Hazara Nation

Year 1891-1892 (3)

News. D.No. 198 F. No.2806, dated Quetta, the 14th May 1892.
From-Major-General Sir J. Browne, K.C.S.I.,C.B., R.E., Agent to the governor-general in Baluchistan,
To-The Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department.
News-letter No, 19.
By Khan Bahadur Mirza Muhammad Taki Khan, 7th May 1892.
The Amir has written to the Governor reprimanding him. His Highness observes that, from letters received from Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan, it appears that supplies and ammunition have not yet reached his camp. The Sardar complains of this, and desires to ascertain the cause of the omission.

His Highness orders the Governor to make arrangements forthwith for the despatch of a sufficient supply of ammunition and provisions to the Sardar's camp, and adds that the Governor will be held personally responsible for any further omission in this respect. The Governor has submitted a detailed list to the Amir of the supplies and ammunition already despatched by him to Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan's camp, together with a letter expressing his astonishment at hearing that these articles have not reached their destination. He adds that he is at a loss to understand why the Sardar has misrepresented his action despite the fact that he has actually sent supplies and ammunition in compliance with Abdul Kudus Khan's request. The Governor has further collected all the available lead and gunpowder from the Kandahar shop-keepers, and despatched it to the Sardar's camp with additional supplies.

Abdul Kudus Khan is still at Chureh where the rebels attack his camp nightly. The Hazaras of Byantan are reported to have attacked the Sardar's force lately , killing and wounding several of the tribal force which was sent against them.

The Governor informs me that the Amir has ordered Abdul Kudus Khan to suspend further hostilities pending the arrival of reinforcements from Kabul. These reinforcements are expected to reach Chilleh Kur shortly. The troops already stationed at Chilleh Kur have been overpowered by the repeated attacks made on them by the Hazaras. No news has reached Kandahar from Brigadier Zabardast Khan's camp. It will be remembered that the Brigadier's force was reported to have been surrounded by the rebels in Urzagan. The people of Kandahar say that the situation of the Brigadier's force is critical.

3. The tribal force recently sent to Urzagan was, in the first instance, provisioned from the Government granary on cash payment. The Governor has now issued orders, directing the men composing the force to make private arrangements at Kandahar for provisioning themselves.

9. Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan has addressed the Amir complaining of the behaviour of the people of Tirin and Dehrawud, as also of the Duranis and others. The Sardar writes that the rebellion does not appear to be confined to the Hazaras alone, as the behaviour of the Afghans points to the conclusion that they too are disposed to evince a rebellious bearing especially in the matter of their failure to render any assistance in supplying his camp with provisions.



News. D.No.208 F. No.2938, dated Quetta, the 21st May 1892.
From-Major General Sir James Browne, K.C.S.I., C.B., R.E., Agent to the governor-general in Baluchistan,
To-The Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department.
News-letter,No,20.
By Khan Bahadur Mirza Muhammad Taki Khan, 14th May 1892.

3. It is reported that the Urzagan Hazaras have attacked the advanced guard of Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan's force at a place called Kalkhar, and that Abdul Wahab, Sadbashi, and several soldiers and Khassadars were killed. The remainder of the advance guard were compelled to fall back on their main body. On the following night, the Hazaras made a night attack on Abdul Kudus Khan's camp. A hand to hand conflict ensued, great loss being occurred on either side. According to the Governor's statement, the Hazaras suffered great losses in this engagement, and their attack was made so suddenly that no recourse could be had to rifles, but the fighting had to be done with bayonets and swords. The common report, however, is that Abdul Kudus Khan's force, and not the Hazaras, suffered the greater loss, as he was compelled to fall back and encamp at Wana. No fresh news has been received from Chilleh Kur, nothing of importance having apparently occurred at that place. The Governor has given out that the army under General Sher Muhammad Khan has moved from Kabul towards Daya and Faulad.

The Governor is busily engaged in collecting and despatching supplies to Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan's camp. Whatever camels, donkeys and ponies are forthcoming, are brought in and despatched with supplies to Urzagan. The Hazaras of Giru and Taimran in the Dehrawud district are reported to have risen in rebellion, and to have attacked the Governor of Dehrawud, and seized all the Government money in his charge. It is reported that the rebels have drawn all the Governor's teeth, a novel sort of punishment.

4. The Governor of Kandahar has shown great zeal and energy in collecting tribal sowars and despatching them to Urzagan. He has written to the people of Maruf and Arghistan, urging them on the necessity of collecting tribal sowars and despatching them as soon as possible.

5. The Governor has ordered half of the ammunition formerly sent to Shinkai and Salisun to be brought back for despatch to Urzagan.

6. Several families of the Kandahari troops now stationed in Kabul have this week arrived in Kandahar, owing to the severity of cholera in Kabul. They report that, in the event of the continuance of cholera in Kabul, His Highness the Amir will probably go to Turkistan.



News. D.No. 217 F. No.3058, dated Quetta, the 27th May 1892.
From-Major-General Sir James Browne, K.C.S.I., C.B., R.E., Agent to the governor-general in Baluchistan,
To-The Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department.
News-letter.No.21.
By Khan Bahadur Mirza Muhammad Takki Khan, 21st May 1892.

1. The Governor has read out in Darbar a letter recently received by him from His Highness the Amir. The purport of the letter is as follows:-

An engagement has taken place between the force under General Sher Muhammad Khan and the Hazaras of Ujristan, Malistan, Daya and Faulad. In this engagement most of the positions occupied by the Hazaras were captured, a large number of them were killed, and their property and wives and families fell into General Sher Muhammad's hands. Farhad Khan has fought a battle with the Hazaras of Jaghori, in which he gained a complete victory. The Amir concluded his letter with the remark that the rebellious Hazaras would soon be completely subdued.

