SUMMARY

The Kachai (or Kasai) sub-tribe of the Bangesh tribe is a tribe mainly inhabiting the Kohat Agency and the southern part of the Orkazai Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of north-western Pakistan. Like most other tribes in FATA, they are ethnically Pashtun, following the highly conservative, traditional Pashtunwali honour code.

The Kachai are mainly Shia Muslim, a distinctive trait amongst the mainly Sunni inhabitants of the area. This has brought them into various sectarian conflicts with other tribes as well as with fundamentalist Deobandi Sunni groups such as the Taleban.

Like other Pashtun tribes, the Kachai sub-tribe of the Bangesh tribe, follow a complex traditional clan-based hierarchy, where power is vested in various clan elders, landlords (maliks) and religious figures. These leaders organize traditional assemblies, known as jergas. Varying in size, from village jergas to region-wide, these assemblies act as traditional courts but also function as dispute resolution mechanisms. As such, they frequently negotiate ceasefires and peace agreements between tribes. Militarily the Bangesh organise in tribal militias and armies (lashkars).

The Kachai sub-tribe of the Bangesh tribe has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.