Writer: Brigadier Dr Saif ur Rehaman Malik, retired

Introduction

The legendary freedom fighter, military strategist, educationist par excellence, social reformer and a specimen of selflessness, Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan, popularly known as Khan Sahib, is remembered for his multifarious services for the uplift of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He was born in a noble Sudhan family in 1882 at village Chhachhan (now Khanabad), Sudhnuti tehsil of Poonch district, state of Jammu and Kashmir.

After acquiring basic religious education, at the age of 10 he was admitted to a primary school in Kahuta, Rawalpindi district. Just after completing primary education, Khan Sahib started his military career as a soldier, joining the British Indian Army (102 Grenadiers) in 1902. He was promoted to the rank of subedar in 1916. Khan Sahib participated in World War I, and in recognition of his meritorious services, was conferred Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM) in 1916. The same year he retired from the army as subedar major, was later employed as a police inspector in Poonch by Raja Baldev Singh, and continued with the same designation till 1924.

Prior to a description of his contributions and multifaceted roles in various spheres like military, social, economic and political, it is imperative to have a brief overview of Poonch and to grasp the geography and demography.

Demographics and Geographic description of Poonch

Geographically, Poonch region of Jammu and Kashmir State is in the southwestern foothills of Pir Panjal Range, a significant mountain range separating the valley of Kashmir from the Jammu province. It begins from Banihal Pass and covers Rajouri, Budhal and Poonch on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC), and Kotli, Rawalakot and Bagh on the Azad side.5 The terrain of this region varies from sub-tropical to temperate. The climatic conditions of the upper areas of Mandi and Surankot, touching the main Pir Panjal Range, resemble Kashmir valley. Due to its natural beauty, Poonch is also known as mini-Kashmir, land of sufis and derwaishes, and area of warrior tribes. Gojri and Pahari are the predominant languages in the area, however other languages like Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, and Kashmiri are also spoken. The road infrastructure of Poonch and surrounding areas are given in Map1.

As per the census of 1923, the population of Poonch was around 0.4 million, comprising 96% Muslims, 3 % Hindus and 1% others. Figure 1 below reflects the magnificent historic Poonch fort. Built in 1179, Poonch fort of Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed the historical stories of Dogras, Muslims and Sikhs.

Historical Background of Kashmir

In 1339, Shah Mir became the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir, setting up the Shah Mir dynasty. For the next five centuries Muslims ruled Kashmir, including the Mughal Empire from 1586 until 1751, and the Afghan Durrani Empire from 1747 until 1819. In 1819, the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh annexed Kashmir. Poonch was a component of the Khalsa Darbar in Lahore from 1819 until 1850. In 1846, after the Sikh defeat in the First Anglo-Sikh War, and upon purchase of the region from the British under the Treaty of Amritsar, the Raja of Jammu, Gulab Singh, became the new ruler of Kashmir. Poonch was proclaimed a jagir by the first Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1850, and his nephew Moti Singh was given the title of Raja. In fact, Maharaja Ranjit Singh handed over Poonch to a Dogra noble, and it ultimately came under the control of Gulab Singh as part of the princely state of Kashmir. Poonch was recognised for its picturesque landscape, fine tea and good horses. Map 2 below of Jammu and Kashmir, produced during the British Raj, showing the Poonch Jagir in 1946.

Poonch was divided in 1947, and presently consists of five districts: one in Indian-held Kashmir (Poonch) and four in Azad Kashmir i.e., Bagh, Haveli, Poonch (Rawalakot as headquarters) and Sudhanoti. Map 2 reflects Poonch district after partition of British India.

