British Army Officer in Pakistan Arrested a Tree in 1898.

In Peshawar, Pakistan there is a tree chained to the ground – arrested. There is a sign hanging from the branches reading, in part: ‘I’m under arrest.’ Yes, this is true and not a gag from the 1970s British sitcom ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.’

In 1898, a drunk British officer named James Squid ordered his men to arrest the tree because he thought it was lurching at him and trying to evade capture. Since then, the tree has remained in metal chains. It is a popular tourist attraction now, amusing many who see it.

However, the local tribes who live there have a different view on it. Some see it as a symbol of British oppression of that era, parable for the Frontier Crimes Regulations, a set of harsh colonial-era laws that were enforced in the tribal areas of what is now northwest Pakistan (NWFP).

October 16, 2024