Khanism in Dir. History of Princely State Dir

Feudalism in Dir: The Arrival of Khans and Nawabs.

ByFazlul Haq Fazlur-Rahman 

 

Khanism in Dir 

 Khanizm started in Dir valley in 1626 AD by a spiritual leader of Maly Zai Tribe named Akhund Ilyas Baba. He was a religious scholar used to preach Islamic education and resolve the tribal disputes and conflicts through Muslims Law and Jurisprudence and also had deep knowledge on local social systems. Slowly and gradually he became popular, effective and respected person in the Maly Zai area. The people began to honor his sayings and soon he established his rule in Dir Village and became the first Khan. His successors managed to extend the territorial limits of their rule giving birth to an autonomous political entity, which later on became the princely state of Dir. After his death in 1676 AD his son Mulla Ismail succeeded to the throne (Gaddi) and remained Khan until 1752. He was also educated in Muslims Law and ruled the state in a good manner following his father footsteps. 

 Khan Ghulam Khan became the successor of Mulla Ismail in 1752 and remained in rule till 1804. Unlike his father and grandfather, Ghulam Khan was more interested in ruling the people and living a royal life style instead following the way of his forefathers. Khan Zafar Khan succeeded Ghulam Khan in 1804 and ruled the state till 1814. He established a formal and paid military force and started to extend his rule to the surrounding areas. His major achievement was the invasion on the Kohistani Kafirs when he defeated them in a battle and conquered the area. The next successor in the Khanizm was Khan Qasim Khan Shahid who ruled Dir state from 1814 to 1822. He was assassinated by his sons in 1822. 

 The golden period, in the three centuries Khanizm, was the rule of Khan Ghazan Khan who ruled the state for 46 years from 1822 to 1868. He reorganized his military force and started to recover the areas which were lost by his predecessors. This was the time of several internal and external threats because of the freedom movement of 1857. However, he overcome the challenges through his wisdom and didn’t lose control of his state. He died in 1870 and his son Khan Rahmatullah Khan took charge of the Gaddi of Dir who was a great warrior and a judicious ruler. Rahmatullah Khan on the one hand was facing the opposition of his brothers who were not ready to accept his rule, while on the other hand he was threatened by his son Khan Sharif Khan. With the help of Umara Khan of Jandol, Khan Sharif Khan attacked his father’s state. However, the commanding skills and wisdom of his father always defeated him.  

 During that time Jandool principality was under the rule of Umara Khan who was known by the British as Napoleon of the East due to his expeditions. Umara Khan after fighting with his brothers succeeded to the throne of Jandool in 1880 and started invading the neighboring localities of Dir state. Umara Khan made several attacks on Dir and until 1884, more than half of the Dir state came under his rule. After the death of Khan Rahmatullah Khan in 1884, his son Sharif Khan succeeded as the new Khan of Dir. The continuous pressure from his brothers enforced Sharif Khan to recover the areas conquered by Umara Khan. Until 1890, these two forces remained in a state of continuous aggression against each other and several battles were fought. This was the sixth attack of Umara Khan on the territory of Dir, when he finally succeeded in occupying the whole state. By the autumn 1890 the whole of Dir state was under the control of Umara Khan and Sharif Khan was exiled to Swat. He appointed his brother Muhammad Shah Khan as the Governor of the state who started collecting revenue from the people of the area and also took the timber trade of Panjkora into his hands.  

The Arrival of Nawabism in Dir  

      

After the merger of Dir into Jandool, Umara Khan continued his expeditions and started invasions on the other surrounding principalities such as Nawagai, Nikabi Khel and Ranizai. His power expanded up to Dargai Skhakot in the south of Malakand and up to Chitral state in the north. Umara Khan was at the top of his power in the year 1894, having completely recovered all his previous possessions and now began to actively intrigue in Chitral. The advancement of Umara Khan and Sher Afzal into the Chitral territory resulted into a series of incidents which ultimately led to Chitral Siege on March 3rd. The incidence of Chitral Siege brought a new turn in the history of Dir, Chitral and other principalities. Due to increasing powers of Umara Khan in Chitral, the British agents in Gilgit directly came into the play and confronted the lashkar of Umara Khan. This confrontation converted into a long lasting bloody war between the British army and Umara Khan. The British advised Umara Khan again and again to withdraw his forces and interference from Chitral but he paid no heed to their warnings.  

 In this situation, the dispatch of Chitral Relief Force became necessary for the British government in order to settle the Chitral dispute. However, the Chitral Relief Force had to pass through the Dir route where there was no passage for the British army. This was the time for the involvement of the exiled Khan of Dir, the Khan Sharif Khan. The British Officials knowing about the past conflicts between the Khan of Dir and Umara Khan used this opportunity and invited the former to dialogues on the issue. A deal was signed between the British forces and the ex Khan of Dir. The Khan was offered the throne of Dir and possession of the lost areas in return for his assistance in providing safe passage through the Dir route and support against the Khan of Jandool. Khan Muhammad Sharif Khan, who up to now had been a refugee in Swat was too glade to accept that offer. He with the help of the tribes in his support conquered the forts on the banks of River Panjkora and made the passage clear for the Chitral Relief Force. In this way the British forces reached Chitral and the powers of Umara Khan came to an end.  

