by Jia Lal Kilam

CHAPTER XI
Afghans appear on the Scene

CONSEQUENT upon the murder of Nadir Shah at the hands of his own followers in the year 1747 A. D. Ahmad Shah Abdali seized his vast dominions and installed himself upon the throne left vacant by his death. Such an incident as Abdali coming to power could not pass unnoticed in Kashmir. The policy of the Moguls towards the Kashmiri Muslims was not at all favourable to them. Very few Kashmiri Muslims were ever given a Mansab, and the portals of the military service were closed on them. But in spite of this a rich class of industrialists dealing in shawls and other similar articles had come into existence amongst them. The rise of this class contributed Iargely to the weakening of the Mogul rule in Kashmir. This class had harboured a rancour against their Mogul rulers which was further augmented by the partiality which the latter had shown for the Kashmiri Pandits. Now that the Mogul rule was on its last legs, the rise of Abdali created new hopes in the minds of these Kashmiri Muslims notables. Some amongst them wrote a letter to Abdali inviting him to depute a Subedar for Kashmir with this assurance on their part that the country along with its Mogul Subedar, Afrasiab Beg Khan would be handed over to him without any bloodshed. By chance this letter fell in the hands of Afrasiab Beg Khan, who thinking it inopportune to take any drastic measures agaist the offenders, merely produced it before them in an open Durbar with the hope that such a generous gesture on his part might prevent them from further mischief. But this yielded no beneficial results and fresh conspiracies came to be hatched up. The result was an Afghan incursion. After meeting with some preliminary successes the tide turned against the Afghans, and they met with a complete discomfiture and were forced to beat an ignominous retreat from the country. This incident took place in the year 1748 A. D. the year Mohammad Shah died. Mohammad Shah was succeeded by Ahmad Shah, in whose reign Kashmir permanently passed out of the Mogul suzerainty and came into the possession of the Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali, although for a period of five years more it lingered on as a part of the tottering Empire of the Moguls. Ala Kuli Khan was the last Mogul Subedar of Kashmir. He took charge of his office in the year 1752 A.D. and appointed Mir Muqim Kanth - a Mogul by race and a Kashmir by domicile, who later on played a prominent part in the history of Kashmir as his representative (Naib Qaim Muqam). The term of Afrasiab Beg's office was very troublous for Kashmir. Civil war, famine and flood had wrought havoc upon the country. Mir Muqim set himself in right earnest upon the task of giving a substantial measure, of relief to the people. Besides this he introduced a number of wholesome reforms in the administration of the country and effected reduction in the pay of the army and disbanded a large number of soldiers whose maintenance was an unnecesary burden on the already famished treasury But this action of his served only in reviving the smouldering embers of tension which was inherent in the prevailing conditions. Abul Qasim, the son of Abu Barkat a former Mogul Subedar was in Kashmir. He found time propitious for striking a blow upon Mir Muqim whose phenomenal rise was more than he could tolerate. He came out of his retirement and collected all the discontented soldiers under him and raised the banner of rebellion. Deputing his brother, Nuruddin Khan with a considerable force from the side of Nawa Kadal, he himself took a different route and made a well planned attack upon the house of Mir Muqim at Zaldragar and set it on fire after looting all the valuables found there. Mir Muqim was after this forced to fly for his life to his Jagir at Khuihama and there he stayed waiting for a suitable opportunity. A few more minor skirmishes decided the fate of the country. The Mogul rule came to an end and Abul Qasim became the ruler of the country.

Abul Qasim was not destined to enjoy a peaceful rule, which as it was did not last longer than three months. In the meantime Abdali reached Lahore. Mir Muqim who was biding his time at Khuihama, a village held in fief by him, now joined his hands with Khwaja Dedamari another Kashmiri and together they sent a prayer to Abdali to effect the conquest of Kashmir. Abdali was only too glad to oblige the two Kashmiri notables and deputed Abdulla Aishak Aqasi with a considerable force for the conquest of Kashmir. Abul Qasim too made elaborate preparations to meet his formidable adversary. The two armies met at Gund Niamat, a village near Srinagar. The battle raged for fifteen days. Tremendous efforts were made by Abul Qasim to turn the tide against Aqasi and was on the verge of success when the commander of his forces Gul Khan Khaibri played false to him and joined the other side. This decided the fate of the battle which was so vigorously fought and treacherousIy lost. Abdul Qasim fell into the hands of the enemy and Aqasi made a triumphant entry into the city of Srinagar and laid the foundation of the Afghan rule, though it took some more years before the Afghans were firmly established in the country. But for the time being devastation was let loose on the country.

Aishak Aqasi did not stay in Kashmir for more than six months, but even during this short period he made the ruin of the country complete and left no stone unturned in giving the people a correct idea of what the future would be like. The houses of the rich and poor alike, were plundered. Huge fines were imposed upon the people. Their property was pillaged without mercy and those people who incurred his displeasure were murdered most brutally. The panic that he struck in men's minds was so great that many peopre found solace in committing suicide. Mir Muqim whose political career had begun with very great promise lost completely his former self and fully identified himself with the brutal activities of Aishak Aqasi. He proved a real engine of oppression for the whole country, and by means as have been described above he helped Aqasi in collecting a crore of rupees from the poor and already famished people of Kashmir. For the Kashmiri Pandits Mir Muqim became a terror and many Kashmiri Pandits left their native land in despair. A popular verse of those days may well describe the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits.

Ah dil hama Khaufo Khatr ast Darin shahr
Kun Azmi safar fitna Muqim ast darin shahr.

O Heart ! Both fear and danger are rampant in the city
Prepare for journey " disorder " is stationed (Muqim) in the city.

The Kashmiri Mohammedans themselves were tyrannised beyond all measure and their pent up feelings found articulation in the verses of Mulla Ahmad who painfully depicts the picture in the following lines:

Shud nAi nagma kuchat f aryad
Harfi Afghan chu darmian uftad
Shori Af ghan chu bishnavem beqail
Y adam amad zi suri Israfil
Shori mahshar dayari Afghan ast
Bas ki pur shor karz Afghan ast
Nagaha chu balai damangir
Shah Aqasi rasid dar Kashmir.

" Sweet music of the flute has got
itself changed into mournful notes as
soon as the Afghan made his appearance on the scene.
The uproarious Afghan with his dreadful voice
makes one feel the terrible
panic of the resurrection day.
Whatever the Afghan does brings
before one's eyes the dreadful picture
of the resurrection day with all its
din and and bustle.
Suddenly a calamity overtook the country, the
moment Aishak Aqasi set his foot in Kashmir."

Having stayed in Kashmir for a period of about six months, Aishak Aqasi left for Kabul leaving behind him Abdulla Khan Kabuli to carry on the administration of the country. Abdulla Khan, however, was not destined to occupy long the exalted office to which he was appointed by Aqasi. The people were tyrannised beyond measure by Aqasi and they could expect nothing better from his nominee. The rule of the Afghans too was not fully established in the country by then. Soon after a conspiracy was hatched up by Sukh Jiwan Mal and Abul Hassan Bandey as a result of which Abdulla Khan was murdered. Fully disgusted as the people had become with the methods used by Aqasi, not even a faint voice was raised by them against Abdulla Khan's murder. The removal of Abdulla Khan from the field of action allowed a breathing space for the people of Kashmir, and so bitter was the memory of the past few months that they gladly received the news of Raja Sukh Jiwan himself having assumed the reins of the office of the Administrator of the country. This event took place in the year 1754 A. D.