After consolidating the strong sway over South India through successive victories against Muslim and Maratha rulers and making treaties and peace agreements with many other independent principalities, the colonial state of British India modified its territory in many ways, especially in the Himalayan region.
At the same time, the writings of imperial chronicles bound for exploration missions also led to a transformation of the imagination associated with these mountains and their religious and political meaning.
British Explorers such as Dr.Litener, McNair, John Murry, Heyward,
Bidolph, Fredricka Drew, and Col.Durand comprehensively documented their
missions and masterfully crafted local traditions, ethnography, cultural
diversity, and linguistic patterns of High Asian regions.
Local and international authors have written much on the colonial way forward policy, also known as the Great Game, as the dawn of the nineteenth century marked the apex of rivalry between imperial Britain and Tsar's Russia in the Himalayan plateau. However, preferably be focused on Diamer (formally known as sheen republics of southern Dards).
It was Dr. Litener who had documented the strategic importance of
Chilas in his first visit to Bonji via Burzil pass. He met some Chilasis in
Bonji Fort, where Maharaja's governor was stationed. He inquired about the
"Sheen Republics" down the Indus. His conversation with Chilasis was
held in high suspicion by the governor, and he made him retrieve soon back to
Srinagar.
Litener, however, took a Porter from the soniwal tribes of Chilas, who was a captive at Bonji fort, with him to Lahore, where he documented Dardistan's account on Darel, Tangir, Chilas, and adjacent Kohistani strip.
Similarly, famous colonial strategist and explorer McNair entered Tangir in 1839 from Sawat via Kandia by disguising himself as "Akhund" – a religious preacher who was held in high esteem in Tangir. He documented a complete report on the potential threat to Kashmir or the Punjab's frontiers from Indus Kohistan and Sheen Republics settled across Indus. Interestingly, Punjab was then ruled by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who had no peace treaty with the Britishers.
From 1850 to 1885, the imperial strategy was primarily focused on Hindu Kush regions (Yasin and Chitral) and Karakoram regions ( Hunza, Nagar, and Baltistan) due to the imminent Russian threat. However, the Maharaja of Kashmir, on the advice of his governor stationed at Bonji, invaded Chilas in 1852 and burnt the town to ashes.
Chilas, lying south of Gilgit, in the sweltering canyon of Indus,
was a long way from the Hindu Kush watershed and had no apparent relevance to
the Russian threat. Chilasis ( used for the Sheen Republics of Dard tribes)
used to cut Gilgit's vital supply line by falling on Bonji and Astor upto
Burzil pass, whenever they felt like it. They used to plunder the "Kots of
Gor" (modern-day Goherabad) whenever they besieged Bonji and Astore.
Famous historian John Murray reports that a "jastero" from 'Khartalot kot" of Gor convinced the grand assembly of Gor(local Jirga of Tribal elders) held in 'Dadan Das' to extend the hand for friendship with the Dogras. The Treaty of Amritsar had extended control of Jammu &Kashmir to the Dogras. Nonetheless, Bonji was considered the extreme frontier of Maharaja's princely state, and the other bank of the Indus was considered trans-frontier. Gor's peace treaty with Bonji was the first trans-frontier extension of Maharaja's troops towards southern Dardistan.
John Murry and Lockhart believe that the tribal chiefs of Gor
paved the way for the Dogra invasion of Chilas in 1852. This invasion, however,
was a challenging-to-go march for the Dogras. In the words of Litener, the
Dogras had to lick the dust for weeks before they conquered Chilas Fort. Since
defeat at the hands of Dogras, the people of Chilas had been a peaceable, if
not punctious, feudatory of Maharaja.
More than forty years after the Dogra invasion of Chilas, Col..
Durand successfully handled the Hunza-Nagar Conundrum towards Khunjrave and the
Yasin-Chitral issue towards Wakhan and Pamir.
He then shifted his policy towards the south down the Indus. In 1888, he ejected a Kashmiri agent in the form of a 'Syed Peer' with the mission "I'm of course going to make something out of this." Agly and Morty, two of the associates of Durand, note, "We had worked out a scheme to invade Chilas. We thought it couldn't be done without fighting the savage tribes of Chilas".
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The second invasion of Chilas in 1892, known as "Algy-Durand's Dream," was the result of some of the rumors that were conveyed to Durand through that ejected agent who was working in Chilas as "peer" and a descendent of Prophet's (PBUH) family. Lockhart narrates "rumors about the prevalence of excitement amongst the Chilasi tribes. They were all eager to fight the infidels to avenge the defeat that afflicted them some forty years ago. Col.Durand, however, commanded that no action be taken that might lead to a collision with the ferocious Chilasi Tribes.
