Afghan Shahghasis
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Afghan Shahghasis Written in Pashto By Mohammad Masoom Hotak English Translation By Zaki Hotak 2008 www.hotakonline.com AFGHAN SHAHGHASIS Table of content Preface ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 First things first ------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Loynaab Shairdil Khan ---------------------------------------------------- 7 Khoshdil Khan Loynaab ------------------------------------------------- 15 Shahghasi Shairdil Khan’s daughters -------------------------------- 21 Waali Ali Ahmad Khan -------------------------------------------------- 26 Shahghasi Atta-ullah Khan --------------------------------------------- 32 Shahghasi Mohammad Sarwar Khan -------------------------------- 35 Mohammad Ibrahim Khan --------------------------------------------- 36 Wazir Abdul Aziz Khan -------------------------------------------------- 38 Abdul Hakim Khan ------------------------------------------------------- 40 Shahghasi Mahmood Khan Yawar ----------------------------------- 42 Mohammad Afzal Khan Shairdil -------------------------------------- 46 Genealogy ----------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Glossary -------------------------------------------------------------------- 58 www.hotakonline.com 2 AFGHAN SHAHGHASIS Preface When I started writing my book titled, Kandahari Brothers, I felt it was necessary to write about Shaghasi Shairdil Khan’s family and include it in the book due to their relationship to the subject matter. While researching the topic, I requested a dear member of this family, Mr. Mohammad Yosuf Khan Shairdil, for some pictures and information regarding his family genealogy. He accepted my request and offered his assistance without any hesitation. My research was near completion when Mr. Shairdil suggested that it would be beneficial if this section of the book is translated in English because the majority of youth in this family reside in North America and Europe and thus have difficulties reading Pashto or Farsi texts. I accepted Mr. Shairdil’s proposal and asked my son, Zaki Hotak, to give me a hand in translating this project. The outcome of his hard work lies here before you. I would like to thank Zaki Hotak for his assistance and wish him all the best in the future. In addition, I feel obliged to thank Mr. Mohammad Yosuf Khan Shairdil for his support during the preperation of this book. Mohammad Masoom Hotak Oakville, Canada January 25, 2008 www.hotakonline.com 3 AFGHAN SHAHGHASIS First things first This book here before you is my first official translation from Pashto to English. It is a study of the history of modern Afghanistan and some individuals involved. For any translation project, it is important for the translator to be skilled in both source and target languages. Most Afghan youth, including myself, have migrated from Afghanistan at a young age. Thus it is natural for us to have difficulties in our mother tongue. To an extent, I have managed to solve my difficulties by reading and writing Pashto texts, however I must confess that while working on this project, I faced several challenges. Majority of my challenges were in finding appropriate English equivalents for civil and martial titles of the Royal Court members and those in possession of official government status’. Examples such as Hakim-e-Aalla, Eitimad-ul Dawla, Wilayat-Ma- ab, Motamid-ul-Dawla, Nayeb-ul-Hukuma, and Siraj-ul-Milat-ul- Walidin, are to name a few. These challenges had kept me occupied for quite some time, however with the help of available resources, I managed to find suitable English equivalents for most of these terms and have included them in the glossary on page 52. Another hurdle was the use of different calendar dates for most of the events that took place in this book. I felt it was necessary for all dates to be consistent as it simplified their actual www.hotakonline.com 4 AFGHAN SHAHGHASIS occurrences. Thus using “Tatbeeq-e-Sanawaat” Mohammad Akbar Yosufi, 1963 and “Taqweem-e-Tarikhi” Abdul Qudus Hashimy, May 1965 I converted all these dates from Hijri- Shamsi / Hijri-Qamari to Milaadi (Christian Calendar). Despite the challenges I faced, this project was a great learning experience and to top it all, it gave me a chance to learn about a prominent family in the history of Afghanistan. I want to thank my father, Mohammad Masoom Hotak for giving me an opportunity to deepen my knowledge of our history and for believing in my ability to accomplish this task. His guidance and support is much appreciated. In addition, I hope that dear readers will forgive me for any mistakes they may encounter as they are solely on my part and might have occurred as a direct result of my translation. Zaki Hotak Oakville, Canada January 29, 2008 www.hotakonline.com 5 AFGHAN SHAHGHASIS Loynaab Shairdil Khan www.hotakonline.com 6 AFGHAN SHAHGHASIS Loynaab Shairdil Khan The transfer of Sadozai monarchy to Barakzai monarchy is an important political event in the history of modern Afghanistan. This event must