THE SIKH PERIOD

With the death of Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1707  the inhabitants of the Sub continent witnesses some drastic changes in the country. During the closing days of the 18th century A.D. the escalation in the militant Sikh power in the areas now known as Punjab, K.P.K and Kashmir was also a visible change in this regard. It was about this time that the famous Sikh chief Ranjet Singh (1776-1838) son of Mahan Singh rose to the prominence, and proclaimed himself independent of the Kabul regime. He organises his Khalsa Army on modern lines and subjugated extensive areas. Upto 1818, a large territory of the so called now a days Punjab was captured by his army , but the Sikh rule was not extended to Hazara until the above mentioned date.

After consolidating his military strength Ranjit Singh wished to extend his sway over other area. In Hazara the opportunity for interference in the internal affairs of the region was provided to him by the Turk Chief Hashim Khan of Mankarai in 1818. About the event it is reported that in 1816 Hashim khan had murdered his fellow chief Kamal khan. The latter was a friend of Muhammad Khan, The Tareen chief. Kamal Khan,s cause was espoused  by the Tareen chief and he to-gather with Faith Khan son of Kamal Khan took revenge from Hashim Khan. The later, after a crushing defeat met Hukma Singh, the Sikh Governor of Attock and to save himself  betrayed his country to the Sikhs. 
  The latte was a friend of Muhammad Khan, The tareen chief Kamal khan’s cause was espoused by the tareen chief and he together with Faith Khan Son of Kamal khan took revenge from Hashim Khan. The latter after a crushing defeat met Hukma Singh the Sikh Governor of Attock and to save himself betrayed his country to the Sikhs. At his (Hashim khans) invitation Makhan Singh the Sikh governor of Rawalpindi, invaded lower Hazara with 500 horsemen in 1818, built a fort at Sarai Salah and collected taxes from the Haripur plain.
By 1820 Ranjit Singh reigned supreme from Sutlej to the Indus but his hold on Hazara was weak,  and within a short period his three prominent general Mahan Singh, Diwan Ramdial and Sardar Amar Singh Majethia were killed in this area.

At least Maharajah Ranjit Singh summoned his commander Hari Singh Nalwa (after whom the Haripur town  is named ) from Kashmir. At the same time the people of this area rose in open revolt against the shaky Singh Government. Hari Singh after his arrival took drastic measures in this area, besides construction of a fort at Nawashr erection of the Haripur fort (where tehsil offices and police station Haripur are housed now a days) which known as Hari Kishangar and was strongly constructed was a important step of the Sikh General and largely contributed to the establishment of Sikh power in this area.

hari singh nalwa

Besides being a man of unbounded energy and courage, the Sikh general was cruel man, and ruthless in his treatment of those who crossed his path. During his more than fourteen years rule with some intervals, he burnt as well as. Tamed several villages and tool many steps to intimidate the people of this area. Besides his other atrocious actions and measures levy of the land revenue amounting  to one half of the total value of the crops was absolutely an action of cruelty. He (Hari Singh) was so merciless in his actions that up to the beginning of the 20^th century he remained an ogre invoked by mothers to frighten their naughty children. Throughout the 31 years of Sikh rule over Hazara the people of the area harbored great hatred in their hearts for their rulers. They never accepted the Sikh rule by heart and missed no opportunity to over throw them. In a short period of three years after the advent of the Sikh in this area besides several hundred Sikh soldiers, three capable Sikh General were murdered. The opposition by some 20,000 Jadoons and Tawawalies against Hari Singh at Mangal in 1822, a battle between the Sikhs and the Mashwanies and the Utmanzaies at Nara in 1824 and a revolt against Diwan Molrah Dilwalia in 1846 are some of the instances of the hostility o the people against the Sikhs.

Haripur Fort

Establishing a viable system of administration over those people who were constantly in a state of bitter hostility against their rulers was a difficult task for the Sikhs, to some extent Hari Singh with an iron hand succeeded in this purpose but no one among the rest of 13 Sikhs Governors, during the 31 years Sikh rules was able to establish a firm control over Hazara.

