Amb (princely state)
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Amb was a princely state in what is today the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. The state ceased to exist in 1969, when it was merged with the province of West Pakistan.
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[edit] History
Amb was originally known as Tanawal and was the tribal homeland of the Pathan Tanoli people. The Nawabs of the Tanolis were best known for fighting against the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh. Prior to this, Tanawal was also a part of Pakhal Sarkar, which was ruled by Turks for centuries. The last Turk ruler of Hazara(Pakhal Sarkar)was Sultan Mehmud Khurd and his brother Sultan Qias-ud-Din Khan was the last Turk Wa'ali (Governor) of Tanawal. When the Tanolis overthrew the Turks, they gained strength and established their rule in upper Tanawal and a portion of lower Tanawal as well. Thus was the beginning of Amb State around the end of 18th century. Descendants of Sultan Qias-ud-Din,however, managed to retain certain lands in lower Tanawel and assumed the title of Raja after establishing a Jagir. They still live in village Behali in Mansehra District. The Nawabs later established Amb as a princely state, ranking as a non-salute state under the British Raj. In 1947 the Nawab of Amb, Mohammad Farid Khan, acceded to Pakistan. In 1969, the state was incorporated into the North-West Frontier Province and in 1971 the royal status of the Nawab was abolished by the Government of Pakistan. The construction of the Tarbela Dam across the Indus River in the early 1970s resulted in much of Amb state being submerged by the reservoir.
[edit] Nawabs of Amb
The Tanoli tribe headed by its chieftains, the Nawab of Amb Family, enjoys great importance in Hazara Division of the North West Frontier Province. Amb state, as it is known, has a history that goes back to pre-Mughal times when in the early part of the fourteenth century the Tanoli tribe under its chieftains conquered and settled on the banks of the river Indus and a big area around it, which came to be known as “Tanawal”. A picturesque place was chosen for a capital on the river banks and named Amb. The principality of Tanawal, which was accepted by the British Government as a state came to be known as Amb state. The bond of kinship between the people and the rulers proved to be a major source of strength and unity during the very turbulent times following the liquidation of the Mughal empire. Prior to the British period the whole of the territory ruled by the chief of Amb was known as Mulk-e-Tanawal (Settlement Report of Hazara District, 1872 pages 682 & 684). The voluminous Urdu copy of the settlement report of Hazara compiled by Major Wace in 1872 contains many passages in its historical resume of the area. In a number of maps drawn at the time and enclosed in the report, showing Hazara under the Mughals and under the Durranis, the Amb state has been shown as Mulk-i-Tanawal. (Country of Tanawal). The original existence of that Mulk is as old as the middle period of the great Afghan invasions of India. The principality ruled by the Nawabs of Amb was spread over 30 miles in tne Indus valley and 200 miles in the upper Tanawal area comprising more than 500 villages.
The Amb State as it is known has ever since its creation managed its own affairs without any interference from the Mughals, Sikhs and the British. No invader has ever succeeded in imposing his administrative measures on Amb state, nor has its lands ever been measured or assessed for any rates of land revenue either by the Sikhs or the British, nor has the British government ever enforced any enactment, criminal or civil, in any part of the Amb state. It was run so wisely and brilliantly that no one in the periods of Mughals, Sikhs or British rulers meddled with its affairs. Rather the rulers of Amb were appreciated in every period for smoothly running the affairs of the state. Maintaining cordial relations based on mutual respect with the tribes of Kala Dhaka has always been a priority of the rulers of Amb and the then Nawab was invited to " Darbar e Dehli" on special invitation from viceroy of India upon arrival of Queen of England. In 1947 when the Subcontinent was being partitioned Nawab Sir Mohmmad Farid Khan the then ruler of Amb acceded to Pakistan by signing Instruments of Accession with the Quaid -e-Azam, The State was finally merged with the province of West Pakistan and the royal status of the Nawab abolished in 1969.
[edit] Famous Rulers of Amb
Mir Painda Khan: Mir Painda Khan is famed for his staunch rebellion against Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Governors of Hazara. He was the son of Mir Nawab Khan, who defeated the Durranis and freed his kingdom from their influence. [Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a Sikh ruler of the Punjab. The Hazara region is located in NWFP, Pakistan.]
From about 1813, he spent a life long rebellion against the Sikhs, who, realising the potential of his rebellion, set up forts at strategic locations to keep him in check. Hari Singh Nalwa took this initiative during his governorship. [A Sikh man wearing a turban The adherents of Sikhism are called Sikhs. ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. Hari Singh Nalwa (1791-1837?), an Uppal Khatri born at Gujranwala, was the Commander-in-chief of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.]
