Nagar (princely state)

Nagar
Princely state of Pakistan
14th century–25 September 1974
Map of Pakistan with Nagar highlighted
Capital		Nagar
History
-	Established	14th century
-	Disestablished	25 September 1974
Area		5,000 km2 (1,931 sq mi)

This article is part of the series
Former administrative units of Pakistan
Original provinces Baluchistan East Bengal Federal Capital Territory North-West Frontier Province Sind West Punjab
Princely states Amb Bahawalpur Chitral Dir Hunza Kalat Khairpur Kharan Las Bela Makran Nagar Phulra Swat
One-unit provinces East Pakistan West Pakistan
Other subdivisions Gilgit Agency Trans-Karakoram Tract

Nagar (Urdu: ریاست نگر‎, riasat nagar) was a princely state in the northernmost part of Gilgit–Baltistan. Until August 1947 it was in a subsidiary alliance with British India and bordered the states of the Gilgit Agency to the south and west and the princely state of Hunza to the north and east. From November 1947 to 1974, like Hunza, it was a princely state of Pakistan. The state capital was the town of Nagar.

Nagar covered territory which is now in the far north of Pakistan. The area of Nagar now forms three tehsils of the Hunza–Nagar District.

History

Nagar was an autonomous principality in close association with neighbouring Hunza. The British gained control of both states between 1889 and 1892. Both thereafter had the status of princely states until 1947, but both were considered as vassals of Jammu and Kashmir, although never ruled directly by it. The rulers of Nagar sent annual tributes to the Jammu and Kashmir Durbar until 1947, and along with the ruler of Hunza, were considered amongst the most loyal vassals of the Maharajas of Jammu and Kashmir.

In November 1947, the state acceded to Pakistan, which became responsible for its external affairs and defence, but it continued to be internally self-governing. In 1968 Syed Yahya Shah, the first educated politician of the valley, demanded civil rights from the Mir of Nagar. In 1974, when Ayub Khan's dictatorship ended in Pakistan and the Pakistan People's Party under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came into power through elections, the government forced the Mirs of Hunza and Nagar to abdicate. The areas were then merged into the Northern Areas.^[1]

The Hunza valley looking across the river to Nagar

Mount Rakaposhi

Government

The state was governed by the hereditary rulers of the Maghlot dynasty who were styled as Mir and were assisted by a council of Wazirs or Ministers,and they were selected from the family of khutayating. Wazir Taifor Shah and his son Wazir Malik Shah were the powerful ministers of that time. At the time of death of Wazir Malik Shah his son was too small to take his father's duty of ministry, so it was divided among three men, Wazir Enayat Ali from Potikuz, Wazir Behlol from Khutayating, and Wazir Sarwar from Chalt Chaprote. Details for early rulers are uncertain with the first definite dates available from 1839 CE onward. In November 1947 the state became one of the princely states of Pakistan. Brigadier Mir Shaukat Ali Khan was the last ruler of the State when it was abolished by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1972.

History of Wazir Zadas of Nagar state

Wazir Sha Murad F/o ,Wazir Taifoor Shah F/o ,Wazir Malik Shah F/o ,Wazir Jaffaq F/o ,Wazir Malik Shah F/o ,Wazir Naqeeb Hassan

Geography

The geography of Nagar forms a difficult mountainous terrain, which provided a certain degree of protection against invading forces. The highest mountain is the 7,788 m (25,551 ft) Mount Rakaposhi south of the town of Nagar. As of 2009, the Karakoram Highway crosses Nagar, connecting Pakistan with China via the Khunjerab Pass. The road follows the Hunza river for some distance through Nagar and into the Hunza region.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the Nagar valley are around 90,000 (AKRSP Census, 2000). Nagar is home to two main ethnicities — the Burushaski speakers and the Shina speakers. An older type of Burushaski is still spoken in the valley with a mild modern accent. A third language, Bedishki, is also still spoken in Chalt Nagar.

Religion

The population is traditionally predominantly Shia (Jafria). Following sectarian violences in January 2005, the Tanzim Ahle Sunnah wal Jama’at representing Sunnis, and the Central Anjuman-e-Imamia Northern Areas representing (Jafria) Shias signed on February 18, 2005, a six-point peace agreement arranged by the Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) members to ensure peace in the area.^[3]

Villages of Nagar

• Chalt Valley
• Sikandarabad Valley
• Jafarabad Valley
• Nilt Valley
• Thol Valley
• Masot Valley
• Ghulmet Valley
• Yal Valley
• Pissan Valley
• Minapin Valley
• Miachar Valley
• Dadimal Valley
• Phakker Valley
• Hakuchar Valley
• Shayar Valley
• Askurdas Valley
• Sumayar Valley
• Nagar Khas Valley
• Hoper Valley
• Hisper Valley

References

Further reading

• Mohammad Ismail Nashad, Buroshall say Nagar Tek Ka Safar
• Syed Mohammad Yahya Shah, Rasala Buroshall
• E. F. Knight, Zafar Hayat Paul, Where the Three Empires Meet

External links

• Government of Pakistan