Beside the fact the area was divided into several estates among them several were directly controlled by the Sikhs themselves while the others were leases to some powerful persons of the area.  People were administered by their respective chiefs among whom several were paid large allowances as well as Jagirs. Unlike the Duranies the Sikhs collections  of land revenue was of more systematic nature which was collected in the usual Sikh fashion viz either direct from the land lord, by appraisement of the crop value (the share of the government being one half the total crop value)  of through the farmers, to whom the land of the villages was leased. Though Diwan Molraj during his tenure i.e. from 1843 to 1846.  Made systematic revision but his rule was harsh and harassing to the people due to which many of them evacuated their villages to escape his extortions.

In the early days of 1837, Mahan Singh succeeded Hari Singh as Governor of Hazara, but was recalled in October 1837 and Sardar Teja Singh was sent from Lahore to replace him. During the latter’s period of governorship nothing happened worth mentioning except the great flood in the Indus of the 2^nd and 4^th of June 1841. This flood was caused by the bursting of Dam which a land slid has caused across the river in the higher reaches. At the time of the flood the Sikhs were busy fighting with the Army of Painda Khan the Tawawal chief in the hills to the east of river Indus. The water rushed down with a mighty roar sweeping away the Sikhs fort at Darband and Tarbela. Numerous villages on either side of the river and the whole of the Sikh encampment with baggage, magazine and several guns. At site the remaining forces stopped their fighting and on receipt of Painda Khan’s message to the Sikh leader saying that “GOD has judged them and made each side as helpless as the other. They disengaged themselves and marched back to their camps. Tanawal and Haripur respectively.  

In the winter if 1841 Ghulab Singh was appointed governor of this District by Kunwar Partab Singh, but after the murder of the latter in September 1843 Lahore Darbar took over charge of Punjab on behalf of the boy Dulip Singh and sent Diwan Molraj Deilwalia distinct from Diwan Molraj (Governor of Multan) as the governor of this area. Through like Hari Singh he also took some drastic measures in this District but was met with much resistance from the natives.

The disintegration of the Sikh government of Lahore, after the death of Ranjit Singh paved the way for the annexation of the Punjab by the British. Thus the weakened Sikh rule also gave the tribes of Hazara an opportunity of regaining their power of the Pre Sikh rule. Disturbances starts in the area during February 1846 and several tribes rose in open revolt. The Dhunds, headed by their religious leaders     pirs of Palasi were the first to rise. They stormed several areas and defeated two Sigh detachments sent against them. Mean while a remnant of the Mujahidin of Balakot, declaring that Khalifa Syed Ahmed was not dead and would soon reappear collected at Kawai in Kaghan area a large Mujahid force attack several forts and slew their garrisons.

The same was done by the Mashwanies the Tanawalies and other tribes in their respective area.

During the same time Molraj desire to put down these disturbances had been thwarted by the refusal of his spare troops to march into Northern Hazara. The Jadoons and the Tareens also assembled under their respective chiefs and on 7^th March 1846 attacked the Haripur town. Though after some times order was restores in the area especially in the lower Hazara but in reality Diwan Molraj had lost heart and evacuated the Haripur Fort on 16^th of April 1846.

At the time Diwan Molraj left Haripur an attempt was made throughout the District to restore its status as it had existed prior to the Sikh rule. For this purpose the chiefs of different tribes of the area assembled at Haripur and appointed Syed Akbar Shah of Sithana (a village situated in the left bank of driver Indus) as their ruler with Nawab khan Tanawli and Ghulam Khan Tareen as his minister. This period was popularly spoken if in Hazara as the Lundi Maslamani the term Lundi Signifies incomplete.

But the hopes of the people were doomed to almost immediate frustration when on 19^th Of March

1846 a peace was concluded between the Sikhs and the British government. A peace treaty was signed and according to its 12^th article all the hilly and mountainous country with its dependencies, situated East ward of the river Indus and West ward of River Ravi were ceded to Raja Ghulab Singh. Their transfer to Kashmir was intensely distasteful to the people of this area. Resistance started on a large scale to the nominee of Raja Ghulab Singh. Through over its lower part of the Sikh had some control but in the upper Hazara people collectively made things uncomfortable for their new ruler and the Sikh Army was defeated at many places.

Thus finding his newly acquired territory a veritable hornets he (Raja Ghulab Singh) was only too ready to get rid of it if a suitable exchange could be agreed upon.  Early in 1847 he induced the Lahore Darbar to take over from him all the hilly country west of river Jehlum in return for a tract near Jammu. This request of the Raja was accepted by the Lahore Darbar and a Tract near Jammun, in exchange for the hilly region of Hazara was awarded to him.