Nevertheless, the grand assembly of Shin Republics –Chilas, Darel, Tangir, and Harban – (local Jirga) under the shady tree near the Chilas fort made Durand revisit his plan." With the help of the Chiefs of Bonji, Durand appeased the chiefs of Gor, and they promised to accompany Durand's troops from the Right Bank of Indus to Thalpan Das, near Chilas.
The steep mountains on either side of the Indus are cut by narrow
river valleys that lead deep into the surrounding landscape. Being
well-watered, these valleys support patches of forest and terraces for
planting, villages, and farm clusters. Pathways and tracks follow these
valleys, providing access to summer pastures and beyond to settlements (Kots)
and routes further north.
The same paths comprised more extensive ancient ways that moved people, trade goods, ideas, and religion between central, south, and East Asia. However, the problematic pathways over the rugged mountains and stiffy cliffs were the major hurdle for people reaching Chilas whenever a foreign invasion was afflicted on Chilas. Getting the dwellers of various Sheen Republics to Chilas from these valleys usually took one or two days on foot.
The flash of new year (1892) sunshine, which had bathed all their schemes in a bright and possible light, had been followed by black despair. Sargan Gilit, a far-from-beautiful place at the best of times, is dreary beyond belief in winter. The riot of pastures and blossoms that in summer marks out the little oasis from river sand and mountain rocks is gone: the town is indistinguishable from the scarred sterility of its surroundings. Algy, the prime Durand associate and the Gilgit Agency's political agent relinquished his services and returned to Lahore via Srinagar. The Lieutenant Governor Of Punjab appointed Morty as the Political Agent of Gilgit Agency in place of Algy.
Upon [being]nominated as Political Agent of Gilgit Agency, Algy called Robertson back from Gupis fort and entrusted the responsibility of leading the troops for the Chilas invasion. Robertson, a major in the imperial army, was known for his cruelty and brutal acts of burning the prisoners of war alive during the Chitral siege. He cared less for and respected Dard's feelings and was hellbent on burning down Chilas.
Since Durand had befriended the Chiefs of Gor, they accompanied imperial troops to Chilas on the right bank of the Indus. Historian and explorer Major Twigg, who was also part of the Chilas invasion, narrates, "Durand found it necessary to move into Chilas with troops.
Certainly, Durand can't have overlooked the unsettling effect of
sending such a force into a hitherto untouched and ferocious area. The
possibility of a hostile reaction from the savage tribes of Chilas was
something he probably counted on." Robertson led the troops to Chilas, and
when they reached Gor, they were received with great pomp and show. Hundreds of
men welcomed them in drum beats, and traditional dances were performed to cherish
the invaders. The people of God led the troops to a place where they had
arranged a grand dinner for them.
The "Jastery Of Gor" ( Tribal Elders) met Robertson and reiterated their support of the invasion. They also guided him about the dynamics of Chilas. Lockhart describes the people of Gor in these words: "The tribes of Gor were quite civilized...enlightened among the savages!"
After a long march over the steep hills, the troops reached
Thalpan Das, a village on the right bank of the Indus on the other side of
Chilas. When they arrived, they found some people working (collecting gold
pieces from the Indus' sand) at the bank of the Indus in that hut-less desert.
Instead of welcoming them, like the people of Gor, they bravely fought with the
invading troops for a long day until all of them were slain.
All the men were killed, and their bodies were dragged near the bank of the river for burning. When the invading troops were removing and mutilating the bodies of slain men, four women approached the troops with knives. They killed three soldiers, including a "Gora Sahib".Infuriated at the incident, Robertson ordered a general massacre, and some forty women and children were beheaded instantly.
Robertson's troops crossed the Indus on the boats built by the men
brought from Gor and reached Chilas fort after fighting for two long days in
the streets. The siege of Chilas Fort remained for more than ten days.
Eventually, Robertson conquered Chilas Fort and commanded a
general massacre for a long week. More than 300 men were assassinated,
thousands of cattle were confiscated, some 200 men were turned into captives,
and families of those involved in war against the imperial troops were burnt
alive. The town of Chilas was burnt to ashes.
After the fall of Chilas, Durand visited Chilas Fort. He distributed Four Thousand Rupees among the "new locals" (a term Major Twigg uses for the Chiefs Of Gor and The Tribal Elders Of BotoGah Nala). He then made those new loyal "Lumberdaars" of Chilas –the defacto controllers of a particular region but dedicated to the British Crown. The dissenting tribes were subjected to extreme punishments and cruelty. Lockhart notes that the new loyals were more than enthusiastic about serving the Crown's interests in the region.
