| Mir Jafar Ali Khan | |
|---|---|
| Shuja ul-Mulk, Hashim ud-Daula, Nawab Ja'afar 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Mahabat Jang, Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa | |
Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, meeting with Mir Jafar after Plassey, by Francis Hayman |
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| Reign | 1757–1765 |
| Full name | Mir Muhammed Jafar Ali Khan |
| Born | 1691 |
| Died | February 5, 1765 |
| Predecessor | Siraj-ud-Daulah |
| Successor | Mir Qasim, Najimuddin Ali Khan |
|ul-Mulk, Hashim ud-Daula, Nawab Ja'afar Ali Khan Bahadur, Mahabat Jang commonly known as Mir Jafar, second son of Sayyid Ahmad Najafi, (1691–February 5, 1765) was Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. He is also known by Indians as Gaddar-e-Abrar (which translates in English as 'The Traitor of Faith') . He succeeded Siraj-Ud-Daulah as the eighth Nawab of Bengal, and the first of the Najafi dynasty after deceiving Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daulah and surrendering his army in battle field against Robert Clive. His rule is widely considered the start of British rule in India and was a key step in eventual British domination of the country. His greed of becoming Nawab of Bengal, led him to make a secret pact with Robert Clive and surrender & slaughter of Army of Bengal in Battle of Plassey, without fighting, which led to foundation of British rule in India. For this act of treachery, he has been infamously called Gaddar-e-Abrar. Gaddar means a traitor & Abrar means faith.
However, Mir Jafar had higher ambitions. Arrogant in his position he took advantage of an Ali Vardi Khan weakened by a decade of fighting with Marathas to enter into a conspiracy with Ataullah (the faujdar of Rajmahal) to overthrow and murder the Nawab [1]. However, the conspiracy was unearthed and he was stripped of most of his powers. He returned to Murshidabad, where he regained the trust of the Nawab's grandson, Siraj-Ud-Daulah, and slowly returned to power and prominence.
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After Siraj Ud Daulah’s defeat and subsequent execution, Mir Jafar achieved his long-pursued dream of gaining the throne, and was propped up by the British as puppet Nawab.Mir Jafar paid a sum of Rs.17,700,000 as compensation for the attack on Calcutta to the company and the traders of the city. In addition, he paid large sums as gifts or bribes to the officials of the company. Clive, for example received over two million rupees, Watts over one million[1] Soon, however, he realised that British expectations were boundless and tried to wriggle out from under them; this time with the help of the Dutch. However, the British defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Chinsurah in November 1759 and retaliated by forcing him to abdicate in favor of his son-in-law Mir Qasim. However, Mir Qasim proved to be both able and independent, willing to live with but not bow to the British. The Company soon went to war with him, and he was eventually overthrown. Mir Jafar managed to regain the good graces of the British; he was again appointed Nawab in 1763 and held the position until his death in 1765.
Mir Jafar probably was the last truly independent ruler of Bengal. After him the British ruled Bengal for next 200 years. Mir Jafar is widely reviled by the people of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. The word "mirjafar" in Bengali and the phrase "meer jafar" in Urdu, are used much as quisling is used in English, and Jaichand of Kannauj in Indian history. Allama Iqbal had written poetry on him, "Mir Jafar o bengal Mir sadiq o deccan nange deen, nange adam, nange watan" which mean Mir Jafar of Bengal and Mir Sadiq of Deccan are disgrace to the faith, disgrace to humanity, disgrace to the nation. Mir Jafar had set an example that an individuals greed can bring an entire nation to slavery and hardship. British with the help of Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq were able to conquer Bengal and kingdom of Mysore(Sultanat-e-Khudaat). Nevertheless, after 200 years, when the British left the region, and upon the formation of Pakistan, Mir Jafar's direct descendent Iskandar Mirza, was appointed as the first president of Pakistan.[2][3]
| Preceded by Siraj ud-Daulah |
Nawab of Bengal 1757–1760, 1763–1765 |
Succeeded by Mir Qasim, Najimuddin Ali Khan |