Military Contributions and Achievements

Formation of Home Guards & War Council

Shortly after announcement of the Partition Plan of June 3, 1947, under which two sovereign states were to emerge in the Subcontinent, Honorary Captain (later Colonel, retired) Khan Sahib held a meeting of ex servicemen at Palandri, and announced the formation of home guards of various groups of villages in Sudhnuti, Bagh and Kotli. This was among one of the initial steps towards the armed struggle for the liberation of Kashmir, and its accession to Pakistan. Khan Sahib established Numb camp near Palandri on October 1, 1947, and planned distribution of dry rations to volunteers coming forward to join the liberation forces being organised to fight against Dogra rule. On October 2, 1947, Khan Sahib held the final meeting for organising a mujahid force in Chhachhan area, and a large number of ex-servicemen of various ranks participated in the meeting. Notable among them were Subedar Major (later Captain and the first commanding officer 1 Azad Kashmir Regiment), Muhammad Hussain Khan of Kahala, Subedar (later Captain) Muhammad Ismail Khan of Nandi Channi, Subedar Shan Khan of Chhachhan, Subedar (later Captain and first commanding officer 36 Azad Kashmir Regiment), Burhan Ali Khan of Chhachhan, Jemadar (later Lieutenant) Bostan Khan, Jemadar Jalal Khan and Jamedar Abdullah Khan of Nandi Chhanni. It was decided to launch operations against the Jammu and Kashmir Dogra troops.

On October 6, 1947, a war council under the patronage of Khan Sahib was set up at Palandri. The war council reorganised the mujahideen in the form of units, provided ammunition, made deployments at different places of strategic significance, and pushed Dogra forces out from Palandri and surrounding areas. The war council succeeded

in repulsing the advance party of Dogra troops accompanied by hundreds of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) armed workers at Hajira. There was no civil government at that time, it was the war council which administered various civil affairs. Subsequently, the war council was reconstituted as defence council under Lieutenant Colonel Syed Ali Ahmed Shah, defence minister, as chairman, and Syed Nazir Hussain Shah, finance minister, Brigadier Muhammad Zaman Kiani, Colonel Habib ur Rehman and Khan Sahib Colonel Muhammad Khan as members.

Khan Sahib maintained the pace of advance with the support of Colonel Sher Ahmed Khan. He left for Kotli via Hajira, along with a jatha (a group of armed fighters), and started operational planning for future movement. There he united various armed groups and named them the Sudhan Brigade. T his brigade had remarkable achievements in the clearance of Kotli, Saryah and Rajouri, with the help of the following battalions, being part of the Sudhan Brigade:

• 1 AK Regiment—commanded by Captain Muhammad Hussain Khan (Kahala)
• 2 AK Regiment—commanded by Lieutenant Burhan Ali Khan (Chhachhan)
• 3 AK Regiment—commanded by Captain Muhammad Abdullah Khan (Palandri)
• Riasti Regiment—commanded by Lieutenant Muhammad Sher Khan (Baral)

The Sudhan Brigade staff included:

• Brigade commander—Colonel Sher Ahmed Khan
• Deputy commander—Major Haji Sher Muhammad Khan
• Staff officer—Colonel Mehboob Khan
• Admin officer—Major Muhammad Zaman Khan
• Staff officer—Major Mukhtar Ahmed Khan
• Officer in charge defence platoon— Lieutenant Muhammad Akram Khan

Khan Sahib not only contributed in military pursuits by organising the dispersed local forces into a disciplined liberation force, he also contributed in social welfare as well as education of the common people.

Social Contributions

Role as a Reformer

Khan Sahib’s role as a reformer reveals his leadership attributes, and is unique in nature. Post World War II, thousands of local soldiers retired from military service, and faced serious financial hardship and unemployment. He took the issue to the Viceroy of India and obtained sanction for huge funds for the rehabilitation of retired soldiers. Besides, he believed in preservation of military history for generations to come, serving as a roadmap for them, highlighting their sacrifices, and paying tribute to unsung heroes. He desired to compile an authentic military history book on Jihad e Kashmir. Moreover, he approached selected individuals and urged them to document the history of the freedom struggle in any written form, so as to compile it in the form of a book. In pursuit of his passion to preserve military history, he succeeded in obtaining the history of Battle of Thorar, from Captain Bostan Khan. He himself took notes of the operations at Mang and Pattan Sher Khan.

