Dir was a
princely state in a
subsidiary alliance with the
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
, located within the
North-West Frontier Province. Following the
Partition of British India
The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islam ...
, Dir remained independent and unaligned until February 1948, when the
Dominion of Pakistan
The Dominion of Pakistan, officially Pakistan, was an independent federal dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations, which existed from 14 August 1947 to Pakistan Day, 23 March 1956. It was created by the passing of the Indian Independence ...
accepted its
accession.
The princely state ceased to exist as a distinct political entity in 1969, when it was fully incorporated into Pakistan. The territory it once covered is today located in the Pakistani province of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
, forming two northern and southern districts called
Upper Dir and
Lower Dir, respectively.
Geography
Most of the state lay in the valley of the
Panjkora river, which originates in the
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central Asia, Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and eastern Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the wester ...
mountains and joins the
Swat River
The Swat River (, ) is a perennial river in the northern region of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The river's source is in the high glacial valleys of the Hindu Kush mountains, where it then flows into the Kalam Valley before for ...
near
Chakdara. Apart from small areas in the south-west, Dir is a rugged, mountainous zone with peaks rising to in the north-east and to along the watersheds, with Swat to the east and Afghanistan and
Chitral
Chitral () is a city situated on the Kunar River, Chitral River in northern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Lower Chitral District, and was previously the capital of Chitral District, and before ...
to the west and north.
History
Early period
Dir took its name from its main settlement,
Dir, the location of the ruler's palace.
The territories surrounding Dir were populated by their current ethnic majority, the
Pakhtuns, beginning from the end of the 14th century. The Pakhtun were divided in several clans (
khels), often battling one against the other. The three clans which conquered the zone were the
Yusafzai
The Yusufzai or Yousafzai (, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ), or Yusufzai Afghans historically, are one of the largest Pashtun tribes, tribes of Pashtuns. They are natively based in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Malakand Distr ...
(
Painda Khel,
Sultan Khel, Osakhel, Nasirdinkhel), Tarkanrai. The Dir territory was populated in the 16th century by the
Malizai sub-tribe of the Yusufzai, who took control of the zone assimilating or chasing away the previous inhabitants (
Dilazak in Bajour,
Jandool, Maiden, and
Swatis from areas east of the
Panjkora)
and within this tribe the most prominent factions became the Painda khel and Sultan khel.
By the 17th century a section of the Painda khel, coming from the Kohan village in the valley of Nihag (a Panjkora tributary), seized the trade routes with
Chitral
Chitral () is a city situated on the Kunar River, Chitral River in northern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Lower Chitral District, and was previously the capital of Chitral District, and before ...
and Afghanistan.
Ruling Khans
The
Khanate
A khanate ( ) or khaganate refers to historic polity, polities ruled by a Khan (title), khan, khagan, khatun, or khanum. Khanates were typically nomadic Mongol and Turkic peoples, Turkic or Tatars, Tatar societies located on the Eurasian Steppe, ...
is said to have been established in the 17th century by Painda khel leader and charismatic mystic figure Akhund Ilyas Khan (Baba), who founded the State of Dir.
His descendants took the name Akhund khel, preserving and expanding their leadership becoming the Khans of Dir.
Jandool Rule and Fort
Muhammad Umara Khan took power while killing his brother inside the fort and succeeded as the Khan of Jando(o)l.
According to the Sultan Alam Khan (age 90-+ years), "Umara Khan killed his real brother inside the fort," added his son, Sardar Alam Khan, in the historical narration about Umara Khan.
This was the beginning of Umara Khan's control. Later on, he had the Jandool Fort constructed. The large building inside the fort was built in 1960 by Nawabzada Shahabuddin Khan (known as Jandool Khan), the son of Shah Jehan Khan (the then Nawab of Dir). The fort is located strategically controlling the four directions with the bordering area of Bajaur, which borders Afghanistan. The Father of Jan Alam Khan (son of Sultan Alam Khan) related that before shifting / use of this fort, the government of Pakistan took over charge of the Fort at night time. Thus this building remain vacant till the date this was used by Sultan Yousaf (son of Sultan Alam Khan) for the educational purpose as allowed by ex-royal family members after 04 decades of remaining vacant the said Fort.
Jandool Fort was built with purpose of defence. Its corners contain the watch towers and thus the fighters can control either side of the building to keep enemies away. The building has a large number of facilities including a cooking area for hundreds of fighters. A water pond in the middle of the lawn not only provides a good source of water but also adds some beauty to the place. The sons/grandsons of Umara Khan are not living in the Dir area, but their servants are residing beside the building. The fort has lush green areas on four-sides, large trees are adding charm to its beauty, the reception is designed with the aim of receiving guests with honour and good protocols.
In 1881 the ruler of Dir, Muhammad Sharif Khan, was chased away by Khan Umara Khan of Jandool, who conquered Dir, Swat
A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations.
SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
, and the Malakand area. In 1895, however, while the forces of Umara Khan were besieging a British Force near Malakand, Muhammad Sharif Khan decided to make his soldiers join the British Relief Force coming in aid, the Chitral Expedition. During that expedition, Sharif Khan made an agreement with the British Government to keep the road to Chitral open in return for a subsidy. The British eventually won the war and exiled Umara Khan as part of the dual game by British with Umara Khan. This was as a reward for Sharif Khan's help, Sharif Khan was given the whole of Dir and also the lower Swat
A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations.
SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
(the latter territory would be lost in 1917 to the Wali of Swat
A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations.
SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
).
