| 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]
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.