AYAZ’s DEATH.. (Ayaz of Mahmud Ghaznavi) by Shah Jehan Khan.

AYAZ’s DEATH.. (Ayaz of Mahmud Ghaznavi) by Shah Jehan Khan.

On 29th of August 1037, Ayaz reached Lahore along a Ghaznavid prince. Things were really bad in Lahore after Mahmud’s death. In the year 1041 the day before Eid-ul-Azha, the Ghaznavid prince Majdud was found dead in his bed with no wound marks. A few days later on 8th of August, 1041, in mysterious circumstances Malik Ayaz, the famous Georgian slave and governor of Lahore was also found dead in his bed. In Ghazni, Mahmud’s wife Kausari Jahan was extremely angry at the Persian poet Firdowsi, author of ‘Shahnama’, who wrote some nasty poem against Mahmud (‘The crow’s eggs will give you a crow, no matter which bird hatch it’) because Mahmud didn’t pay Firdowsi what he was promised..one Dinar for one line = 60,000 Dinars but received only 200. She asked him to leave Ghazni before the sunrise. She came back to her room, a slave brought a letter..the letter about Ayaz’s death..Ayaz is dead, Mahmud’s wife didn’t read it further.  She took a long breath.. ‘So, It’s over for us, for Ghaznavids’.. Slave standing beside her.. ‘No, no, Your Highness, why it’s over, our princes are alive and strong..our people love them’. She didn’t reply..asked him to leave.

LAHORE : Late in the night Afghan sardars are sitting in Ronaq Jahan’s mansion, once a heart-throb dancer and singer, now running a professional dancing house (Kotha) meant for selected high class. One of her dancers Saroor Ara, who had an easy command over Pashtu and Persian, was preparing herself to dance, sitting on carpet near Afghan sardars in good mood. The eldest saradar asked Saroor, ..’how come you speak such a good Persian in Lahore?. Soroor said, ‘My father was a Qizalbash general, he married my Persian mother for a few weeks, she got pregnant, we never met him again..you know these sardar.. when travel, marry women here and there and then leave them with some money.. only mothers know the fathers…what a shame.. Qizal Bash, Afghans, Turks, Persians ..oh all the same, I am one of those, never met my father’. Senior Sardar said.. ‘ Saroor, it’s hard to explain, you are young to understand but look.. in return your mother made a fortune, look at your palace like house’. Saroor was young but sharp and hot tempered, got hurt.. she got up, stepped back to the middle of the floor..and said with no blink ‘..and what you Afghans get in return for killing people and looting cities for Turks?’.. She gave a swing to her shoulders in anger and left. Sardars were not expecting this rude gesture. They were about to leave but a messenger rushed in.. ‘Sir, sir.. Malik Ayaz is dead’. Ayaz (Malik Ayaz), Georgian beloved slave of Mahmud Ghaznavi, later ruler of Lahore has died. The news was jolting for Afghan sardars, asked the messenger.. ‘who killed him?’. He said.. ‘not killed sir, just found dead on his bad same like the prince (Ghaznavi’s son) who was also found dead last week with no wound’. Afghan sardars sensed the upcoming storm, got closer to each other.. ‘so, what to do now?..join Ghuris, the next rulers?’. One of them said..’Ghuris are Pashtun too, nothing wrong to join them but not at the cost of..now..helpless Ghaznavids. I think we should rush back to Ghazni to support Ghuris and save Ghaznavi family’.

Next day Ayaz was buried near Rang Mahal, Lahore, now Rang Mahal chowk)