Dir campaign refers to a conflict that took place in Dir state in northern

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It was originally an insurrection by locals against the rule of Nawab Jahan Khan that led to the death of 200 soldiers of the Nawab and an unknown number of locals. Afghan tribesmen and lashkars crossed the border into Pakistan to assist the Nawab. This insurrection antagonized Pakistan, which tried to end the conflict by negotiating the resignation of Nawab but no settlement was reached. The Nawab was then overthrown in action of the Pakistan Army, which forced the Afghan lashkars to withdraw.

Background

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.

State violence and underdevelopment

It was reported by

Fosco Maraini Fosco Maraini (; 15 November 1912 – 8 June 2004) was an Italian photographer, anthropologist, ethnologist, writer, mountaineer and academic. Biography He was born in Florence from the Italian sculptor Antonio Maraini (1886–1963) and Cornelia ...

in 1959 during an expedition towards

Hindu-Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in 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 western section of ...

, 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

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.

Civilian uprising

As a consequence, uprisings began eventually to explode. A repressed revolt in 1959 was reported by Maraini's. 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. Pakistani government put heavy pressure on the Nawab Jahan Khan to resign but no diplomatic success was reached.

Afghan infiltration

In September 1960, Afghan tribesmen and some regular troops under civilian cover entered the area of Dir as part of the wider

Bajaur Campaign The Bajaur Campaign was an armed conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan that began in September 1960 and ended in September 1961. It primarily took place in and around Bajaur District in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Hos ...

to help Nawab Jahan khan against the Pakistan-backed opposition. The Afghan lashkars were forced to withdraw and this proved to be the ''casus belli'' for the Pakistani government to launch the operation for the overthrow of Nawab.

Pakistan military operation

In October 1960, Two companies of the SSG covertly in Scouts uniform launched an operation to overthrow the Nawab Jahan Khan and his son Khan of Jandool. First SSG company operated from Chitral under the command of Mirza Aslam Beg Commanded SSG alongside Shariff Force commanded by Brig M. Shariff. They launched an assault on the town of Dir with the aim of overthinking Nawab Jahan Khan. Maj. Nishat Ahmed, Capt. S.M. Naeem and Lt. Fakhre Alam also participated in this operation. The overthrow was bloodless. The second SSG company, commanded by Maj. Aslam Beg, operated in the area of Munda Killa alongside Rakhman Gul Force . Its aim was to capture Khan of Jandool. Lt Col. A O Mitha were part of this company. They transported the Nawab and his son in to Risalpur via air. All the weapons of nawab were confiscated and constitutional government was established. Nawab shah Khesrao khan was recognised as the Nawab of Dir. The SSG personnel remained in the area for a month.

Exile of Nawab

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 Pakistani government's Political Agent.

Aftermath

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.

References

{{Reflist Military campaigns involving Pakistan Afghanistan–Pakistan relations 20th century in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Military history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Conflicts in 1959 Conflicts in 1960 1959 in Pakistan 1960 in Pakistan 1960 in Afghanistan Military campaigns involving Afghanistan Military coups in Pakistan