have had several social, political and economic reasons, however, their discussion is not related to my research. During this transfer of power, the role of certain individuals and families became very significant, and historians have been researching it for quite some time. Among these families is that of Bazar Khan Barakzai. Bazar Khan himself, was a local Barakzai elder and belonged to the Omar Khanzai branch of the Barakzai tribe. His father, Yaseen Khan, was a resident of Maaroof Arghasan in Kandahar. We cannot find much about this family in history books but because of Bazar Khan’s son, Mirdaad Khan’s role in capturing the city of Kandahar from Shah Mahmood Sadozai’s Waali (Governor), Nayeb (Deputy) Gul Mohammad Khan, they were rewarded with a respected status in the Barakzai monarchy. Shah Mahmood Sadozai, along with his son, Shahzada (Prince) Kamran, led his army from Kandahar to Kabul in (1819). The objective of this operation was the removal of Amir (King) Dost Mohammad Khan from his throne in the capital, Kabul. Shah Mahmood was accompanied by the blinded Wazir (Minister) Fateh Khan in this army operation as well. He had left Nayeb Gul Mohammad Khan Popalzai in charge of the government in Kandahar. The Kandahari Sardars (Amir Dost Mohammad Khan’s www.hotakonline.com 7 AFGHAN SHAHGHASIS brothers), Kuhandil Khan, Shairdil Khan and Pardil Khan saw this as a golden opportunity, attacked Kandahar city and took control. At the time of seizing the city of Kandahar, the first man who climbed the Kandahar fort on a wooden ladder through the Noorzo Shah Burj, was Mirdaad Khan Barakzai. After taking control of the city, Sardar Shairdil Khan praised Mirdaad Khan Barakzai for his bravery and rewarded him with the title of Eishak Aqaasi 1. Prior to this, Mirdaad Khan Barakzai did not possess a lot of popularity in the political field. From this time on, Mirdaad Khan Barakzai’s family became famous as the family of Shahghasi’s and began to have a great deal of influence in the court of Amir Dost Mohammad Khan (1843- 1863), the founder of the Barakzai Monarchy. Amir’s daughter was married to Shahghasi Shairdil. This Shairdil was Mirdaad Khan’s son and was one of Amir Dost Mohammad Khan’s closest and trusted advisors. Shahghasi Shairdil played an active part in all martial, political and administrative matters and the sultanate in Kabul valued his tribal and martial support and guidance. He was a sociable man in his region and had a great sense of humour. He would joke around with some of the most 1 Katib, Faiz Mohammad - Siraj-ul-Tawarikh 1 / pg 141 - 1993 Leon Poullada, in his book “Reform & Rebellion in Afghanistan, 1919-1929” page 36, mixes the Senior Shairdil Khan’s family with the Kandahari Sardars. This is a serious mistake on Poullada’s part caused as a result of confusing the suffex “Dil” in their names. www.hotakonline.com 8 AFGHAN SHAHGHASIS senior members of the Royal Court and they didn’t mind his humour 2. In the early stages of Amir Shair Ali Khan’s kingdom, Amir’s brothers spread many riots and mutinies in different provinces of Afghanistan. Amir used Shahghasi Shairdil Khan in calming these uprisings down. When Amir’s brother, Sardar (General) Mohammad Aslam Khan, started revolting in Bamyan, Amir sent Shahghasi Shairdil Khan to counsel him. In 1865, Amir Shair Ali Khan lost his power over Kabul to Sardar Abdul Rahman Khan. 2 Mirza Yaqub Ali Khan Khafi has many narrations of Shahghasi Shairdil’s sense of humour. Sayed Masood Pohanyaar , in his book, ” Zuhoor-e-Mashrootiat Wa Qurbaniyan-e-Istibdad Dar Afghanistan” pg 90, states that Amir Abdul Rahman Khan’s tailor, Khalifa Abdullah, had once said that he had brought Amir’s two grandsons, Inayatullah Khan and Amanullah Khan, to him in Bostaan Sarai, Kabul. Amir sat them both down on a chair in front of him. While patting his head, he held Amanullah’s hand in his and stared at it carefully. He said: This boy is Shahghasi Shairdil’s grandson. Amir then asked everyone present, if anyone had ever seen Shahghasi. Everyone there stayed silent. Khalifa Abdullah said” Sir! I have seen him”. Amir turned his face towards Sardar Abdul Qudus Khan, Eitimaad-ul-Dawla, who was standing behind him, and furiously asked why he didn’t say that he had seen him? He added that “If I considered you one of “them” you wouldn’t be standing in front of me alive.” ( By “them”, Amir meant the supporters of Amir Shair Ali Khan - . Hotak). Amir continued: “I arrested Shahghasi after he got injured in the battle of Sayed Abad ( The text states Shash Gaw?. Hotak) and brought him to Kabul. After his treatments were completed and his wounds had healed, he asked to be released and I let him go. But I told him that if he was to ever go to battle with me and I captured him, he wouldn’t be left alive. He was a very humorist, well built and hairy man. This boy, (Amanullah Khan. Hotak) when he grows up, will be just as hairy as him, he would even have hair on his nose.” Amir added: “ If the Monarchy stays within our family until this boy grows up, he will make a great king” (Amir’s predictions were correct.