On the same day the Governor assembled all the Durani Khans, and directed them to furnish as soon as possible a thousand more tribal sowars, in addition to those already provided by them. He also ordered the immediate despatch of two guns to Tirin from Kandahar. The Khassadars, belonging to the various posts from Takht-i-Pul to Chaman, have been recalled to Kandahar, only three men being left at each post, and out of them a fresh company has been formed which has been sent to Tirin.

The shop-keepers have again been called on to supply as much lead as they can, and from one to two seers have been collected from each. The zamindars have been ordered to provide donkeys to carry provisions to Urzagan. A copy of the Amir's letter has been sent to the zamindars, and they have been told that they should furnish as many tribal sowars as they can. They have also been ordered to join the expedition to Urzagan without delay, and have been told that His Highness the Amir intends to distribute the land and property of the Hazaras amongst the Afghans.

This action of the Governor has led the people to attach little belief to the news of General Sher Muhammad Khan's victory. They even go so far as to say that the General has, in reality, suffered a reverse, and has himself been wounded. Until the receipt of the Amir's letter the people here were not certain whether the Jaghori Hazaras had also rebelled, but now they entertain no doubt in the matter.

Brigadier Zabardast Khan, with a force consisting of two regiments of infantry and six guns, was reported to be surrounded by the rebels, but this week the Governor gave out that he had succeeded in making good his escape, and had joined Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan's camp at Tirin. Here, however, the rumour is current that, out of Zabardast Khan's force, only some two hundred men have survived, and that these were being closely besieged in two forts. Subsequently, so the report goes, they were compelled from want of food to send a Koran to the Hazaras (as a token of submission), and they were then disarmed and permitted to retire to Tirin. At any rate it is reported that not more than two hundred men have joined Abdul Kudus Khan's camp. It would thus appear that all the arms and the six guns, belonging to Zabardast Khan's force, have fallen into the hands of the Hazaras.

2. It is rumoured here that the Hazaras of Urzagan have attacked the Hazaras of Giru, and plundered the town on the score of the Giru Hazaras having given assistance to Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan. It is stated that at the time of the engagement, Abdul Kudus Khan's family was at Giru.

3. The Hazaras of Askar, Kisu, and Tamran are reported to be raiding in the Dehrawud districts.



News.D.No. 230 F. No.3252, dated Quetta, the 5th June 1892.
From-Major-General Sir James Browne, K.C.S.I., C.B., R.E., Agent to the governor-general in Baluchistan,
To-The Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department.
News-letter No. 22.
By Khan Bahadur Mirza Muhammad Takki Khan. 28th May 1892. >>>>(Peg.108)<<<<>>>(Peg.108)<<<>>>>(Peg.109.)<<<< (a letter is received?) of His Highness that the Urzagan affair should be settled solely by the Duranis. The ryots are put to heavy expense and trouble in connection with the collection of tribal sowars, and the officers employed in carrying it out are availing themselves of the occasion by filling their own pockets. It appears from this that the news of the victory gained by General Sher Muhammad Khan and given out last week must be unfounded. The force under Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan, owing to being constantly harassed by the rebels. has retired from Chureh and Tirin to Dahala. His Highness the Amir has forwarded to the Governor of Kandahar a letter received from Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan, complaining of the want of supplies and ammunition, and attributing the fact to negligence on the part of the Kandahar officials. His Highness censures the Governor for showing want of energy in despatching transport and ammunition to the Sardar, and calls upon him to account for his conduct. The Governor expresses his surprise that the Sardar should have misrepresented the matter to His Highness the Amir, despite the fact that he has been sending supplies, &c., to the Sardar for the last two months. He adds that he has already sent all the ammunition available in Kandahar to the Sardar. It appears that Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan has not sent any receipts for the stores supplied to him by the Governor; and this has led the Governor to suspect the conduct of the latter. He has there fore deputed Diwan Sada Nand to the Sardar with instructions to obtain receipts for all the supplies and ammunition hitherto supplied. The Governor and Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan are greatly at variance with one another, and are on the look-out for an opportunity to impeach one another's conduct. 4. On the 27th instant, the Governor after prayers ascended the pulpit and proclaimed the Hazaras to be infidels, with the object of inducing the people to undertake a religious war against them. He told the congregation that he wanted 1,000 men to be brought to him at the head of whom he would himself proceed to Urzagan. On the 28th, the Governor, accompanied by a few sowars and some Khassadars, amounting in all to some 300 men with two guns, marched to the Bagh-i-Amir-Afzal Khan. The police have been ordered to collect and send to the Governor, as soon as possible, one man out of every ten inhabitants of the town. These men are to furnish their own arms. The inhabitants, who are shop-keepers and have no arms, are at a loss to know how to procure the arms required of them. The Governor appears to be greatly perturbed in mind, from which it would appear that he must have received unfavourable news from the camp of Abdul Kuddus Khan. This conduct on the part of the Governor has led the people to make various speculations. Some say that Sardar Abdul Kudus Khan has joined the Hazara rebels, while others say that the force under the Sardar has been signally defeated, and the Hazaras have occupied the Tirin district. No authentic news on the subject can be obtained at present. Great excitement and commotion prevail here. The Chaman road is unsafe owing to the misbehaviour of the Achakzais and Nurzais, and messengers are stripped and robbed on the high road.