"A nucleus of get together for Bar Palas inhabitants in the past"

Sharaid, a village with forgotten recognition is located in forested catchments of Bar Palas between the main Mushagah River and Sharaid nallah. The salient features consists of spacious mosque , graveyard spread on relatively large area, ruins of the houses but still having the architectural grace, ruins of Hujra ,each having traditional wood Carving. The village has a spring and the walnut trees growing near by and add the village scenery. These all reflect the glorious past of the village.

Sharaid; the Darma Khail Kot, remained the social center of Bar Palas for many years in the past ,where people used to come from almost all the surrounding villages of Bar Palas and stay here during chilly and foggy winters. The surrounding villages are Kuz Seer, Bar Seer, Shoki Seer, Kundal, Shambaila, Pharrorgah, and Dumbaila.

Paray Malik (Jalkan Khail), one of the notable and dwellers of the village went on saying that there were about 400 houses in this presently ruined village. It was the centre of Darma Khails where seven sub tribes used to live and each has its own Hujra and identification. The ruins of two Hujra still exist while the one is functional.

The Maliks of the Palas used to stay in Sharaid and the last known Malik was Kutoo Malik (Sikandar Malik) belong to Jalkan Khail. Now a day’s only six families of Jalkan Khail tribe dwell here.

Sharaid remained a communal centre, focal point of Palasi decision makers, a symbol of unity and dignity for the Bar Palasi Society for as long as 200 years but during the past 60 years, soon after the fall of unity, the people started migration to the other parts of the valley as well as to out side of valley and thus the Sharaid started losing its nucleus position.

The locals further stated that few reasons for loss of nucleus village status were as follow:

- Impacts of Environment
The surrounding villages of Sharaid in the past had thickly covered forests and during the winters, there was severe cold due to heavy snowfall as well as the Sharaid village comparatively was getting maximum possible sunshine in the winters and the environment remains favorable during the winters. The change in the environment conditions made the surrounding villages favorable for winter stay and the people shifted permanently to the villages.
- Social Environment /Enmity
The tribes started quarrelling upon petty issues and gradually their security became endangered so they started leaving the main village.
- Deterioration of Tribal System
The tribal wars used to occur and a long enmity used to exist in the between the tribes. The system kept the tribe united and the Sharaid was most protected place to resist the external attackers. The traditional tribal system based on tribal feuds gradually came to an end and ultimately the bond weakened.
- Impacts of Contemporary Changes in the Civil Societies
The last but not the least the changes or development is growing very fastly outside the valley but it lacks in the Sharaid and Palas that include communication access to the area, electricity, education and health etc. Most of the towns and societies influenced from it, the Sharaid is not the exceptional case.

Although, Sharaid has shrinked to the relics but still bears some potential for the people of the surrounding villages. Which are listed below?

- Enormous Spring
- Flour water mills
- Communal spacious mosque
- Communal Graveyard
- Cultural nucleolus
- Personal, communal Property and rangeland on both sides of river Mushagah

Sharaid and the adjacent villages across the river are linked by the traditional wooden cantilever bridges at Sharaid and Shambaila. These bridges consume about 200 cft deodar wood annually. During summer the high flood in the Mushagah River sweep these bridges, causing disruption to the communication of people, livestock and transportation of daily commodities.

(Under construction bridge of Sharaid, Bar Palas Valley)

During the devastating 1992 flood, HJP had proposed a suspension foot bridge at Sharaid to connect the Sharaid Village with the other surrounding villages but work was not started during HJP Period.

During the first visit of PCDP Team [IRD & COP] in 2001 held a meeting with the expected beneficiaries of the Surrounding villages for the construction of the bridge. The Project and communities reached on the consensus the construction timber for the bridge will be provided by the community and the remaining cost will be bore by the project.

We accept that delay in the bridge construction, delayed its benefits but we hope and pray the bridge will play a role in the rehabilitation of this ruined village and served the surrounding villages.

The people can easily come to the Flour mills, Basic Health unit, Gravyard, spring and the mosque of the village.

The elders of the Villages will sit together under the green wood trees of walnut and will tell the stories of their past to the fellow, relatives and youngsters as the bridge starts its services.

Mughal Baz Khan
PO-IRD