Muhammad Ibrahim Khan (), known as Ibrahim Gawsawar (; ), was the leader of the armed uprising of the

Hazara people The Hazaras (; ) are an ethnic group and a principal component of Afghanistan’s population. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan. Hazaras ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

in protest against taxes during

Zahir Shah Mohammad Zāhir Shāh (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Ruling for 40 years, Zahir Shah was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan since t ...

's rule.

Life and story

Ibrahim Gawsawar was born in 1915 in Sharistan,

Uruzgan province Uruzgan (Pashto: ; Dari: ), also spelled as Urozgan or Oruzgan, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Uruzgan is located in the center of the country. The population is 436,079, and the province is mostly a tribal society. Tarinkot ...

(now

Daikundi province Daikundi (Dari/) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central part of the country. It has a population of about 516,504 people, who are mostly peasants, traders, and shop owners. Daikundi falls into the traditionall ...

) in Afghanistan. His father "Muhammad Musa Khan" and his grandfather "Arbab Amirdad" were the beigs and the elders of local people. Arbab Amirdad, was called Gawsawar (); (

bull rider Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To rec ...

) because he was riding a "saddled bull"; And Ibrahim Khan was called the son of Gawsawar or Ibrahim Gawsawar.

Uprising

Ibrahim Gawsawar was the leader of the armed uprising against

's rule, protesting the heavy taxes imposed on the

Hazaras The Hazaras (; ) are an ethnic group and a principal component of Afghanistan’s population. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan. Hazaras al ...

. When the decree of Chancellor

Mohammad Hashim Khan Sardar Mohammad Hashim Khan (1884 – 26 October 1953) was a political figure in Afghanistan. Life and career Mohammad Hashim Khan was born in 1884 in Dehradun, British India. He was the younger brother of King Mohammad Nadir Shah and the eld ...

was issued to collect oil tax was issued on a per capita basis from all animals and dairy cattle in Hazara regions, this government action made life difficult and unbearable for the people of this region because the people did not have the power to pay the tax and a large part of Hazaras were forced to immigrate and flee within or to neighboring countries. To end this excruciating situation, Ibrahim Gawsawar, with the support and participation of the people, revolted against Zahir Shah's government and forced the government to retreat. In 1944 Ibrahim Gawsawar, with a group of peasants and local people, started an armed uprising and presented their request to cancel the oil tax on Hazaras to the ruler of

Panjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and nor ...

after many struggles. The ruler of Panjab transferred their request to the central government and after long negotiations, finally in 1946, oil tax was removed from Hazara people. And this uprising was called his peasant uprising. Ibrahim Gawsawar then went to

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

along with some other influential and elders of the Hazara people to meet with the government officials, but at the request of the government, he stayed in Kabul so that the ground for anti-government uprisings would be taken away from him. When the scope of the uprising spread, Zahir Shah removed Mohammad Hashim Khan from the position of chancellor and appointed

Shah Mahmud Khan Sardar Shah Mahmud Khan (Pashto/Dari: – b:1890 d: 27 December 1959) was the Prime Minister of Afghanistan from May 1946 to 7 September 1953, under King Mohammad Zahir Shah's monarchy. He was from the Pashtun tribe of Barakzai Mohammadzai. H ...

instead. One of the consequences of Ibrahim Gawsawar's uprising was the removal of Mohammad Hashim Khan from his position. Ibrahim Gawsawar in the "Ittihad party", along with

Ismael Balkhi Sayed Isma'el Balkhi () (1918 –14 July 1968) was one of the most prominent Hazara reformist leaders in 20th-century Afghanistan. As a poet, mystic and a political leader, Balkhi is considered the figurehead of modern Hazara history. Lif ...

and some other members of the Ittihad party's central council, had an armed approach, and in

Nowruz Nowruz (, , () , () , () , () , Kurdish language, Kurdish: () , () , () , () , , , , () , , ) is the Iranian or Persian New Year. Historically, it has been observed by Iranian peoples, but is now celebrated by many ...

1950, they made a plan to assassinate the new chancellor Shah Mahmoud Khan and change the state of the government. Ibrahim Gawsawar was supposed to be responsible for the shooting. but this plan was revealed before its implementation and the leadership circle of the Ittihad party were all arrested and remained in Dehmzang prison in Kabul without trial until 1964.

End of life

After his release from Dehmzang prison, Ibrahim Gawsawar lived in

Puli Khumri Puli Khumrī (), also spelled Pul-i-Khumri or Pol-e Khomri, is a city in northern Afghanistan. Puli Khumri is the capital and largest city of Baghlan Province, whose name comes from the other major town in the province, Baghlan. Puli Khumri has ...

Baghlan province Baghlan ( Dari and ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan and located in northeastern Afghanistan. As of 2020, the province has a population of about 1,014,634. Its capital is Puli Khumri, but its name comes from the other major town in t ...

, because when he was imprisoned with the Ittihad party members, his family and some of his relatives were exiled to Pul Khumri, by Zahir Shah's government. Ibrahim Gawsawar lived under the care of the government until the end of his life. Finally, he died on the 5 December, 1982, in Pul Khumri.

References

External links

محمدابراهیم گاوسوار
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gawsawar, Ibrahim 1915 births 1982 deaths Hazara people Hazara politicians

Life and story

Uprising

End of life

See also

References

External links