Peshawar Vale Hunt - PVH

Peshawar Vale Hunt - Staff and the Hounds (c.1935) Photographed by Flt Lt A.J. Kennedy, RAF

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Second Supper invitation card from the annual Peshawar Vale Hunt Christmas Ball, 26 December 1934

A J Kennedy (RAF) collection

Mishal Hussain recommends Historical Tours Pakistan

Mishal Hussain is a distinguished journalist with extensive experience at the BBC and currently serves as Editor‑at‑Large for Bloomberg Weekend. She is also an accomplished interviewer and author of two books.

“With the knowledge, sensitivity and dedication of the tour leaders, these journeys promise to be an education into shared heritage as well as historical sites”

https://historicaltourspakistan.com

Historical Tours Pakistan is launching a new series of guided tours from January 2026, led by Maj Gen Syed Ali Hamid (Retd) and historian Dr. Ali Jan. Focused on the Punjab and Northwest Frontier during the British Raj, the tours explore themes such as the Great Game, the Corps of Guides, cemeteries and memorials, and the Sikh–Afghan–British conflicts.

This initiative is the first of its kind in Pakistan

Historical Tours Pakistan | Empires, Battles & Beyond Embark on a journey through Pakistan's rich history. Explore ancient forts, grand tombs, and UNESCO sites with expert-led tours. Book your adventure today!

https://historicaltourspakistan.com/the-peshawar-vale-hunt/

THE PESHAWAR VALE HUNT - Historical Tours Pakistan The Northwest Frontier The Three Swords of Meer Jaffir (Part 1 & Part 2) Gun Running to the Northwest Frontier A Tale of Subedar Major Mauladad (1822-1890) The Buddhist Road and The Storming of the Malakand Pass 1895 The Guides Saab Ka Risala 1846-1900 Safe Conduct – A tale about Syed Wazir Ali (P...

✨ Exciting Announcement ✨

General Retd Syed Ali Hamid and I are delighted to share a unique series of curated heritage tours - the first of their kind in Pakistan. These journeys explore fascinating themes drawn from the Punjab & the North-West Frontier of British India, including:

The Great Game

Corps of Guides

Cemeteries, Churches & Memorials of the Raj

The Clash of Empires: Afghans, Sikhs & British

Couplings to the Khyber

Outposts of the Raj (upcoming)

The tours will run from January 2026 through 2027.

I’m sharing the link to our website below - we’d love for you to take a look, and please do pass it on to friends or colleagues who may be interested in joining these very exciting, historical and memorable journeys!

Thanks

Ali Jan

Historical Tours Pakistan | Empires, Battles & Beyond Embark on a journey through Pakistan's rich history. Explore ancient forts, grand tombs, and UNESCO sites with expert-led tours. Book your adventure today!

Peshawar Vale Hunt - Staff and the Hounds (1935) Photographed by Flt Lt A.J. Kennedy, RAF, this evocative image captures the present-day Garrison Park, with a camel caravan on the old Qafila Road. In the distance, the distinctive three-toothed silhouette of Tatara Peak rises against the horizon.

The Peshawar Vale Hunt (PVH) was a sporting tradition introduced in the North-West Frontier of British India. Established along the lines of the classic English fox hunt, the PVH catered to British officers and civilians posted in Peshawar, providing them a taste of the countryside pursuits they missed back home. However, lacking the native fox, the hunt turned to the jackal, considered less elusive than the fox, but a suitable enough quarry to recreate the theatre and pageantry of the chase.

More than mere sport, the PVH reflected the British penchant for replicating homegrown customs in foreign settings, often with an eccentric flair. Clad in traditional red coats and mounted on fine horses, the hunters rode across the arid plains and shrubbery surrounding Peshawar, accompanied by hounds. It was as much a social event as it was a hunt. It was part ritual, part recreation, and part imperial theatre. The PVH is now a forgotten memory of the colonial life in the Frontier. Portraits of hunt masters still hang on the walls of the Peshawar Club, which served as the headquarters of the PVH until the 1950s. The former kennels became the site of a school run by Catholic brothers (St Mary's). The summer PVH kennel at Garial in Murree still survives.

The hunt took place during the winter months, usually starting early in the morning. One of the enduring traditions was the grand Hunt Ball, held annually around Christmas, which became a major social event in the town's calendar. Among all the hunts in British India, the PVH was regarded as the most prestigious. Established in the 1870s, it continued for several decades, eventually coming to an end a few years after the creation of Pakistan, in the 1950s.

(With special thanks to Ken Kennedy, son of Flt Lt A.J. Kennedy, for sharing this remarkable photograph)

"Rudimentary rules religiously respected by riders, and reasons respecting them." (PVH Rules)

This is just the kind of book you might stumble upon in the PVH library. "Notes on Stable Management in India & the Colonies" (1897)

This is just the kind of book you might stumble upon in the PVH library.

Edward, H.R.H Prince of Wales toured British India on behalf of his father King George V in 1922. In Peshawar, he was supposed to hunt with The P.V.H at its usual hour which was early morning, but he arrived at 5 p.m.

Monty & the P.V.H.
Did you know Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery's first posting was at Peshawar in 1908? As a subaltern of Warwickshire Regiment, when he was not so famous, he learned local languages (Pashto & Urdu) from my grandfather who was a language teacher or regimental 'Munshi'. Here he also entered the hunt's Point to Point. (AJ)

Taken from 'Montgomery - A Biography' by Alan Moorehead (1946)