Mullah Powindah
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Mullah Powindah born Mohiuddin Mahsud (Urdu/Pashto: insert) (died 1913) was a religious leader in the Pashtun tribe of the Mahsuds. Mullah Powindah led a long standing guerilla insurgency against the British forces in the late 19th century.
Mullah Powindah used to visit the Tochi Valley and incite people to Jihad. He started getting known as the Selani Mullah and later on as Mullah Powindah. Not many people know that his real name was Mohiuddin. He was not a scholar in real terms but was familiar with the main tenets of Islam. And due to his closeness with the clergy came to be known as a Mullah. He was a revolutionary National leader and even the staunchest and most unwilling Wazir and Mahsud tribesmen supported him and united on his call.
Mullah Powindah did Bai'ath from Mullah Muhammad Anwar of Tirah under the Qadiriyyah Tarikah. His teacher was Maulana Hamzullah Wazir who also was a prominent mujahed of his time. Along with religious teachings, Mullah Powindah also received military training from Maulana Hamzullah Wazir.
[edit] Clash with the British
His increasing popularity could not be bore by the British. They were already aware of the resistance from the Wazirs. In 1894, their sufferings at the hand of the Mujahideen in Wana were still fresh in their minds. This was the instance in which 2000 Wazir and Mahsud youth wreaked havoc on the British Cantonment. After this incident, Baros was named the political agent to the agency. He had already played a major role in the success of the Sandeman policy in Balochistan.
However, Baros knew it would be difficult to handle the tribes. Unlike Balochistan; where sardars wield the power, these tribes had power in the Jirga; where every single youth is an important member of it. As soon as Baros was appointed, a group of 5 Wazirs assassinated the English officer in charge of the constructions and communications department. He then pressurized the Maliks to bring forward the accused in a Jirga and punish them. The Mahsud tribe wielded under pressure and brought forward the 5 accused. They were given 7 years imprisonment each.
When Mullah Powindah came to know about this, he was very heart broken and understood that this was an act of subjugation to the British. He announced that no one is to carry out this punishment. At this, the public surrounded the abodes of each of the Maliks who had announced this punishment. Three of the Maliks were executed for treason whereas 2 vanished fearing their lives. Along with this, Mullah Powindah also sent a letter to the political agent Mr. Baros through his trusted nephew Mullah Abdul Hakeem. In the letter he told the PA to release the five tribesmen. At the time of receiving the letter. Mr. Baros was again planning to recapture areas outside Wana. Mullah Powindah also told him to stay clear of Wana in the same letter.
As expected, the PA did not pay much attention to the warnings and sent an abuse riddled reply to Mullah Powindah. After the failure of these peace talks, Mullah Powindah decided to teach the English Political Agent a lesson. The Mahsuds and Wazirs were also very cunning and crafty with the English. In peace talks, whenever the English would give demands, they would always accept it; but later on, they would fulfill nothing
Early morning on the 2nd of November 1894, the English officers were still enjoying their sleep in the Wana cantonment. All of a sudden, a Lashkar of Mujahideen made a surprise attack. Such was the ferocity and quickness of the strike that the English forces lost morally and couldn’t make proper decisions on how to regroup.
According to the pioneer (published from Allahabad, India), the number of Mujahideen was around 1000. And it described the event in quite detail of how the drumming, shouting and firing Mujahideen caught the world super power in surprise. They were unstoppable and anybody coming in their paths was sent to death
The article reported the deaths of at least 100 English officers and common soldiers and at least twice that amount injured. And as soon as they attacked, the Mujahideen retreated back to their mountain strongholds with the same swiftness; jubilating all the way. General Turner and Major O'Neil sent soldiers in pursuit of the retreating party but they came back empty handed.
The ranks of the British officers throughout the sub continent started mourning this great loss as soon as news of this was published in the nation’s newspapers the next day. The corridors of London's palaces shook at the sale of the losses.
Almost immediately, another army was assembled and its reigns were handed to Sir William Lockhart and sent to Waziristan. By November, cantonments in Waziristan were full to the brink with armies under the British.
General Lockhart gave Mullahs and other leaders a time frame of one month in which to submit an apology. But throughout the time nobody said anything or did anything.
On 14 December of the same year, the army spread out hoping to face resistance and teaching the Mujahideen a lesson. They proceeded from Wana to Kaniguram, Jandola to Makeen and from Bannu to Razmak. Winters had started. Snowfalls started and ice cold winds started to blow. The soldiers who had come from hot areas of India to these highlands were not used to the cold.
The Mahsud and Wazirs played a very patient waiting game. They did not stand up against the armies flowing in. This has been the strategy of almost all Pashtun tribes; inviting their enemy and then unleashing hell upon them. Facing no resistance on 9th January the English forces retreated back to the same positions from where they had started.
The Mahsuds and Wazirs were also very cunning and crafty with the English. In peace talks, whenever the English would give demands, they would always accept it; but later on, they would fulfill nothing.
Then, on 21 January the English approached the tribesmen for peace talks and proposed the following demands:
- The Tribesmen return all the loot and war booty
- Mullah Powindah not be allowed to enter any area of Waziristan
- 50 Rifles, 200 Guns, 2 Swords and 1200 Rupees be given to the British as a fine for the crimes they have committed
The tribesmen again agreed to the demands. However this time, they did not even get a chance to fulfill the demands (which they never intended to do in the first place).