In 1925, he laid the foundation of a revolution in the socio-economic arena, and promotion of education sector. This was the worst time for the people of Kashmir in general, and Poonch in particular, as they were going through the era of ignorance, and subservience to orthodox customs and traditions, particularly in the domain of marriages and deaths. To deconstruct and reconstruct such norms, he persuaded people to refrain from customs contradicting Islamic practices, and urged them to lead a simple life. He considered education as the only pragmatic way to live their lives. In the beginning of the 20th Century, certain social and educational organisations emerged in different regions of Jammu & Kashmir, with the objective of removing harmful and un-Islamic customs from society, through communication and education among the young generation.

On the same pattern, a socio educational movement was initiated in Poonch region by Khan Sahib in early 1930s; however, he considered education as the most significant tool for reformation of society. It was the need of the hour, as literacy amongst Muslims in Poonch Jagir was just around 2%, as compared to 5% in the rest of Jammu & Kashmir, while the condition in villages was at a low level. Therefore he initiated an educational campaign in 1934. The remarkable work in this regard was the establishment of Sudhan Educational Conference to serve the purpose of promotion of education and allied healthy activities for the youth.

Under the auspices of this organisation, funds were generated for financial sponsorship of needy students at home and abroad. As part of this movement, various independent schools were established in different parts of Poonch region, where teachers offered their services on a volunteer basis. This movement paid dividends in the form of promotion of education, for both males and females. Thousands of individuals benefited by this movement, and some prominent personalities who served in different positions and portfolios in the government of Azad Kashmir, are worth mentioning. This includes Sardar Ibrahim Khan (president & prime minister), Sardar Habib Khan (advisor), Major General Rahim Khan, retired (former secretary defence, Pakistan), Colonel Mansha Khan, retired (speaker state assembly), Mr. Ibrahim Khan (secretary), and Colonel Dr Qaisar Muhammad, retired. Sudhan Educational Conference is still quite active in pursuit of its objectives, even after the demise of Khan Sahib, hence it has the honor of being an old non-government organisation of the Subcontinent. Khan Sahib played an illustrious role in the renaissance of the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir in general, and the Muslims of Poonch in particular.

He introduced muthi bhar atta scheme, where a handful of each family's surplus flour was collected every day, and funds were generated for promotion of education and construction of the Jamia mosque and Darul Uloom Madrassa in Palandri. It was a unique fund-raising strategy, with no match in the history of the Subcontinent. To eradicate poverty and for the socio-economic uplift of the lower strata of society, he advised men and women to adopt austerity measures, work hard with special attention to livestock, poultry farming, and obtain optimum benefits from agricultural produce. He was the first of his time who advocated women’s education, involved womenfolk in decision making, in matters related to the community, and set up separate educational institutions for women. He f loated the idea of women’s empowerment by equipping them with education, almost eighty years ago.

Besides, he played a remarkable role in all socio-political movements in Jammu and Kashmir from 1930 onwards. Khan Sahib had served as member Kashmir Legislative Assembly from 1934 to 1946, and relentlessly fought for political, social and economic rights of his constituents. He inculcated political awareness among the masses to stand for their rights, and kept alive the atrocities and barbaric acts committed in the Gulab Singh era. Being a charismatic leader, he was elected unopposed as a member legislative assembly, later urged Sardar Ibrahim Khan to contest elections on his behalf, and ensured his success in the upcoming elections of legislative assembly.

Honours and Award

In recognition of his commitment and selfless service to the people of Kashmir, he was given the title of Khan Sahib on 11 June 1942 by the Viceroy of India, on behalf of the British Government. The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Government awarded him the honorary titles of Colonel, Baba-e-Poonch, and Ghazi-e Kashmir.

On November 11, 1961, with the demise of Khan Sahib, his five-decade long struggle as a reformer came to an end. He was a symbol of courage, dedication, and selflessness, he fought both politically and militarily for the rights of his people. He successfully established an enlightened welfare society and empowered the Kashmir liberation movement. Services rendered to the nation by Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan in the Kashmir liberation struggle, education and reforms, will remain an inspiration for present and coming generations. His role to get the people of Poonch liberated from the oppressive rule of the Maharaja of Kashmir, will be remembered in the history of Kashmir.