Malik Fateh Khan Tiwana (died 1848) was a Punjabi landowner and politician during the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...

Biography

Early life

He was born to Khuda Yar Khan and a member of the

Jat The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

Tiwana family of Shahpur The Tiwana family of Shahpur is a Muslim Rajput family. They are one of the largest landowning families in the Punjab and have played an influential role in Punjabi politics since the seventeenth century. Background Origins Mir Ali Khan, the founde ...

. He was the grandson of Khan Muhammad Khan, the Tiwana chief of Nurpur Tirwana. He was the uncle of

Malik Sahib Khan Tiwana Malik Sahib Khan Tiwana CSI (died 1879) was a Punjabi Muslim Rajput landowner during the British India. Biography Sahib Khan was born into the Rajput Tiwana family of Shahpur, the son of Ahmad Yar Khan Tiwana . On hearing news of the Indian Rebe ...

. He served General Hari Singh Nalwa who had held the Tiwana jagir of Mitha Tiwana since 1819. He held a command under the General's authority until his death in 1837.Rishi Singh, State Formation and the Establishment of Non-Muslim Hegemony: Post-Mughal 19th-century Punjab, SAGE Publications India, 23 Apr 2015 The following year Prime Minister, Raja Dhyan Singh rewarded him control of Mitha Tiwana and the salt mines to the south of the country. His administration was unsuccessful and he was placed under house arrest by

Nau Nihal Singh Kunwar Nau Nihal Singh (9 March 1821 – 5 November 1840) was the third Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He was the only son of Maharaja Kharak Singh and his consort, Maharani Chand Kaur. He was known as Yuvraj Kunwar Nau Nihal Singh. He was also kn ...

until arrears were paid. On the death of Nau Nihal Singh, his fortunes rose once again, and he was made Manager of the Kachhi country. In 1843 his patron Raja Dhyan Singh was assassinated, and Fateh was accused of conspiracy to the murder. The murdered minister's son, Hira Singh, himself now Prime Minister, placed a bounty on Fateh's head. Fateh escaped to Bannu where he sought refuge and thereafter returned to rally fellow Muslims to take up arms against the government.

Murder of Pashaura Singh

In 1844, on the fall of Hira Singh from power, Fateh went to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

to seek the assistance of Jowahir Singh, the new Prime Minister. Jowahir Singh made him governor of Mitha Tiwana, of portions of Jhelum and Rawalpindi, and of the whole province of

Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; bal, , Urdu and skr, , ps, ډېره اسماعيل خان), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 37th largest city of Pakistan ...

and Bannu. In return, Fateh was requested to assist Jowahir Singh in defeating

Pashaura Singh Kunwar Pashaura Singh (1821 – 11 September 1845), also spelt Peshawara Singh, sometimes styled as ''Shahzada'', was the younger son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Rani Daya Kaur. He is said to be the son of a slave girl in the household of Ra ...

, a reputed son of

Maharajah Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

and popular choice to succeed as Maharajah of the Punjab.Lepel H. Griffin, The Punjab Chiefs, 1865 Pashaura had, with the help of local Muslim tribes, secured the fort of

Attock Attock ( Punjabi and Urdu: ), formerly known as Campbellpur (), is a historical city located in the north of Pakistan's Punjab Province, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 61st lar ...

. Together with

Chattar Singh Attariwalla General Raja Chattar Singh Attariwalla, also spelt Chatar Singh Aṭārīvālā, was Governor of Hazara province and a military commander in the army of the Sikh Empire during the reign of Maharaja Duleep Singh in the Punjab. He fought in the S ...

, and some 8,000 men, Fateh was ordered to the fort. Unable to seize Pashaura by force, they promised him safe passage if he surrendered the fort, and Pashaura obliged. They then set out for Lahore, when upon reaching

Hasan Abdal Hasan Abdal ( Punjabi, ur, ), is a city in the Attock District of Punjab Province in Pakistan, located 40 km northwest of the country's capital city, Islamabad. Hassan Abdal is the headquarters of Hasan Abdal Tehsil (sub-district). As home ...

, they received word that it was unsafe to continue to the capital and were ordered to retain him in the north of the province. That same night they placed him in chains and marched him back to Attock. Here he was placed in the lower chamber of a tower, and strangled to death the following night. His body was thrown into the Indus river. After the murder of Pashaura, Fateh took possession of Dera Ismail Khan and sought to secure his position. He had the two of the chief Jagirdars of

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...

killed, namely Payinda Khan and Ashik Muhammad Khan, whilst a third Haiyat Ullah Khan narrowly escaped. The killings caused uproar across the province and Fateh had to pay a high price for immunity. He was however replaced as governor of Dera Ismail Khan by Daulat Rai. In 1846 he was attacked by Daulat Rai and forced to retire to Mitha Tiwana. In the summer of 1846 he was sent to Kashmir in a bid to influence his friend, the rebel governor Imaduddin Khan. Having achieved his mission with success, he later accompanied Major Henry Lawrence to Kashmir.

Later life and death

On his return to Lahore he was held to account for financial irregularities in his former government. He was ordered to pay four lakh rupees, and on pleading impecunity, he was held under house arrest by Lawrence. He was then imprisoned at Govindghar fort along with his son Fatah Sher Khan. At the start of the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently ...

, Lieutenant Edwardes recommended he be installed as the Governor of Bannu in place of Lieutenant Taylor.Sir Roper Lethbridge, The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated of the Indian Empire, Aakar Books, 1893 He was besieged at his fort of Dalipnagar, and killed in the gateway. He was succeeded by son Fatah Sher Khan, who would go on to serve as one of Lieutenant Edwardes's chief officers, and render support for the British during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

References

{{reflist 1848 deaths History of Punjab Punjabi people People of the Sikh Empire