Shuja ul-Mulk

Sir Shuja ul-Mulk (also known as Ala Hazrat) was the Mehtar of the princely state of Chitral and reigned it for 41 years until his death in 1936.^[1] He belonged to the royal Katur dynasty which ruled the state from 1571 to 1969, when the princely state of Chitral was merged into Pakistan to form the District of Chitral.^[2] He was made Companion of the Indian Empire (C.I.E) by the British in 1903, and Knighted (K.C.I.E) in 1919. He was granted a personal gun salute of 11 guns and the title of His Highness.^[3]

Early life

Mehtar Shuja ul-Mulk was born into the ruling family of Chitral in 1881.^[4] He was the second youngest son of Aman ul-Mulk, the ‘Great’ Mehtar of Chitral who ruled the state from 1857 to 1892, during which the state reached its territorial peak.^[5] Shuja ul-Mulk’s mother was a princess, the daughter of the Khan of Asmar.^[6]

The Siege of Chitral

The Chitral Fort during the Siege of Chitral (1895)

When the Mehtar Aman ul-Mulk died in 1892, a long war of succession ensued between Aman ul-Mulk's sons as there was no clear any law of succession. His elder brother Afzal ul-Mulk proclaimed himself ruler and proceeded to eliminate several potential contenders to his throne. This initiated a war of succession, which lasted three years. By virtue of the rank of his mother, Shuja ul-Mulk was one of the two sons who were regarded as having the strongest claim to ‘Mehtarship’. At about that time, Chitral came under the British sphere of influence following the Durand Agreement. The approach of the Chitral Expedition, a strong military force composed of British and Dogra troops, and the ensuing ‘Siege of Chitral’ settled the issue of succession and Shuja ul-Mulk was recognized as successor to his father. The siege and gallant relief of Chitral is considered to be one of the most dramatic events in the history of the North-West Frontier of India.^[7] Shuja ul-Mulk was installed as Mehtar at a darbar held at the Chitral Fort on 2 September 1895.^[8]

Reign (1895-1936)

Mehtar Shuja ul-Mulk reigned under a Council of Regency until he came of age and was invested with full ruling powers. He ruled for forty-one years, during which Chitral enjoyed an unprecedented period of internal peace. He visited various parts of India and met a number of fellow rulers, as well as making the Hajj to Arabia and meeting Ibn Saud, the Monarch of Saudi Arabia.^[9] In the winter of 1899-1900, Mehtar Shuja-ul-Mulk in company of the chief of the Gilgit Agency visited the Viceroy of India at Calcutta. In May 1902, the Mehtar was present at the Vice-Regal Durbar at Peshawar.^[10] He was invited to the Delhi Durbar and attended the Coronation Durbar at Delhi in 1903 where he was made Companion of the Indian Empire (C.I.E). He attended the Coronation Darbar at Delhi again in 1911. He was granted a personal salute of 11-guns and the title of His Highness in 1919. The salute and title were made permanent and hereditary to his successors in 1932.^[11]

Describing him in 1937, B. E. M. Gurdon wrote,

"Shuja-ul-Mulk was a devout Sunni, and made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1924, but bigotry and fanaticism found little place in his character.”^[12]

Shuja ul-Mulk sent his sons abroad to acquire a modern education. The princes traveled to far-off places such as Aligarh and Dehradun accompanied by the sons of notables who were schooled at state expense.^[13]

The Mehtar's Bodyguard was raised by Mehtar Shuja-ul-Mulk in the early 1900s and consisted of a professional standing army which had been raised by his father Mehtar Aman-ul-Mulk in the 1880s. He supported the British during the Third Afghan War in 1919, during which four of his sons and the Chitral State Forces served in several actions guarding the border against invasion.^[14][15]

In 1911 Mehtar Shuja-ul-Mulk ordered Mirza Muhammad Gufran to write a book documenting the history of Chitral for which he received considerable tracts of land in different parts of the state. Tarikh-i-Chitrar was written in Persian, compiled and finalized in 1921. It is a landmark work for the history of Chitral and the Hindu Kush region.^[16]

A love of sport, characteristic of the peoples of the Hindu Kush, was shared by the Mehtar. Shooting, falconry, polo, chess, and listening to singing accompanied on the sitar, all came within the ambit of his relaxations. Falconry was his favorite sport, and he was very proud of the unrivaled skill of his falconers.^[12]

Mehtar Shuja ul-Mulk’s sister was married to Miangul Abdul Khaliq, the grandfather of the Wali of Swat. She acted as de facto ruler of Swat for many years after the death of her husband.^[17] Another one of his sisters was married to the Nawab of Dir. His daughter was married to Naqibzada Pir Sayyid Jamal ud-din Al-Gilani, a direct descendent of Abdul Qadir Gilani, patronym of the Qadiriyya order.^[2] His granddaughter was married to Nawab Muhammad Said Khan, the Nawab of Amb.^[18]

Titles and Honours

Order of the Indian Empire

• His Highness (Ala Hazrat)
• Knight Commander of the Indian Empire (K.C.I.E)
• Companion of the Indian Empire (C.I.E)
• 11 gun salute
• Hon. Cdt. The Chitral Scouts
• Col. Cdt. Chitral State Scouts
• Elected Member of the Himalayan Club
• Delhi Darbar Gold Medal (1903)
• Delhi Darbar Gold Medal (1911)
• Delhi Darbar Silver Jubilee Medal (1935)

Death

Shuja ul-Mulk died on 13 October 1936. He was buried in his ancestral graveyard adjacent to the Royal Fort in Chitral. He was succeeded by his eldest son Mehtar Nasir-ul-Mulk.^[19]

References