After the Chitral dispute was resolved, the Khan of Dir Muhammad Sharif Khan was rewarded the throne of Dir and he came into power as per agreement with the British officers. He was declared as the first Nawab of Dir in 1895 and his rule was formally recognized by the British government. The succession of Sharif Khan to the Gaddi of Dir as the first Nawab was accompanied by substantial changes in the political and social setup of Dir principality. Sharif Khan remained Nawab till 1904 and ruled the state for nine years. However, during his rule, the state didn’t progress properly because of financial, political and social constraints faced by this embryonic state and its new ruler. Besides these unfavorable conditions, the Movement of Sartor Fakir (a rebellion against the British rule) during 1897 resulted into a long lasting conflict between British forces and the religious elements of Dir state. Due to these upheavals, no development activities were undertaken in the state during the rule of first Nawab.  

 Sharif Khan died in 1904 and his son Muhammad Awrangzeb Khan known by Chara Nawab (dumb) succeeded as the second Nawab of Dir. According to the elders, Chara Nawab was a spiritual person and a judicious leader. However, he was handed over the throne of Dir with a countless number of internal and external threats limiting his capacity to lead the state towards prosperity, peace and development. He remained Nawab for 20 years. This whole time was spent in a situation of insecurity and aggressions from the Swat and Jandool states on account of boundaries demarcation. It is said that a total of 45 battles were fought with the forces of Swat and Jandool during the rule of Chara Nawab. The continuous uprisings between Dir and Swat were creating security threats for the British movements through the Dir-Chtiral Highway. Therefore, they planned to settle the issue between these two principalities by demarcating the boundary permanently. Finally, it was 1923 when an agreement was signed by the Wali of Swat and the Nawab of Dir and the boundary issue between the two states was resolved. After this agreement, Chara Nawab got rid of the conflicts and insurgency from Swat state but the issues of Jandool rebellions persisted. 

After his death, Chara Nawab was succeeded by his son Muhammad Shah Jehan Khan in 1924. Shah Jehan Khan was a disobedient son not complying with the teachings of his father contrary to his younger brother Alamzeb Khan. Therefore, he lived most of his life out of his father’s rule away from his family. According to the elders, the officers and ministers of Awrangzeb Khan were very corrupt and were trying to take the powers of state into their hands during the illness of Nawab. Moreover, a number of the officers were not in favor of Shah Jehan Khan and used to support the succession of his younger brother Alamzeb Khan. However, Shah Jehan was very clever and planned to get the favor of all the resourceful persons. Initially he settled the matter with his younger brother through a Jirga and immediately reached to India in order to get the title of Nawab from the British Viceroy. In this way Shah Jehan Khan succeeded to the throne and became the third Nawab of Dir. Soon after coming into power, he gathered the corrupt officers of the preceding rule and punished them with death in a very violent and wild manner. 

Shah Jehan Khan established good ties with the British representatives and Political Agent of Malakand in order to get their full support. 

Nevertheless, he was never in favor of the British presence and interference in his rule. Moreover, he never wanted the free and unrestricted movement of British officers in Dir state. However, he didn’t opt for any direct confrontation with British authorities as it would have weakened his power in ruling the people and protecting the state from any outside aggression.  

 The period of Shah Jehan’s rule was undoubtedly the darkest stage in the history of Dir state and the negative impacts of his miserable and shortsighted governance can still be observed in every sector of the society even after passing of more than five decades. During his rule, there was a complete ban on education and the construction of health centers. Pursuing education in the jurisdiction of the state was considered as a serious offense and those who tried to get education were punished and exiled from the state. There were very few people who were able to afford education outside Dir. Majority of common people remained in the darkness of illiteracy and deprived of basic health facilities. This act of ignorance made the state one of the most undeveloped areas of the country.  

 The construction of big houses was seriously restricted and those who constructed such buildings were jailed and their dwellings were demolished. Moreover, there was a ban on the execution of any development project or construction of infrastructure in the limits of the state. There were only one major route connecting Chikdara (Lower Dir) with Proper Dir, which was the capital of the state. People were not allowed to keep private vehicles and were compelled to travel in the state buses, which were very few in number and in very pathetic conditions. His revenue system was also biased and was not based on equal collection of tax from every part of the state jurisdiction. He appointed his men in every village and used to collect grains in each cropping season known as Nawab’s Ushar. The people belonging to the royal tribe were exempted from revenue collection and the others were compelled to pay all the duties. Certain tribes were to feed his horses and dogs and others were to provide a fix number of hunted birds on monthly basis. 

 In short, the period of Nawab’s rule was full of inhuman acts and darkness for the inhabitants of the valley. Everything belonged to the people who run the state, while the public was treated in a very unlawful and cruel manner. The state remained in backwardness and couldn’t progress in any sector until the end of Nawabism and arrival of formal governance. This darkest age of Dir Valley came to an end in 1969 when Shah Jehan was arrested and took away by the Government of Pakistan. Dir was declared as a settled district of Pakistan in 1970 and since then the area started to develop. Education and health facilities were established and development projects were initiated. Hence, it can be said that development started in Dir after 1960. 

Read Part 1 Of This Research.

HISTORY OF DIR VALLEY PAKISTAN: 
FROM ARYANS UP TO THE ARRIVAL OF  
AFGHAN PASHTUNS