakhtunkhwa remains subtropical/humid with cold winters and a short span of snow cover. March to early May : Spring Mid- may - july : Summers Mid july to september : Monsoons September-october : Autumn November to February : Winters Mali Din Khel : Brief introduction of the Tribe The Malik Din Khel live in the Maidan of Tirah, and in Choura at the eastern entrance of the Bazar Valley, and during the winter months a large party of them come down to the Khajuri about a mile to the South of Qadam in Shinkai Mela in Khajuri, and from this point to Sarki Kamar about half a mile belongs to The Famous, walnut market by the malik din Malik Din Khel. khel tribe They also own the cave villages from Shagai mela to Chirgai Dagarai, 2.5 Km and from Alladand to Ucha Gara, about 2 km. On the Khyber road their share of the pass responsibility commences from the mosque below Ali Masjid to the ravine just due east of Gurgura, and takes in Kattak Kushta, a hamlet of a few houses with a tower. The famous Maidan area is in their possession where the historic place “ Bagh” is situated. It has been noticed that despite all the differences Afridi tribes have amongst themselves, once they reach “Bagh”, they bury the hatchet and forget all their ill will. In this respect this has in a sense become a sacred place. In 1930 the historic decision to attack the British and Peshawar, was taken by the Afridi's at this place. The area from Ali Masjid to Gurgura in Khyber Pass is in the possession of this tribe. Among sub-branches Malik Din Khel, Gulab Khel, Umar Khel and Kala Khel are divided into Daulat Khel, Natlu Khel, Janda Khel, Mot Khel and Nusrat Khel; Umar Khel into Kutti Khel, Rawara Khel, and Shahi Khel; and Kala Karmana into Darray Khel, Alkai Khel, Behram Khel, or Muhammad Khel and Kala Khel. To the British they supplied excellent soldiers to the Native Army, and Militia Corps, which holds still true. In the former ages this clan was considered to be the “premier” tribe amongst the Afridis of the Khyber Range and by far the best behaved, which was chiefly due to a succession of Maliks, who were careful to think of the common interests in preference to their own, and this way won over the majority of the greybeards to follow their lead. Consequently whichever party the Malik Din Khel joined, the rest of the Afridi's were almost certain to follow. When Nadir Shah, King of Persia, after conquering Kabul advanced by the way of Jalalabad to force the Khyber Pass, he found his road above Landi Khana, barred by a united force of Afridis and Orakzais, who had combined to resist his advance. For six weeks his army of 90,000 men tried in vain to force a passage through the road from Landi Khana to Landi Kotal until they were compelled to desist. But Nadir Shah, after his conquest of Kandhar, had enlisted a very strong detachment of Abdalis and Ghazali’s on his side, and amongst them was one sultan Sarwar, Abdul Aziz Khel Orakzai, who having intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of the Afridi country secretly led Nadir Shah through the Sassobi Pass into the Bazar valley and thus he and his army had passed on to the plains of the Peshawar District by the time the Afridi and Orakzais were aware of the move. After this Nadir Shah, returned to the Bazar valley, intending to move into Tirah and punish the Afridi for their hostile attitude but he was intercepted by Darya Khan, the Malakdin Khel Chief, who had brought with him for his food a bundle of ‘Pamanai’ (a wild edible plant) and a quantity of the root of the dwarf palm, and, seeing these, Nadir Shah felt assured that no good could be gained by fighting with a people who could exist on such diet. Cultivation “The cultivation of the cannabis for afridi's is simply a matter of following the footsteps of their elders and the ones who came before them, and laid the foundation upon which they stand tall.” The preparation of the ground begins as early as first week of the march when the farmers thoroughly plow the fields using cows or oxes, the soil is then also fortified each year with some cow dung manure, to support the surplus growth of cannabis. The farmers draw water through canals at ease from nearby natural sources of water like seasonal brooks or rivers, to feed the cannabis crops. whereas, during the monsoon there's nearly 900mm of rainfall that takes place in the district so watering the crops isn't really a problem here unlike some of the other drier places like Afghanistan or Balochistan, where there's no monsoon rains and he groundwater is hard to come by. the abundance of water present in the environment have allowed the cannabis populations to evolve much differently which we will be discussing ahead in great detail. Domestication One of the most prevalent forces shaping the cannabis landscape of Tirah valley (khyber pakhtunkhwa) is the culture that its surrounded with. Hence, In order to fully understand the genetic makeup