Malik Pahar Khan Burfat

Malik Pahar Khan Burfat
ملڪ پَهاڙ خان بُرفت
Jam (Sindhi: ڄام)
Malik (Sindhi: مَلِڪ)
Ruler of Lasbela and Kohistan
Reign1705 – 1741
PredecessorPosition established
Jam Ibrahim as Gunga Jam of Lasbela
(Gunga Samma Dynasty)
SuccessorMalik Izzat Khan
Mai Chagli as regent of her son
Bornca. 1684
Sindh
Died1741
Lasbela
Burial
Pir Tearo Necropolis, Uthal
WifeMai Chagli
IssueMalik Izzat Khan
DynastyBurfat Samma Dynasty
FatherMalik Noordin Hamalani
ReligionIslam

Malik Pahar Khan Burfat (Sindhi: ملڪ پَهاڙ خان بُرفت) was the ruler of the Lasbela and Kohistan region of Sindh from 1705 to 1741, who belonged to the Burfat tribe that claimed ancestry from the Sammas, and is considered a cultural hero of the Burfats.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Reign

Battle with Gungas and Establishment of rule in Lasbela

Malik Ibrahim, the last of the Gunga Jams of Lasbela, was killed during an internal conflict among the Gungas. Upon Ibrahim's assassination, his Vizer Usman Gador, traveled on foot to seek help from the Burfat chief, Sardar Pahar Khan bin Malik Noordin Hamalani., who was Ibrahim's maternal uncle set out from Kohistan with an army to avenge his nephew. A battle took place near Uthal, in which the Gungas were defeated. In 1115 AH (1703–1704 CE), the governance of Lasbela passed into the hands of Malik Pahar Khan, with the native tribe of Uthal supporting him.[3][7][8][6]

Consolidation and expansion of rule

He established his rule in whole of Kohistan and Las Bela in 1705 A.D. and his control reached as far over the Drigh Bala area of the present-day Dadu district.[2][3][9]

Battle of Kachho

After consolidating his territory, Pahar Khan then turned his attention to the Kachho area of current-day Dadu District. At that time, Mian Yar Muhammad Kalhoro was also expanding the borders of his rule toward the south., in 1117 AH / 1705 AD, a war broke between Mian Yar Muhammad and Malik Pahar Khan in which Malik Pahar Khan was Defeated.[2][3][4][6]

Conquest of Gadap Area

After the defeat, he dumped the idea of capturing Kachho and set his eyes on the Gadap area of Karachi, which he succeeded in conquering.[3]

Death and Legacy

Malik Pahar Khan died in 1741 at the age of 57 and was buried in the Pir Tearo necropolis (the shrine of thirty dervishes) near Uthal, Lasbela. Malik Pahar Khan had two wives. One was a sister of Mir Nasir Khan of Kalat, with whom he had no children.His second wife, Mai Chagli, bore him a son, Malik Izzat Khan. After Malik Pahar Khan died in 1741, Mai Chagli ruled as regent on behalf of her son until she was overthrown by Jam Ali Khan Korejo in 1742.Mai Chagli then migrated to the Kotri area of Sindh, where she died in the year 1214 AH (1799–1800). Her son, Malik Izzat Khan, became a general in the Kalhora army and fought many battles. He died in 1776 and was buried next to his mother's tomb.[10][11][3][5][6]

Today Malik Pahar Khan is considered a cultural hero of the Burfats.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Stories in Stone". The Friday Times. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2026-07-06. When the Arghuns supplanted the Samma dynasty, the Burfats, who are also an off-shoot of the Sammas, launched a guerilla war against them. They used to ransack the villages and towns which fell under the dominion of the Arghuns and unleashed the reign of terror in the region. The Arghuns were terrified by the guerilla tactics used by the Burfats. They were unable to subdue the tribe. The Mughals bestowed some jagirs upon them. Likewise, the Kalhoras and Talpurs also gave them importance.One of the descendants of Jam Hamal was Malik Pahar Khan who was considered a cultural hero in the annals of the Burfats. He established his rule in Sindh-Kohistan and Lasbela
  2. 1 2 3 Lashari Kaleem 2012, p. 29.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kalhoro,Zulfiqar 2012, p. 80.
  4. 1 2 N.A Baloch 1970, p. 36.
  5. 1 2 Hasan, Shaikh Khurshid (1996). Chaukhandi Tombs in Pakistan. Royal Book Company. p. 78. ISBN 978-969-407-208-1.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "برفت : (Sindhianaسنڌيانا)". www.encyclopediasindhiana.org (in Sindhi). S.L.A, Government of Sindh. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  7. ↑ Lashari Kaleem 2012, p. 28.
  8. ↑ N.A Baloch 1970, p. 31-32.
  9. ↑ N.A Baloch 2014, p. 36.
  10. ↑ N.A Baloch 1970, p. 36-37.
  11. ↑ Lashari Kaleem 2012, p. 30-31.

Bibliography

N.A Baloch (1970). ٻيلاين جا ٻول [Beylaain Jaa Bola] (in Sindhi). Karachi: Department of Culture, Government of Sindh (published 2014).

Kalhoro,Zulfiqar. "The Tombs of Burfat Tribe at Taung, Thana Bula Khan,Sindh" (PDF). Ancient Asia Journal. 2012: 80–81. doi:10.5334/aa.12307.

Lashari Kaleem (2012). A Study of Stone Carved Graves (2nd ed.). Sindh Archives. ISBN 9789699310065.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)