Painda Khan's relentless rebellion against the Sikh empire, cost him a major portion of his Kingdom, leaving only his twin capitals Amb and Darband. However, this deterred him less and appeared to increase his resistance against the Sikh government. [Amb was a princely state in what is today the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan.]
The District Gazetteer of the North-West Frontier Province (p138) confirms, "Painda Khan, played a considerable part in the history of his time and vigorously opposed the Sikhs."
Mir Painda Khan set the tone for the regional resistance against Sikh rule. In 1828 Mir Painda Khan gifted the State of Phulra to his brother Mir Madad Khan.
Eventually, realising that the Heroic Tanoli Khan would not be subdued by force, General Dhaurikal Singh, commanding officer of the Sikh troops in Hazara, had Painda Khan poisoned to death in September 1844. He is still revered in Hazara today as a Heroic Warrior King of the People.
Mir Jehandad Khan: This Tanoli chief deserves special mention as the son of a famous Tanoli hero of Amb Darband Hazara, Mir Painda Khan. It is mentioned in 'Men who made the North-West Frontier' (Charles Allen, Abacus 2001, p139) that "Of all the tribal chiefs of Hazara, the most powerful said to be Jehandad Khan of the Tanoli, whose land straddled both banks of the Indus and whose fellow-tribesmen were 'brave and hardy and accounted for the best swordsmen in Hazara'. There was a long history of conflict between Jehandad Khan's family and the Sikhs, and the name of his father Painda Khan, was said to be 'magic to the ears of the people of Hazara' because of the struggles he fought on behalf of his 'poor circumscribed and rugged principality' against the Sikhs. Abbot was aware that before his death Painda Khan had made his son (Jehandad Khan) swear never to trust his safety to any ruler." This was a strong testament to the physical, political power and heroic background of the House of Tanoli which continued throughout the history of the tribes ancestry.
Mir Jehandad Khan is further mentioned in the same source as, "Jehandad Khan - a good looking young man of 26 years, tall and slender, with remarkably large and fine eyes - rode into Abbott's encampment surrounded by an escort of horsemen clad in shirts of mail and steel skull caps, handsomely mounted and equipped, who made a most picturesque display....the bystanders, who regarded the Chief with great awe, were thunderstruck.."
In 1852, Jehandad Khan was summoned by the President of the Board of Administration (who travelled to Hazara to see the Khan) in relation to a murder enquiry of two British civilians in his lands. It is mentioned in the above source (p203,p204) that "Jehan Dad Khan, the head of the Clan, and his minister Boostan Khan...knowing himself charged for his life, with the air of a prince sat down....answered all questions in an easy off hand way that looked very much like innocence. I was glad when the examination was over and the men let go, for they had a following of five or six hundred men, all stalwart fellows who had accompanied their Chief..." The President ended the talk by threatening him that, "If you refuse to give up the murderers...I will come with an army to burn your villages and give your country to another." It is said that the Khan replied, folding hands and with some fun replied with his elders, "We should consider your presence (in our kingdom) an honor, but our country is a 'rather difficult one' for your army." This famed statement was the talk of the day and remembered by many locals of Hazara even to this day as a heroic answer to a staunch threat from a powerful official.
His son, Nawab Bahadur Sir Muhammed Akram Khan was conferred the title Nawab Bahadur by the British Raj.
Nawab Sir Muhammad Akram Khan: The next chief of the Tanolis and son of Mir Jahandad Khan was Nawab Sir Akram Khan (K.C.S.I)(1868 - 1907). He was a popular chief and it was during his tenure that the fort at Shergarh was constructed, along with Dogah and Shahkot Forts. His rule was a peaceful time for Tanawal with no major conflicts.
Nawab Sir Muhammad Khanizaman Khan: Nawab Khanizaman Khan succeeded his father in taking over the reins of power in Tanawal in Amb. He helped the British in carrying out the Black Mountain (Kala Dhaka/Tur Ghar)expeditions.
