His Highness
Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adject ...
Muzaffar ul-Mulk (6 October 1901 – 12 January 1949) was the Mehtar of
Chitral who reigned from 1943 to 1949. He took the important decision of Chitrals
accession to
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
in 1947. He dispatched his army into
Gilgit in August 1947, to help secure that territory for Pakistan.
Life prior to accession
Muzaffar ul-Mulk was born on 6 October 1901. He was the second son of Mehtar
Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
Shuja ul-Mulk
His Highness Sir Shuja ul-Mulk KCIE (1 January 1881 – 13 October 1936) was the Mehtar (from fa, ) of the princely state of Chitral, and reigned it for 41 years until his death in 1936. He belonged to the royal Katur dynasty, which rule ...
. He was given over for
foster care
Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...
at a young age and spent the early part of his childhood at his foster home. He received education from
Islamia College Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
, ultimately ending up with an
F.A
FA, Fa or fa may refer to:
People
* Fa of Xia, King of China 1747–1728 BC
* Fa Ngum (1316–1393), founder and ruler of the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang
Places
* Fa, Aude, a commune of the Aude ' in France
* Falmouth Academy, a private colleg ...
. During the
Anglo-Afghan War of 1919 he served with the
Chitral State Bodyguards under the command of his brother
Nasir ul-Mulk
His Highness Sir Nasir ul-Mulk KCIE (29 September 1897 – 29 July 1943) was the eldest son of Mehtar Shuja ul-Mulk, who succeeded him in 1936. He ruled the princely state of Chitral from 1936 to 1943.
Early life and education
Nasir ul-Mulk w ...
, in fending off the
Afghan
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
*Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
attack. In 1924 he returned to Chitral and became the Chief Secretary to his father Mehtar
Shuja ul-Mulk
His Highness Sir Shuja ul-Mulk KCIE (1 January 1881 – 13 October 1936) was the Mehtar (from fa, ) of the princely state of Chitral, and reigned it for 41 years until his death in 1936. He belonged to the royal Katur dynasty, which rule ...
. In 1930 he became the administrator of
Torkhow region in Chitral. The designation was formally termed the Governor of Torkhow. In 1939 he accompanied Nasir ul-Mulk on
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
to
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...
. Meanwhile, Muzaffar was to retain his administrative post until his unforeseen accession as Mehtar in 1943.
On 29 July 1943 Mehtar
Nasir ul-Mulk
His Highness Sir Nasir ul-Mulk KCIE (29 September 1897 – 29 July 1943) was the eldest son of Mehtar Shuja ul-Mulk, who succeeded him in 1936. He ruled the princely state of Chitral from 1936 to 1943.
Early life and education
Nasir ul-Mulk w ...
died of a
stroke. He had two daughters but no sons. As fate would have it, he died without leaving a natural
heir. Thus the seat of power passed on to Muzaffar ul-Mulk, who was the Mehtars immediate younger brother. The
Political Agent Malakand came to
Chitral and formally
recognised the new ruler.
Reign (1943-1949)
After his accession as Mehtar, Muzaffar ul-Mulk embarked on an initiative to replace the existing administration, with his own appointees. He established a separate office for the Wazir-e-Azam Chitral and delegated to the office many administrative functions. In January 1944, the
British Government presented Muzaffar ul-Mulk with a gift of 4 large
cannon
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
s and 106
Martini–Henry Rifles.
By this period Muzaffars health had steadily declined, in May 1946 it was discovered that the reason for his ailing health was
diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
. The effect of this reflected itself in his administration, which grew inoperative. By early 1947 large scale protests were held across the state, which entailed the
Political Agent Malakand to come to
Chitral and persuade the ailing Mehtar to dismiss some of the officials whose negligence had contributed to the situation. Some of the legitimate demands of the protesters were acceded to, resulting in the protests fading.
In early 1947 it was clear that it was a matter of time before the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
would leave the
subcontinent
A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...
and two independent sovereign states would emerge. Conscious of this, Muzaffar ul-Mulk sent a delegate to
Muhammad Ali Jinnah to convey that he wholeheartedly supported the
cause of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
and would in due time exercising his right under the
Indian Independence Act 1947
The Indian Independence Act 1947 947 CHAPTER 30 10 and 11 Geo 6is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan. The Act received Royal Assent on 18 Ju ...
accede to
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. He also deposited
Rs 40,000 into Mr Jinnahs Pakistan Fund.
In May 1947 Indian Secretary for Frontier and Tribal Affairs visited
Chitral. Muzaffar ul-Mulk conveyed to him Chitrals plans of acceding to
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
and asked that the intention be formally conveyed to the authorities. Chitral became the first
princely state to announce that it would accede to Pakistan. Although formal accession and signing of the
Instrument of Accession occurred in November 1947. Thus Chitral became a part of Pakistan and a
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
.
Meanwhile, it became clear that the
Maharaja of Kashmir desired to accede to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Considering this a betrayal of the Muslim majority populace of
Kashmir, Muzaffar
telegraphically conveyed to
Maharaja Hari Singh
Maharaja Sir Hari Singh (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, following his uncle's death, Singh became ...
that such a decision would provoke aggression from Chitral.
With the endorsement of Muzaffar ul-Mulk many
mujahideen left Chitral to fight a
jihad in Kashmir and be part of the
conflict which had arisen. The jihadists were followed by the
Bodyguards and the
Chitral Scouts
The Chitral Scouts (''CS'') ( ur, چترال سکاوٹس), also known as Chitral Levies, originally raised in 1903 as the militia of the princely state of Chitral, is now part of the Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North) of Pakistan. They are ...
led by Mata ul-Mulk and
Burhan-ud-Din. The Chitral forces fought for 4 months laying
Siege to Skardu and returning with triumph.
Titles and Honours
* His Highness (1943)
* Hon Col Cdt Chitral State Scouts (1943)
* Hon Lieut-Col British Indian Army (1946)
* Hon Lieut-Col Pakistan Army (1947)
Death
On January 12, 1949, Muzaffar ul-Mulk collapsed to his illness and died. He was succeeded by his eldest son Saif-ur-Rehman as Mehtar.
References
{{authority control
1901 births
Mehtars of Chitral
Islamia College University alumni
Salute states
North-West Frontier Province
Princely rulers of Pakistan
20th-century Indian royalty
Nawabs of Pakistan
Chitrali people
1949 deaths