Khan Umara Khan of Jandol (c. 18601904), also called "The Afghan

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

", was a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

chief on the north-western frontier of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, who was chiefly responsible for the

Chitral Expedition The Chitral Expedition (Urdu:چترال فوجی مہم) was a military expedition in 1895 sent by the British authorities to relieve the fort at Chitral, which was under siege after a local coup following the death of the old ruler. An interv ...

of 1895.

Life

He was the younger son of the Khan of Jandol; but he killed his elder brother, seized the throne, and made himself a power on the frontier. In 1894 he held undisputed sway over almost the whole of

Bajour Bajaur District ( ps, باجوړ ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Until 2018, it was an agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, then during restructuring that merg ...

, when his restless ambition caused him to interfere in the internal affairs of Chitral. He instigated Afzal ul-Mulk, a son of Chitral's Mehtar

Aman ul-Mulk Aman ul-Mulk (; 1 January 1821 – 30 August 1892) was the Mehtar of Chitral, Ghizer, Yasen and Ishkoman and Suzerain of Kafiristan. He ruled the State of Chitral from 1857 to 1892. His rule saw Chitral reach its territorial peak, extending from ...

, to murder his brother Nizam ul-Mulk, and then overthrew the

fratricide Fratricide (, from the Latin words ' "brother" and the assimilated root of ' "to kill, to cut down") is the act of killing one's own brother. It can either be done directly or via the use of either a hired or an indoctrinated intermediary (a ...

and supported the claims of his uncle Sher Afzul to the throne. The

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

intervened and ordered Umra Khan to leave Chitral. When he refused, the

was despatched; Umra Khan was driven into exile in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, and died there in 1904. He is declared as the Nepolian of Pathans by Winston Churchill in his book titled the Malakand Field Force. The book was written by Mr. Churchill when he visited the area as a war correspondent with British Forces. It is also known that Umara Khan participated in the Ambela battle when he was only a few years old. The grand father of Umara Khan participated along with three thousand mujahideen including Umara Khan in the battle. Umara Khan became leader of the Dir state in 1881 in a very young age. He raised war against the British in 1896 and captured 120 British soldiers including officers named Edward. The captives later confirmed that they were well treated and were provided food of their choice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Umra Khan Mast Khel History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1860s births 1903 deaths Pashtun people History of Chitral North-West Frontier Province Military history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa