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OCCUPATION OF BATTAGRAM AND MANSEHRA BY SADAAT, SWATI AND OTHER TRIBES IN 1650 A.D

Syed Jalal Baba, son of Syed Qasim Shah was a pious, devoted and bold person. He belonged to Tirmizi Sadaat of Buner, Swat. He was a religious student in Guli Bagh, Mansehra. Muslim Turk Raja, Sultan Mahmood Khan, ruled the whole territory from Allai to Mangal and Agrore to Kaghan of present districts of Battagram and Mansehra.

Guli Bagh was the capital of his state. In those days, Muzaffarabad was also included in his state, which was ruled by his governor, Kamal Khan. His brother, Raja Qayasuddin, also ruled Tanawal. Raja of Guli Bagh, Sultan Mahmood Khan was influenced by the piousness, uprightness and truthfulness of Syed Jalal Baba. Due to these qualities, he gave his daughter’s hand in marriage to Syed Jalal Baba. He also gifted Bugarmang to his son-in-law, Syed Jalal. All the people of the area had a great respect forf Syed Jalal Baba.

Syed Jalal Baba and his disciple, Murad Khan (grand-father of Khans of Garhi Habibullah) were very shrewd persons. There also lived a very pious person called Dewan Raja Baba, who was Syed Mash-hadi and son of Syed Bari Imam Baba, Islamabad. People were extremely fed up with the poor law and order situation of the government of Sultan Mahmood.

In those days, people believed in palmistry and astrology. Sultan Mahmood Khan was also one of them. Once, he asked a renowned astrologer that who would destroy his dynasty? The astrologer told him that Syed Jalal would destroy his dynasty. Turk Raja was not satisfied with his answer. After some days, he again asked the astrologer that who would over-throw him from power? The palmist, after some calculations, told him that Syed Jalal would over-throw him from power. He said that he was his son in-law and why he would be over-thrown by him? He, for the third time asked the palmist the same question that who would topple his government? He was again told that Syed Jalal would topple his government. The Turk Raja was extremely dis-appointed to listen to the same answer.

The Turk Raja decided to kill Syed Jalal. One day, he invited Syed Jalal Baba to his house and richly entertained him. At the end of the day, he was sent back to his home with some of his armed men. When they were passing through some grassy fields, the armed men of Turk Raja, Sultan Manhood, fired Syed Jalal Baba. Syed Jalal Baba was injured and fell down in some deeper place situated at ‘Dug’. The armed men of Turk Raja thought that Syed Jalal had been killed. After the departure of the armed men, Syed Jalal Baba got up and went back to his home. He did not know that why his father in-law wanted to kill him. When he fully recovered from the injuries, decided to teach a lesson to Turk Raja, Sultan Mahmood Khan. He went to Swat and told the whole story to his cousin, Syed Masood, son of Mian Abdul Wahab. He asked the different Swati tribes, etc.

to attack and occupy the state of Turk-Raja of Guli Bagh, Phakal, Hazara.

Yousufzai who came from Ghwara Marghai ( ) of Khurasan via Qandhar and Nangarhar attacked the present Swati tribes of Battagram and Mansehra and exiled them

from Swat. Swati tribes lived an exile life for more than hundred and fifty years at Kohistan, Darra Niag, Bisham, Lahore and other adjacent areas of Swat. All the people of Swati tribes were in a miserable and depressing condition. They warmly welcomed the call of Syed Jalal Baba to attack the state of Guli Bagh. In those days, Sadaat were highly respected and trusted by all the people. Syed Jalal Baba was advised by his cousin, Syed Masood to ask one of the descendants of Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Shah to lead the forces against the Turk Rajgaan, as they were respected and trusted by all the people. He requested Syed Pir Saadat Shah Baba to command the forces against the Turk-Rajgaan of Hazara. A big lashkar of 600-armed men of different tribes including Sadaat (Tirmezi, Sherazi, etc.), Swati, Akhoonkhel, Madekhel was made. They set out to occupy the whole territory from the Turk Rajgaan of Guli Bagh. They fought very bravely and the Turk Rajgaan were defeated one by one. Fierce fighting was occurred at Thakot, Chanjal, Chattar, Phakal, etc. In those days, Sultan Shamsher, who was a cruel and wicked person, ruled Chanjal. The Turk Rajgaan were fled away from their areas and the whole territory from Thakot to Mangal and Agrore to Kaghan was occupied by the forces of Syed Jalal Baba under the command of Syed Pir Saadat Shah Baba in 1650 A.D. There were 600 soldiers in the force of Syed Jalal Baba and every soldier was regularly paid some amount of money. Syed Pir Saadat Shah Baba also bore one fourth of the total expenses.

When the forces of Syed Jalal Baba under the command of Syed Pir Saadat Shah Baba, defeated the forces of Muslim Turk Rajgaan of Phakal-Hazara and occupied the whole territory from Allai to Mangal and Agrore to Kaghan in 1650 A.D., Syed Muhammad Ahmad Shah, father of Syed Pir Saadat Shah Baba had gone to perform Hajj. After coming back from Hajj, he was shocked to know that the whole territory from the Muslim Turk-Rajgaan had been forcefully occupied under the leadership of his son, Syed Pir Saadat Shah. He asked as to why the Muslims of one territory fought against the Muslims of other territory and occupied their lands by force. He thought that the share in occupied lands given to his son, Syed Pir Saadat Shah, must be given back to the Muslim Turk Rajgaan as these lands were occupied from them forcefully and un-lawfully. When he went to the Muslim Turk Rajgaan (who were living in exile in Behali Sharif) to ask them to get back their lands given to his son, Syed Pir Saadat Shah as his share, he was told that it could be very difficult for them (Turk Rajgaan) to cultivate these lands at different places amongst other Sadaat and Swati tribes. They were so pleased with the honesty and virtuousness of Haji Syed Muhammad Ahmad Shah that one of the Turk Rajgaan gave his daughter’s hand in marriage to his son, Syed Pir Saadat Shah. Muslim Turk Rajgaan also gifted the lands given to the son of Syed Muhammad Ahmad Shah as his share in occupied lands. After that, Syed Muhammad Ahmad Shah was satisfied and decided to live in Oghaz Banda, Battagram.

Note: Professor Muhammad Akhtar in his book titled “Tajik Swati and Mumlikat-e-Gabar, Tarikh Kay Ainay Mein” writes on page # 380, “When the Swati tribes were defeated one by one and their whole area of Dir and Swat was occupied by the Yousuf

Zai tribe, Swatis were exiled to Chakesar, Lahore (Darra Niag) and Kohistan. He also states that some of the Swati tribes on the advice of Sher Shah, son of Sultan Jahangir, requested Ghayasuddin, the then Raja of Pakhal, to give them refuge in his state. So, some Swati tribes including Sun Koli, Shalmani, Laghmani, Badeshi (Deshaan) and Bangash, etc. were allowed by Raja of Pakhal, Ghayasuddin to live in allaqa Dikri (Tikri) and Nandharand”.

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DIVISION OF OCCUPIED LANDS AT BATTAGRAM AND MANSEHRA