of the cannabis populations in Khyber pakhtunkhwa today, we must acquaint ourselves with their deep culture of trading and barter of goods between the pashtun communities on the either side of the Durand line border i.e. Pakistan and Afghanistan. Donkey’s being used as Drug-Mules to smuggle hashish from afghanistan to Pakistan through secret trade routes of Tora-Bora ranges. The Valley functions as an international Hub and a launch pad for smuggled cannabis and so much more from the connecting Torkham border through tora-bora mountain ranges, which joins Afghanistan's Nangarhar province to Pakistan's North/North-west frontier at Tirah Valley. The smuggled Products are often carried across the unmapped routes, around torkham into pakistan loaded on the donkeys, mules etc, which are now to some extent considered the official transport system for Smuggling cannabis in these regions. The goods finally arrive at "Bara Bazaar" in khyber pakhtunkhwa from where they get distributed and paddled down to major economic hubs such as Karachi, Lahore, Punjab, sindh, Rawalpindi etc. A lot of commodities are exchanged between them on a regular basis, ranging from edibles to clothes and all kinds of other utilities, a big part of these trades are marked by the prolific exchange of seeds and Hashish, Although there is a Gaping trade deficit between these 2 countries when it comes to exchange of Hashish and seeds, because of the high demand of the afghani made hashish in pakistan, so the amount of seeds and Hashish that is imported into Pakistan via various trade routes from Afghanistan far exceeds the amount of Hashish and seeds which are perhaps/occasionally imported into the afghanistan from Pakistan. The Cannabis farmers in Afghanistan and Pakistan are extremely observant and sensitive towards the Cannabis varieties they and their ancestors have been working with for ages now. Much like in the western world, when they come across a Hashish sample which is unique or just better than the norm, the farmers want to be able to get hold of those seeds to grow them in their fields as well. Sometimes they just grow the afghan imported varieties alongside their own regional cannabis varieties to improve the overall output in terms of quality and quantity both and others find a secluded spot to plant them and process it into Hashish separately to sell as a different variety. Plan types an Characteristics The wide-spread culture of importing seeds amongst many Tirah Valley tribes from Neighbouring countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan etc. makes it imperative to segregate the plants only on the basis of morphology /Expression. The aftermath of the years of amalgamation of genetics in the fields of Tirah Valley can be seen in the form myriads of Plant types or expressions stemming from the Domestication work of the Farmer clans. For example. Afridi tribe mostly grows (ILAQAI NASAL OR REGIONAL VARIETY) characterized by the thin leaved, tall plants exhibiting a wild looking thin leaved , long flowering plant which closely resembles other southeast Asian longer flowering varieties Only with significantly scarce side branching and shorter flowering time close to 12 weeks similar to many Indian Highland Hash plant varieties growing at about 30° - 33° N o the Equator. Although the telling difference in these regional Heirloom plants from Tirah Valley is the Flavour and High. Though it looks much like the Highland or south East asian varieties with longer stalks, the Quality of resin, it's flavour and Effects are distinctly different. Mostly the flavours include very spicy to Sour with light fuel and floral Notes and hints of sweetness but muffled under the more common spicy sour and other uncommon smells which runs dominant amongst most of the populations in this variety. The uncommon profiles and Soaring effects could be attributed to the years of cross pollination and random to selective amalgamation of imported heirloom seeds and the regional Landrace by the various Families in Tirah Valley. The Afridi's (Family) clan are one of the most influential Cannabis growers in the Tirah Valley. They're widely accredited to have brought the Farmed cannabis culture to the Valley. Being the pioneers they not only hold a good name in the Cannabis history books but also own the majority and Vast pieces of land in Tirah Valley. which in turn allows them to grow the (ILAQAI NASAL) regional variety of Tirah Valley instead of the crossbred varieties between Pakistani heirlooms and varieties imported from from Afghanistan, Iran etc. There are 3 prime reasons why Afridi's grow the regional Heirloom which - is a longer flowering and Relatively lesser yielding variety as discussed earlier. 1. Afridi's Own an enormous amount of land in Tirah valley and those Huge chunks of land allow them to grow surplus amounts of Cannabis compared to any other family in Tirah. 