‘Khokhea ha oie’ (Khokha has come)

I am told that ‘Khokha’ was a tribe in the upper ridges of the Frontier area that is now part of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. They usually used to come down to the valley; loot people and go. They had created fear psychosis among people.  Nobody would dare to confront them. Without any resistance, they would manage their booty.

  Since ages the word Khokha became the scarecrow especially among Kashmiri Pundits. To scare a child, elders in our families would caution the child: “Khokhea ha oie” (Khokha has come). Kashmiri Muslims in my mohalla, part of the unique culture, were scared of the word “Hasea Pachea”. The Gun changed the terminology. Now 95% in the valley are scared even of their own shadow and suspect it to be of the one from 5%.