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A Mehmaan Khana, (Hindi-Urdu مہمان خانہ, मेहमान ख़ाना, Bengali: মেহমান খানা) is a drawing room where guests are entertained in many houses in North India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Alternative names that are used include Hujra and Baithak. These rooms were a typical feature of many Mughal era havelis palaces and mansions in the region. Many houses in the rural areas of Bangladesh, Pakistan and India still have mehmaan khanas for guests. In Bangladesh, it is more commonly known as baithak ghar or bangla ghar (Bengali: বৈঠক ঘর or বাংলা ঘর).

Hujra[link]

The term hujra is especially prevalent in the predominantly Pashtun areas of Pakistan. Pashtun hujras are used mainly to entertain male guests in a household, although sometimes community hujras are also maintained by tribal units. In individual houses, the size and trappings of a hujra are sometimes indicative of family status.^[1]

Etymology[link]

The term mehmān khānā is direct derivation from Persian and means "guest house or room." In Iran and adjoining areas, the term can refer to hotels.^[2] The term (also spelled memonkhona in Latin script) is also used to describe a guest room in other parts of Central Asia. The term baithak (بیٹهک , बैठक or বৈঠক) literally means sitting room in Hindi-Urdu and Bengali. Hujra is derived from Arabic and means room or cell.^[1] In non-Pashtun Muslim households or North India and Pakistan, the term hujra (حجره , हुजरा or হুজরা) can also refer to a dedicated prayer room .^[3] In Bangladesh, hujra usually refers to the sitting room of Imam in a Mosque.

References[link]

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Aryan Khan
Born	Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan
Occupation	Actor Singer Model
Years active	2002–present
Website
http://www.aryankhanfilm.com

Aryan Khan (Pashto: ارين خان) is an Afghan martial artist, model, dancer, singer and actor. He was born on March 7, 1980, in Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, to parents of Pashtun origin. While in high school, Khan moved with his parents to Peshawar, Pakistan, during the war in Afghanistan.

After graduating from high school he studied taekwondo, traveling in Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Korea. At that time he also became interested in performing in front of the camera, and began acting on PTV in Peshawar. He received the Best Performance award for a live performance on Beauty and Entertainment Grand Musical Show on Mashriq TV.

He has been the host of Souk Ghwari Chi Millonar Shi?, Afghanistan's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, on Shamshad TV since the show began in November 2008. And now later in 2010, the show is aired Ariana TV. ^[1] Khan also performs a musical number at the beginning of each show, singing about the qualifications necessary to become a millionaire.

References[link]

1. ^ Ben Farmer (December 6, 2009). "'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' hits Afghanistan". The Daily Telegraph (Kabul). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/3628147/Who-Wants-to-Be-a-Millionaire-hits-Afghanistan.html. Retrieved October 29, 2009. 

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Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq is the founder and chairman of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan. He had an active role in the war against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, fighting the Soviet Army from the northern Balkh Province. After the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1989, Ustad Mohaqiq was appointed as the leader of the Hezb-e Wahdat for northern Afghanistan.

During the rule of the Taliban from 1996 onwards, Mohaqiq remained one of the few Mujahideen leaders who never left the country. He led United Front (Northern Alliance) Hazara resistance forces around Dar-e Suf in Samangan Province and in Yakawlang and Panjab of Bamiyan Province.

After the fall of the Taliban, he was appointed as the Vice-President and the Minister of Planning in the interim government of Afghanistan. Due to differences between him and the new Afghan President Hamid Karzai as well as Ashraf Ghani (the former Finance Minister), Mohaqiq was ousted from the cabinet by Hamid Karzai.

In 2004, Ustad Mohaqiq ran as a candidate in the Presidential Election.^[1] In some provinces like Kabul, Bamiyan, Daikundi, and even in Iran amongst the Afghan refugees, he got the majority of the votes.^{[citation needed]} In the final results, he came in third position with 11.7 percent of the votes after Hamid Karzai and Yunus Qanuni.

Currently, Mohaqiq serves a Member of Parliament and the chairman of the People's Islamic Unity Party.

In 2008, in the wake of a Kuchi (Pashtun nomads) invasion into Hazara villages in Behsud and Daimirdad of Wardak Province and the indiscriminate killing of Hazaras, he went on a hunger strike protesting against the killings, incursions and the indifference of the Karzai government and the international community to these events. In July 2008, about 10,000 Hazara people came out to the streets of Kabul in support of Ustad Mohaqiq and protested against the invasion of Kuchis and discrimination against Hazaras (the third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan) by the Karzai government.^[2] Finally, Hamid Karzai issued a decree for a temporary removal of invading Kuchis from Hazara villages. After the decree and requests from various mujahideen leaders and the people to end the hunger strike, Ustad Mohaqiq ended his 8-day hunger strike.

In January 2009 an article by Ahmad Majidyar of the American Enterprise Institute included Mohaqiq on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the 2009 Afghan Presidential election.^[1] In the end, however, Mohaqiq opted to support Hamid Karzai against his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah in the election.

In 2010, Mohaqiq broke with Karzai because of Karzai's policy of appeasement towards the Taliban insurgency^[3]

In late 2011, Ahmad Zia Massoud, Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq and Abdul Rashid Dostum created the National Front of Afghanistan (also Afghanistan National Front, ANF).^[4] It is generally regarded as a reformation of the United Front (Northern Alliance) of the anti-Taliban resistance era. The National Front strongly opposes a return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan and retains significant military capabilities. Its chairman, Ahmad Zia Massoud, is the younger brother of the former United Front leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated in 2001.

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} Ahmad Majidyar (2009-01). "Afghanistan's Presidential Election". American Enterprise Institute. Archived from the original on 2009-09-18. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aei.org%2FdocLib%2F20090129-No1MEO23850g.pdf&date=2009-09-18. 
2. ^ http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,47b9986c2,4889d087c,0.html
3. ^ "Minority leaders leaving Karzai's side over leader's overtures to insurgents"
4. ^ "There is more to peace than Taliban". Asia Times. January 12, 2012. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NA12Df01.html.