2. The Regional Landrace variety is associated as part of their legacy in Cannabis farming, and they're very proud of this specific regional Heirloom and Consider it superior to all the other varieties, now commonly found in Tirah Valley with a yearly influx of Imported heirlooms from neighbouring countries. 3. The Longer flowering term finishes right around the time of the yearly snowfall so after harvesting they can be exposed to snowfall before the dry sieving. When it comes to the unconventionally domesticated populations of cannabis, Tirah valley houses almost every expression imaginable in cannabis from extremely short 2-3 ft. Plants to the humongous classical highland Hash-plant embodiment and everything in between. showcasing the awe-inspiring variation of cannabis genotypes, due to the random to controlled amalgamation of local cannabis populations and the imported (shot flowering/fully domesticated) afghani genetics. One of the first apparent differences between these amalgamated populations and the illaqai nasal is the overall structure. The populations which have been unconventionally domesticated by the farmers are characteristically shorter, a plant that is much more compact compared to the regional varieties which have been domesticated conventionally from the local wild/primordial Cannabis populations. these amalgamated population shows distinct features from either parentage, wherein, the smell and the bud structure resembles the regional Landrace variety, however on a squatter frame, with a shorter flowering term of only about 9-10 weeks. one of the other characteristic differences seen within the cross pollinated crops is that they have a greater resistance towards the wet-humid climate of Tirah, opposed to the pure afghani varieties which are from extremely arid to desert like climates and often perform poorly when grown in wet/humid climates. Resin Production Tirah Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is regarded as one of the biggest resin production grounds in the Pakistan as the State Doesn't interfere much with the tribes who grow cannabis in this Valley, so they can produce Garda (dry sifted resin) from the big resinous flowers after drying it in the Valley. Tirah Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is regarded as one of the biggest resin production grounds in the Pakistan as the State Doesn't interfere much with the tribes who grow cannabis in this Valley, so they can produce Garda (dry sifted resin) from the big resinous flowers after drying it on The Valley. Dry sieving is done within the valley and quality of resin speak volumes about the genetic makeup of the plants.The dry sifted resin looks light brown to blonde depending on the quality of input and the Run. A very special kind of hashish called "Awalgul" is made at the beginning of the season which is considered the best quality, as "Awal Gul" literally translates to First Flower in pashto and it's the first Sift which makes for this quality of hashish. Where the trichomes are almost visible, while the texture and the aroma of the hashish recites the remarkable Journey of Cannabis Plant and the Art of Processing it, That transcend Ages. The art of cultivating Cannabis and making the most prized Garda (Hashish) is handed down seamlessly, from Generation to Generation, Like Clockwork. Most Farmers by an early age are ready and hands on with all the Indigenous ways/Techniques to produce Garda (Hashish) and also establish an emotional connection with the plant, which allows them to happily do this for rest of their lives while preparing the next generation to carry the torch. However, after, assimilation of F.A.T.A region into a fully administrative territory of Pakistan in 2018, Govt. Has had a rather easy time in eradicating these Grassroot network of Ganja Farmers from the places which have stayed oblivious to the full extent of Law up Until Now. Dryin & Processin methods In Tirah Valley the harvested plant material is let to dry outdoors until the nature provides the signal for processing it, which comes in the form of Snowfall, more like a blessing showering down straight from the skies for the Hashish farmers in Tirah Valley, the snow is let to sit on the dried crops making the trichomes brittle, which facilitates the dry sieving process. only After a good snowfall do the farmers gear-up for Processing dry material into Garda (Dry sieved resin) and then ultimately into malleable chunks of Hashish. The way the cannabis crops are dried in tirah valley (outdoors under the open sky) brings about a signature change in the color and the overall effects of the final aged product. Since, the cannabis crops get completely exposed to the light and oxygen during the drying process, Which allows for the Fresh dry sieved oxidation to take place, and after resin, blonde colored without the long 12 month aging of the oxidation. resin, some of the THC gradually breaks down into CBN not only