Eventually Umara Khan left the area and went to Kabul, his resting place is in Kabul. The great conqueror was in Afghanistan, far away from the area he belongs to. Strange behavior of British Forces' officers was noted, he is considered as a hero for the Afghans/Pakhtoons of the Dir State.
The ruling Nawabs
The hereditary Nawab Khan Bahador title (nawab
Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...
for short) was granted in 1897 to Mohammad Sharif Khan and inherited by Sharif's eldest son,[ Aurangzeb Badshah Khan (nicknamed as Charha Nawab), who ruled between 1904 and 1925. In 1906 his younger brother, Miangul Jan (Munda Khan), tried in vain to wrest power with the assistance of the Khan of Barwa, Sayed Ahmad Khan, a former ally of Mohammad Sharif. A second attempt in 1913 was successful, but for a very short time,][ as in 1914 Aurangzeb regained the rule over Dir. Also, the other son of Mohammad Sharif, Mohammad Isa Khan, attempted around 1915 to seize the Dir throne by allying with the Khan of Barwa, but Aurangzeb managed to preserve his rule.][
At Aurangzeb's death, in 1925, the title passed to his eldest son, Mohammad Shah Jahan Khan, who was supported by the British Government against the small rival faction that favored his brother Alamzeb Khan. Alamzeb was exiled in 1928 because of his attempts to take power. Shah Jahan Khan was loyal to the British, who nominated him to KBE in 1933.][ In 1947, Jahan Khan sent his troops to support Pakistan during the First Kashmir War, and in 1948 united his princely state with the new ]Dominion of Pakistan
The Dominion of Pakistan, officially Pakistan, was an independent federal dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations, which existed from 14 August 1947 to Pakistan Day, 23 March 1956. It was created by the passing of the Indian Independence ...
. He also nominated his son Muhammad Shah Khan Khusro as successor and other sons (Shahabuddin Khan and Mohammad Shah) governors of different provinces.
Pakistan
On 8 Feb 1948, Dir acceded to the newly created Muslim dominion of Pakistan, initially continuing as one of the surviving princely states of Pakistan
The Princely States of Pakistan () were princely states of the British Indian Empire which Instrument of accession, acceded to the new Dominion of Pakistan in 1947 and 1948, following the partition of India, partition of British India and its In ...
.
The politics of the late Nawabs are described as reactionary and harsh. The Italian anthropologist Fosco Maraini, who visited the state in 1959 during an expedition towards Hindu-Kush, reported the opinion of the people that the Nawab Jahan Khan (who was about 64 years old at that time) was a tyrannical leader, denying his subjects any freedom of speech and instruction, governing the land with a number of henchmen, and seizing for his harem
A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...
any girl or woman he wanted. Maraini also noticed the lack of schools, sewers, and paved roads, and the presence of just a rudimentary newly built hospital. The Nawab was negatively compared to the Wali of the adjacent Swat
A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations.
SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
, whose liberal politics allowed his state to enter into the modern era.
As a consequence, uprisings began eventually to explode. A repressed revolt in 1959 is reported in Maraini's account. Another insurrection in 1960 led to the death of 200 soldiers and put the Nawab in a bad light in the view of the press. General Yahya decided to exile Jahan Khan, who would die in 1968. His throne passed in October 1961 to his eldest son, Mohammad Shah Khosru Khan, educated in India and a serving Major General of the Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...
. However, the effective rule of Dir was taken by the Pakistan government's Political Agent.
A few years later, on 28 July 1969, the Dir state was incorporated into Pakistan, ceasing its political existence. The royal status of the Nawabs was abolished in 1972, at the same time as most other princes of Pakistan.
Rulers Timeline
The information for the following table stems from ''Who's Who in the Dir, Swat, and Chitral Agency''.[
Encyclopædia Britannica][ and accounts by local people] dating back to the 17th century.
Demographics
The population of the state in 1911 amounted to about 100,000 people according to Encyclopædia Britannica, rising to 250,000 in 1931 and falling back to 107,000 in 1951.
At the 1947 Partition of India
The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
, there was a Muslim majority in Dir with small minorities of Hindus and Sikhs
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...
, many of whom left for India during partition.
Flag
The state flag contained several Islamic symbols and three sentences: the top writing is the Bismillah
The (; also known by its opening words ; , "In the name of God") is the titular name of the Islamic phrase “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” (, ). It is one of the most important phrases in Islam and frequent ...
: "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful", the center one is the shahada
The ''Shahada'' ( ; , 'the testimony'), also transliterated as ''Shahadah'', is an Islamic oath and creed, and one of the Five Pillars of Islam and part of the Adhan. It reads: "I bear witness that there is no Ilah, god but God in Islam, God ...
in the Urdu language
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
: "There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God". The bottom phrase reads "with the help of God, victory is near" in the Arabic language. The flag also had a red variant with the same drawings.[. The site cites J. D. McMeekin, ''Arms and Flags of the Indian Princely States'', 3, sec. 12, 1990.]
See also
* Upper Dir District
* Lower Dir District
Lower Dir District (, ) is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Timergara is the district's headquarters and largest city. The Lower Dir district was formed in 1996, when Dir District was divided into Upper Dir and Lower ...
References
External links and Sources
Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
{{Princely states of Pakistan
Dynasties of Pakistan
Former monarchies in Pakistani history
Princely states of Pakistan
Dir District
States and territories disestablished in 1969
History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Pashtun dynasties
1800s establishments in India
1969 disestablishments in Pakistan
Former monarchies of Asia