Nawab Sir Muhammad Farid Khan: Nawab Sir Muhammad Farid Khan (K.B.E) had very a good relation with The Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan. His contributions to the Pakistan movement have been acknowledged by letters from The Quaid e Azam. In 1947 the Nawab of Amb, Mohammad Farid Khan, acceded to Pakistan. In 1969, the state was incorporated into the North-West Frontier Province and in 1971 the royal status of the Nawab was abolished by the Government of Pakistan.
| Tenure | Rulers of Amb (Tanawal)[1] |
|---|---|
| Unknown date - 1818 | (Mir) Nawab Khan |
| 1818 - 1840 | (Mir) Painda Khan |
| 1840 - 1868 | (Nawab) Jahandad Khan |
| 1868 - 1907 | (Nawab) Mohammad Akram Khan |
| 1907 - 26th February 1936 | (Nawab)Khanizaman Khan |
| 26th February 1936 - 1971 | (Nawab) Mohammad Farid Khan |
| 1971 - 1973 | (Nawab) Muhammad Saeed Khan |
| 1973 to Date | (Nawab) Salahuddin Saeed Khan |
| 1973 | Royal status abolished |
[edit] See also
- North-West Frontier Province
- Politics of Pakistan
- History of Pakistan
- Historical regions of Pakistan
- Indian Princely States
- British Raj
- Tanoli
[edit] References
- ^ Ben Cahoon, WorldStatesmen.org. Pakistan Princely States. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
- Gazetteer of the Hazara District, 1883-4 (p38).
- Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province H.A Rose, p255 & p256
- Chiefs and Families of Note in Punjab by Lepel H. Griffin (1910, ii, p254)
- Gazetteer of the North-Western Frontier Province p138.
- Gazeteer of Hazara District (1883/4). (p.61)
- History of the Sikhs by J.D. Cunningham, (1849).
- Accession List of Quaid-i-Azam Papers By Pakistan Education Division. Quaid-i-Azam Papers Cell, Quaid-i-Azam Papers Cell, Education Division, Pakistan, Published 1971, pg 1.
- A British Tale of Indian and Foreign Service: The Memoirs of Sir Ian Scott By Ian Scott, Denis Judd pg68-69.
- Sir George Cunningham: A Memoir By Norval Mitchell Published 1968 Blackwood pg 32, 88, 111.
- The Statesman's year-book By Frederick Martin, John Scott Keltie, Brian Hunter, Isaac Parker Anderson Renwick, Mortimer Epstein, Sigfrid Henry Steinberg, John Paxton (1935-1936), pg 211.
- Panjab Castes by Denzil Ibbetson, Delhi, p93.
- The Pathan Borderland By James William Spain, Published 1963 Mouton, pg 154, 222.
- General Hari Singh Nalwa: Builder of the Sikh Empire By Autar Singh Sandhu, p14, p34-36.
- Studies in Islam: Quarterly Journal of the Indian Institute of Islamic Studies By Indian Institute of Islamic Studies, 1982 the Institute, pg215.
- Journal of Central Asia Vol XII, (July 1990), Prof. Ahmed Hasan Dani, July, 1990 p79.
- Soldier Sahibs: The Men who made the North-Western Frontier by Charles Allen, Abacus 2001.
- The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the of the ruling princes, chiefs, nobles, and other personages, titled or decorated, of the Indian empire, with an appendix for Ceylon by Sir Roper Lethbridge, Elibron Classics, p328.
- A Handbook of Fighting Races of India by P D Bonarjee, p37.
- Afghan and Pathan: A Sketch by George Batley Scott (1928), p71.
- Sir Jadunath Sarkar Commemoration: Volume S By Jadunath Sarkar, p150.
- The Illustrated Who's Who in Reigning Royalty: A History of Contemporary Monarchical Systems by William G. Valko, Philadelphia, Community Press, 1969. p253.
- Encyclopaedic Asiatic, Comprising Indian Subcontinent, Eastern and Southern Asia by Edward Balfour (1976 Cosmo Publications)( First Published in 1858)
- Across the Border: Or Pathan and Biloch by Edward Emmerson Oliver, London : Chapman and Hall, 1890. p313.
- Yearbook By North-west Frontier Province (Pakistan). Information Dept. p247.
- The Jaduns by Sultan Khan Jadun (2001).
- Tarikh-ul-Afghan ka Tehqiqi Jahiza by Sultan Khan Jadun (1979).
- History of Afghanistan, from the Earliest Period to the Outbreak of the War of 1878 By George Bruce Malleson, p46.
- Tairikh-e-Hazara by Dr Sher Bahadur Khan Panni.
[edit] Further reading
- John Sack. Report from Practically Nowhere, 1959 ISBN 0-595-08918-6
