Nizam ul-Mulk (Mehtar of Chitral) explained

Nizam ul-Mulk
Birth Date:1861
Birth Place:Chitral
Death Date:1895
Resting Place:Chitral
The Mehtar of Chitral
Tenure:1892-1895
Residence:Chitral Fort
Royal House:Kator Dynasty
Predecessor:Mehtar Sher Afzal
Successor:Mehtar Amir ul-Mulk

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

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] Nizam-ul-Mulk sought refuge in Gilgit, where he took shelter with the British Agent stationed in the region. The succession passed from Afzal ul-Mulk to his uncle Sher Afzal, whom he drove out of Chitral in 1893, assuming the Mehtarship.[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. 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. 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] 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. 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.

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Parliamentary Debates, Great Britain Parliament. Reuters Telegram Company. 1895. London. 802. en.
  2. Book: McClenaghan, Tony. Indian Princely Medals: A Record of the Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Indian Princely States. 1996. Lancer Publishers. 9781897829196. 171. en.
  3. Book: The Relief of Chitral. mehtar nizam ul mullk shot.. Younghusband. George John. Younghusband. Sir Francis Edward. 1895. Macmillan and Company. 10 and 11. en.
  4. Book: Singh Chohan, Amar . The Gilgit Agency 1877-1935 . Atlantic Publishers and Distributors . 1997 . 81-7156-146-2 . New Delhi . 66–133.
  5. Book: Simner, Mark . Chitral 1895: An Episode of the Great Game . 2017-08-18 . Fonthill Media . en.
  6. Book: Thomson, H. C. . The Chitral Campaign . 2012-11-19 . Andrews UK Limited . 978-1-78151-349-1 . en.
  7. Book: The Cambridge History of India . 1928 . CUP Archive . en.
  8. Book: Robson, Brian . Crisis on the Frontier: The Third Afghan War and the Campaign in Waziristan 1919-1920 . 2004 . Spellmount . 9781872272115 . 33.
  9. Web site: A. DURAND, The Making of a Frontier (1899) . 2024-02-07 . www.tertullian.org.
  10. Book: Gurdon in HJ v5 . Chitral Memories--Events leading up to the Siege . 1933 . 5–10.
  11. Book: Blackwood's Magazine 1895-09: Vol. CLVIIII . 1895 . Blackwood Pillans and Wilson . English.
  12. Book: Low . Sidney . The dictionary of English history . Pulling . Frederick Sanders . 1910 . London : Cassell . Robarts - University of Toronto.
  13. Book: Grant, James . 1874-1897 . 1899 . Cassell . en.