The conquest of Chilas extended a new arena and window of
opportunities for Durand. The Britishers depended on Maharaja for the supply
chain to Gilgit Agency as the supply routes were under Maharaja's control.
Durand wanted to minimize that dependency, so Babosar pass was the ideal
option. Compared to the Burzil Pass, the Babosar Pass was an easy route for the
imperial troops to access Rawalpindi.
So, Durand made Babosar pass an operational route for the imperial forces, which helped them a lot in enhancing their surveillance over the Pamir and Wakhan frontiers. Durand financially empowered the new loyals of Botogah and Thack nala, and reciprocally they ensured the safety and security of imperial troops and missions on the Babusir route.
The conquest of Chilas Fort was more complex than anticipated by
Durand. The dissenting tribes of Chilas regained Chilas Fort under the cover of
darkness. When an attempt was made to clear it, a third of the garrison,
including royal military officers, was either killed or wounded.
It was the most disastrous battle yet fought in Dardistan; had the Chilasis continued to press their attack, nothing could have saved the rest of the garrison. But Robertson had burned down the grain supply of the whole year when he had burned the town in November. Without food, the attacking tribe members had to disperse to their villages after twenty days of intense fighting with the occupier troops.
Darel, Tangir, and Harban –three of the sister principalities of
Chilas – depended heavily on the princely state of Swat for barter trade,
especially for Salt.
Salt was a precious commodity for the dwellers of these valleys as they could bring it from Mingora on their backs by covering hundreds of miles over rugged rocks and complicated pathways. The disruption of this supply chain could have challenged their existence; the survival of the tribes and their cattle was only possible if the supply chain of grain and Salt was ensured from the state of Sawat.
Keeping this vulnerability in view, Charli Townshend, a Royal military officer, was sent to Swat to meet Wali of Swat (the ruler of Sawat state akin to King) and persuade him to use his influence over the tribes of Darel and Tangir not to invade the Chilas garrison
The Wali Of Sawat sent his representative to Darel and Tangir via Indus Kohistan (Skandia top was the route between Darel-Tangir and Sawat), where he met the tribe chiefs in their grand assembly (local Jirga). He took a guarantee from the tribe chiefs not to invade the Chilas. He ensured that British and Dogra forces would not invade Darel and Tangir. Under the supervision of Wali's representative, the region from Thor to Barshain in Kohistan was declared a buffer zone – the autonomous area between Maharaja's and Wali's princely states.
The accord sighed relief to the Dogras and imperial troops as they were safe enough from any other invasion from Darel and Tangir. Successive political agents adopted the policy of befriending the locals using "The New Loyals." Trade had flourished because of the Babosar pass, and the people of Chilas were becoming prosperous with time. A few young men from the notable families of Gor were sent to Royal College Srinagar for education by the political agent. This scheme convinced the locals that the new government was a set-up of welfare for the natives.
From 1900 to 1947, a peaceful environment prevailed in Chilas, and
no resistance movement was there against the Britishers and the Dogras. It was
the period when Deobandi Islam spread all over Diamer as the 'new Ulemas' came
to the region after graduating from Malakand's Panjpir seminary. The new ulemas
spread the teachings of the Deobandi school of thought.
They campaigned to demolish the shrines of the Sufis who had brought Islam to the region in the seventeenth century. The shrines were destroyed, new mosques and Madarsaas were established, and many rituals practiced in the area from the Sufias' arrival were abandoned. A strong sense of religion, particularly for the Deobandi school of thought, was firmly established in the region.
1947, when Pakistan came into being, Chilas acceded to Pakistan
due to the Karachi agreement in 1949. Still, the region from Thor to Dassu
remained in lamboo for three years. The tribal Elders of Darel, Tangir, and
Harban, who were the defacto rulers of the autonomous region (known as
Yaghistan back then), were given the authority to accede either to Northern
Areas (Gilgit Baltistan ) or to the princely state of Sawat.
The Jirga of tribe chiefs of Darel and Tangir were granted to Northern Areas in 1952 after a comprehensive agreement with the political agent of Pakistan. However, the tribal elders of Harban and adjacent kots went with the wali of sawat and eventually became part of KPK province.
To conclude, the culture, traditions, ethnography, and socio-political development of Diamer are the avenues worthy to be taken as the prime areas for detailed research. Each aspect is vast enough to cover hundreds of pages of research work if taken for academic research. I'll try my best to cover as many aspects as possible in the coming days, and a series of research articles will be written on the said aspects in light of the historical facts and figures.
