Jiskani

The Jiskani (Urdu: جسکانی ‎ - Sindhi: جسڪاڻي ) is a Baloch tribe located in the Pakistani provinces of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab. Formerly a powerful tribe in the Sindh Sagar Doab, with headquarters at Mankera, and still numerous there.

Distribution

The Jiskani tribe is settled in Hyderabad, Tando Jam, Badin, Tando Allah Yar, Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Mirpur Khas DistrictDistrict Shaheed Benazirabad, District Naushehro Feroze and Dadu of Sindh province and Bhakkar, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan District and Mankera of Punjab province. They speak Sindhi and Siraiki languages.

History

Baloch form a large portion of the whole population of Seraiki wasaib. They are found in considerable numbers in all Siraiki districts. The Balochs started settling in Siraiki wasaib about the middle of 15th century. By the middle of 15th century ,Baloch tribes moved east ward into lower Sulemans driving the Pathans before them along the range. Many of these latter took service with the Langah rulers of Multan and were granted lands along the river. About 1480 AD, Mir Ismail Khan and Mir Fateh Khan, two sons of Mir Malik Sohrab Khan, and Mir Ghazi Khan, son of Mir Haji Khan, all Dodais of Rind extraction, founded three Deras, namely Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan and Dera Fateh Khan. The tribal name of "Dodai" disappeared, because leaders were of a different tribe from their followers. The representatives and tribesmen of Ghazi Khan were locally called "Mihrani", those of Ismail Khan as "Hot" and those of Fatah Khan as "Kulache".

With Ghazi Khan came the Jiskani Balochs, who occupied the Cis-Indus tract above Bakkar. During the later half of 16th century, Mir Daud Khan a Jiskani and descendants of one of Mir Ghazi Khan followers moved southwards and captured the greater part of Layyah. Emperor Akbar dispersed his tribe, but early in 17th century, the independence of the Jiskani under Mir Baloch Khan was recognized, and it is from Baloch Khan that the Jiskani, Mandrani, Mamdani, Sargani, Qalandrani and Muliani, who still live in Bhakkar and Layyah districts, trace their descent. The most Balochs in Layyah and Bhakkar are Jiskani, Mamdanis and Rind.

Jiskani state

In the heart of Thal exists a bustling little town with a few thousand inhabitants, called Mankera. It is now a tehsil headquarter in Bakhar district. Towards the end of the fifteenth century, the Jiskani Baloch from Makran flocked into the Thal in and around Mankera, and subsequently ruled this state for the next three hundred years. During the period of Baloch ruler Mir Baloch Khan (the blind), Jhanda Singh of Bhangian wali Misl attacked and devastated the area and was soon ousted. Abdul Nabi Kalhora with help of the Afghan king took over it from the last Baloch ruler, Mir Mohammad Khan Jiskani, in 789 AD.