Nizam ul-Mulk (Mehtar of Chitral)
Nizam ul-Mulk | |
|---|---|
| The Mehtar of Chitral | |
| Tenure | 1892-1895 |
| Predecessor | Mehtar Sher Afzal |
| Successor | Mehtar Amir ul-Mulk |
| Born | 1861 Chitral |
| Died | 1895 |
| Buried | Chitral |
| Residence | Chitral Fort |
Nizam ul-Mulk (1 January 1861 – 1 January 1895) was the Mehtar of the princely state of Chitral and ruled it from 1892 until his assassination in 1895.[1][2][3]
Biography
[edit]He was born as third son of Aman ul-Mulk. Upon his father's death on 30 August 1892, Nizam-ul-Mulk was away from Chitral, serving as the Governor of Yasin.[4] During his absence, his younger brother Afzal ul-Mulk usurped his rightful position and assumed the Mehtarship, which was acknowledged by the Government of India.[5][6][4] Nizam-ul-Mulk sought refuge in Gilgit, where he took shelter with the British Agent stationed in the region.[5][4] The succession passed from Afzal ul-Mulk to his uncle Sher Afzal, whom he drove out of Chitral in 1893, assuming the Mehtarship.[6][7][8]
Upon his departure, Colonel Algernon Durand[9] dispatched 2 Kashmir mountain battery guns, 250 rifles of a Kashmir regiment, and 100 Hunza levies (commanded by Humayun Beg) armed with Snider carbines to Gupis, at the mouth of the Yasin Valley, with which he occupied Mastuj.[10] A skirmish near Drasan took place, which ended up in favor of Nizam ul-Mulk, causing Sher Afzal to flee and seek refuge with the Afghan Ispahsalar in Asmar, Kunar province, Afghanistan.[10] Nizam ul-Mulk's first act after assuming power was to send a request to Gilgit that a British mission might visit him without delay.[11] This request was complied with, and in January 1893, a party of four officers, headed by George Robertson and Francis Younghusband, and escorted by fifty rifles of the 15th Sikhs, arrived at Chitral.[11]
He was murdered on 1 January 1895 at Broze while hawking by his younger brother Amir ul-Mulk.[12][13][3] Legend has it that during the incident, Nizam ul-Mulk's turban fell off, and as he stopped to pick it up, Amir ul-Mulk attempted to shoot him.[3] Although his shot missed, at a signal from his master, one of his retainers shot Nizam ul-Mulk in the back, causing his immediate death.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ The Parliamentary Debates, Great Britain Parliament. London: Reuters Telegram Company. 1895. p. 802.
- ^ McClenaghan, Tony (1996). Indian Princely Medals: A Record of the Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Indian Princely States. Lancer Publishers. p. 171. ISBN 9781897829196.
- ^ a b c d Younghusband, George John; Younghusband, Sir Francis Edward (1895). The Relief of Chitral. Macmillan and Company. pp. 10 and 11.
mehtar nizam ul mullk shot.
- ^ a b c Singh Chohan, Amar (1997). The Gilgit Agency 1877-1935. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. pp. 66–133. ISBN 81-7156-146-2.
- ^ a b Simner, Mark (18 August 2017). Chitral 1895: An Episode of the Great Game. Fonthill Media.
- ^ a b Thomson, H. C. (19 November 2012). The Chitral Campaign. Andrews UK Limited. ISBN 978-1-78151-349-1.
- ^ The Cambridge History of India. CUP Archive. 1928.
- ^ Robson, Brian (2004). Crisis on the Frontier: The Third Afghan War and the Campaign in Waziristan 1919-1920. Spellmount. p. 33. ISBN 9781872272115.
- ^ "A. DURAND, The Making of a Frontier (1899)". www.tertullian.org. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ a b Gurdon in HJ v5 (1933). Chitral Memories--Events leading up to the Siege. pp. 5–10.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Blackwood's Magazine 1895-09: Vol. CLVIIII. Blackwood Pillans and Wilson. 1895.
- ^ Low, Sidney; Pulling, Frederick Sanders (1910). The dictionary of English history. Robarts - University of Toronto. London : Cassell.
- ^ Grant, James (1899). 1874-1897. Cassell.
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