Information
| Dynasty | Akhund Khel Painda Khel |
|---|---|
| Clan | Malezi Akozai Yusafzai |
| State | Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prov.) |
| Seat | Dir |
| Gun Salutes | 15 |
| Agency | Malakand Agency |
| Area | 5,281 km2 |
| Population | 250,000 |
| Religion | Muslim |
| Urdu Name | دیر |
| Also known as | Dhir |
| Last Updated | 02nd Jan, 2024 |
Short History
In 1936, the Dir state was constituted, extending from Chakdarra in the south to the head of Dir Kohistan in the north, covering a distance of about 80 miles. Its greatest width from east to west is 40 miles. To the north, it is bounded by the Hindu Raj range, which serves as its border with Chitral and, for a short distance, with Afghanistan. To the east, its boundary is defined by the western watershed of the Jandul river and the Panjkora river down to its confluence with the Swat River. Dir is a land of narrow valleys nourished by perennial, slow-fed streams. The capital, Dir, is charmingly nestled among terraced fields at an altitude of approximately 5,000 feet.
The founder of the lineage was Mulla Ilyas Khan, also known as Akhund Baba, a holy man who thrived in the 17th century. However, it was his grandson, Ghulam Khan, who appears to have been the first to gain secular authority.
Nawab derives his revenue primarily from ushr, a tax on the agricultural produce of the land, as well as from tolls on imports. His key officials include the Sipah Salar, or Commander-in-Chief, and the Mashir Mal, or Revenue Officer. Jandol is administered by a Governor, and the rest of the state is divided into tehsils, each under the jurisdiction of a tehsildar.
The state maintains a small standing army, with garrisons strategically positioned in forts, especially in the more vulnerable regions, such as the western border. During times of emergency, the fully armed tribesmen are called upon to provide contingents, typically supported by the Nawab with provisions while in the field.
Predecessors
- Akhund Baba (Mulla Ilyas Khan), 1626–1676
- Mulla Ismail, 1676–1752
- Ghulam Khan Baba, 1752–1804
- Khan Zafar Khan, 1804–1814
- Khan Qasim Khan, 1814–1822
- Khan Ghazzan Khan, 1822–1868
- Ghasan Khan, 1868-1870
- Khan Rahmat Allah (Rahmatullah) Khan, Khan of Dir 1870–1884, was indebted to the Maharaja of Kashmir for pecuniary assistance, which enabled him to assert his authority against his brother, Jamdad Khan, who, on the death of their father, Ghasan Khan, succeeded for a time in obtaining the Chiefship for himself. He acknowleged the obligations under which he lay to the Maharaja, and there was for some years a tolerably close connection between Dir and Srinagar. But in 1875, offended at the way in which he was treated by an agent sent by the Durbar to strengthen the connection, he broke off relations with Kashmir, and from that time, until his death, he cannot be said to have acknowledged the Maharaja’s suzerainty. He married and had issue. He died in 1884.
- Muhammad Sharif Khan (qv)
- Nawab Muhammad Sharif Khan, Khan of Dir 1886–1890 (first time) – see below
- Muhammad Umara Khan, Chief of Jandol, conquered and occupied Dir in 1890. Dir territory, including Maidan and Baraul, fell into his hands and was put in charge of his brother, Muhammad Shah Khan. He also invaded the Talash valley and Adinzai country, establishing his authority as far south as Chakdara.
- Nawab Muhammad Sharif Khan, 1stly as Khan of Dir 1886–1890, 2ndly as Nawab of Dir 1895-1904, born about 1848, succeeded his father in 1884. He was shortly, after his accession, completely defeated by Aman-ul-Mulk, with whom he went to war, and it seemed at one time not improbable that the influence which the latter had acquired in Dir might be used to establish more friendly relations between that state and Kashmir. Following Umara Khan’s conquest of Dir, he was obliged to take refuge in Swat. He made several attempts in the succeeding years to regain his country but was unsuccessful. In 1895, during the advance of the Chitral relief expedition, he came into the Political Officer and did good service by pushing on up the Panjkora line with his own forces, recovering Dir from the Umara garrison, and advancing a force into Chitral territory, which seized Drosh fort. He also rendered good service by capturing and handing over the Sher Afzal, the pretender Mehtar of Chitral and Yasin. At the conclusion of the expedition he was restored as Khan of Dir at the Durbar held by the Chief Commissioner, North-West Frontier Province, at Chakdara, on 13th April 1905. In the spring of 1897, he annexed to his territories the tribes on the right bank of the upper Swat, who had until then been practically independent. He received the title of Nawab by the Government of India in June 1897. In October 1898, he executed an agreement with the Khan of Nawagai, defining the boundaries of their respective jurisdictions. In December 1898, he executed an agreement with the Government of India, defining the boundaries of his territories and undertaking not to interfere with or commit aggression on any tribes beyond those boundaries. He visited Calcutta in March 1900 on the invitation of H.E. the Viceroy and Governor-General of India; attended Viceregal Durbar held at Peshawar in April 1902; attended Delhi Durbar of 1903 and was invested with the C.I.E. or Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire; married and had issue. He died in December 1904.
- Aurangzeb Badshah Khan (qv)
- A daughter, married in 1917 as 4th wife to H.H. Mehtar Sir Muhammad Shuja ul-Mulk, Mehtar of Chitral.
- Aurangzeb Badshah Khan, Nawab of Dir 1904–1913 (first time) – see below
- Miangul Jan, Khan of Dir 1913–1914
- Nawab Aurangzeb Badshah Khan, Nawab of Dir 1904–1913 and 1914-1925, born about 1897, succeeded 1904, installed as the Khan of Dir on 13th April 1905 by the Chief Commissioner, North-West-Frontier Province, at a durbar which was attended by all the notables of Dir and Upper Swat. H.E. the Viceroy and Governor-General of India conferred upon him the title of Nawab as a personal distinction, and on 6th June 1908, it was made permanent and attached to the Chiefship of Dir on 31st May 1918.
- Ghazi-i-Millat Brigadier H.H. Khan Bahadur Nawab Sir Mohammad Shah Jahan Khan, Nawab of Dir 1925–1966, K.B.E., born at Barwal Bandi, Dir, 14th July 1898, married a daughter of Mehtarjao Shah-i-Mulk, Governor of Drosh. Was made a K.B.E in 1933. He died 1966.
- Alghani Khonza, married Colonel Shahzada Khusrow-ul-Mulk
- Shah Khusru Khan (qv)
- Nawabzada Shahabuddin Khan, Khan of Jandol 1947–1969. He is remembered for building schools, hospitals, forts, and roads, but also for his absolute rule over the region, which ended when Pakistan took control of Dir after local unrest.
- Nawabzada Muhammad Shah Khan
- Major-General H.H. Nawab Muhammad Shah Khusru Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Dir
- Muhammad Shah Salim Khan
- H.H. Nawab Muhammad Shah Salim Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Dir