changing the overall chemistry of the hashish but also imparting a seductive red hue in the process, which is more or less the 12 months signature of the Valley. cured/aged resin showing red hues due to oxidation **This process is only followed by and select farmers in some regions of subsequent Tirah Valley, especially the farmers degradation who grow regional Landrace variety of THC into instead of the Imported seeds from CBN and Afghanistan, Uzbekistan etc. As they harvest later in the season and can time their harvests right around the onset of the first snowfall. Gradin S ste Awal Gul Hashish, The Word "Awalgul" literally translates to First flower, However, what this Grade of Hashish truly means is "First Run" Which is widely considered the best kind of hashish produced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In order to collect the "awalgul Hashish" farmers usually begin with shoveling up dried material on to the sieving cloth However, instead of thoroughly agitating the material over the cloth (screen), they only caress and pass it generally over the cloth, while another person quickly shovels it away onto the next pile. Thus only allowing for the ripe and more brittle trichome heads to pass through the sift cloth. All this effort in making separate grades of Hashish invariably converts into higher incentives during the "Hashish Carnivals" in khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where in an ocean of Hashish only quality dictates the price. Awalgul hashish is sold for the highest prices ranging anywhere from $150 USD to $200 USD per kilo, and is considered the top shelf or #1 quality. The subsequent #2 (second) run where the flowers gets thoroughly crushed and rubbed against the cloth for maximum yields also produces a good medium quality hashish, which is generally the best seller with an optimization between the quality and the price point. the #3 or 3rd quality is basically, where the farmers tries to squeeze out every last bit of resin which is still present in the material. A Hashish carnival (Garda mela) in progress, at remote location in tirah Valley An Example of Good #2 Quality hashish from tirah Valley. Tirah Hash carnival or garda mela Tirah, Garda Mela or Hash Carnival is a recurring farmer’s market type gathering, Which takes place in remote locations of entire khyber pakhtunkhwa province. It only lasts for a Day however there are multiple Fairs going in different locations in Tirah Valley Pakistan, so it's not easy to miss them. the hash carnivals are basically the farmers market for the hash producers, where they get to showcase their material in a crowd full of regular customers and wholesale/Bulk buyers. However, it is to be noted that most serious bulk deals do not take place in these carnivals, they take place in the villages itself. The fewer bulk buyers take this opportunity to shop for the best quality and prices, which then gets paddled down into the larger economic hubs of pakistan, cities like Karachi, Lahore, islamabad etc. where there's high demand for this hashish. a typical Hash carnival or Garda mela consists of Farmers lined up with buckets and sacks full of Garda (Dry Sifted resin) which is seen, checked and sample smoked by the visitors, as they're hunting for the right combination of quality and prices. Kumra Valle , (upper Dir, Eastern Hind Kush) 1. Introduction 2. Geographical features & climate 3. Primordial cannabis populations Introduction Kumrat Valley, is located towards the northernmost fringes of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa around 35N, with an average floor elevation of 2000 meters. The Valley lies in the lesser known kohistan region which is inhabited by mostly Kohistani tribes who speak Kohistani language, (a dardic language spoken in and around the indus valley region within kohistan.) Geographical features an Climate Due to a combination of High latitude position and High altitude the onset of snow comes as early as late October to early November, which brings the valley to a halt until April when the snow clears. Kumrat Valley is located towards the south East of Chitral and hence falls around the eastern foothills of the Hindu Kush mountain range traversing into Afghanistan. Kumrat Valley, doesn't have any planned cultivation of cannabis at all and all the cannabis populations in the valley are intact in their primordial form, completely unaffected from any domestication efforts. The local variety grows up to be an extremely thin wispy plants with minimal bract wise production, upto 5-7 ft tall. The seeds are ejected from the bracts automatically at different times during the flowering period similar to other wild varieties we have seen in the past. However, the size and the density of the resin glands is exceptional as expected from a Cannabis population adapted to an extremely cold (semi-tundra) climate.
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