Hazara Nation

After coming to power in 1880 and taking the throne as the Amir of Kabul, Abdur Rahman enjoyed the support of Hazara Mirs, even in his struggle against his Pashtun challengers. Indeed, the Mirs of Ghazni, Jaghouri, Shiekh Ali, Behsud, Malistan, and Day Zangi all proclaimed support for the new Amir (Temirkhanov, 1980:116). They expected to have the same cooperative relationship with the new Amir as they had had with past Amirs: they would pay their taxes, and be allowed to carry on as beforeHowever, Abdur Rahman and other plans. He intended to gain control over the previously independent areas of the Hazaristan (Orazgani, 1913:7). At the same time he had little tolerance for the powerful Hazara Mirs. Thus, once he had defeated his Afghan challengers, he set about strengthening his control over Hazaristan. His first step was to increase taxes. According to Ghobar, some sixteen different categories of taxes were levied (ghobar, 1980: 646-662). And this was only with respect to those Hazaras who supported the government and so paid the extra taxes willingly. However, soon after these increases, which themselves had caused great unrest and dissatisfaction, Abdur Rahman began incarcerating Hazara tribal and religious leaders. Abdur Rahman, whose aim was the weakening and thus the unconditional surrender of the Hazaras, began his assaults on the Sheikh Ali Hazaras. He chose them with the intention of exploiting the existing division between Shi’a and Sunni Sheikh Ali’s.

As mentioned before the Hazara uprisings of this period can be divided into three phases. Below are analysis of phase one and two are discussed. Phase three shall not be discussed as the uprisings of this period were on the whole on a much smaller scale and of the little consequence.

Phase one (1999-1890)

In 1881-82, Abdur Rahman took as hostage and later exiled to Mazar-e Sharif, the leader of the Sheikh Ali Hazaras in Daray-e Ghorband, Sayid Ja’far, and replaced with a Pashtun ruler (Faiz, 1912, Vol.3.391-2). This unprovoked step understandably caused great unrest amongst the Sheikh Ali leaders. In 1888, when Ishaq Khan, one of Abdur Rahman’s cousins and the other ruler of Mazar-e Sharif, rebelled against Abdur Rahman, member families of the Sheikh Ali tribe, such as Panj Qool and Ali Jam, seized the opportunity and joined the rebellion. However, the rebellion was soon crushed and 23 of its leaders were arrested and put on trial (Temirkhanov, 1980:124).

As mentioned before, the Sheikh Ali Hazaras were divided into Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. It was by using this difference that Abdur Rahman incited the Sunni Hazaras to fight their Shi’a brothers, who had joined in the rebellion. By 1889-90, these differences had heightened, resulting in conflicts between the two sects. Abdullah Khan, the Afghan ruler of the Sheikh Ali area, took advantage of the situation and fined both sects 100,000 Rupees. Since neither side was able to pay such a heavy fine, when the government tax collectors arrived, in January 1890, they were assaulted by government forces to flee (Faiz, 1912, vol.3:683).

The Sheikh Ali rebellion gathered momentum when Abdur Rahman called their leaders to Kabul. Although the rebels, led by Mohammad Sarwar Khan and Sayid Jafar Khan, succeeded in defeating government forces, they were eventually defeated. Those who had fought against were executed en masse. Those who had surrendered were either imprisoned or sent into exile in northern and southern Afghanistan. In their place, Pashtun speaking nomads from Eastern Afghanistan were brought in to populate the area and were given land by the government (Ibid:734,953).

Although the Sheikh Ali rebellion was crushed and failed to develop into a wider movement, it nevertheless acted as an inspiration, for it was the first organized and well-led Hazara rebellion against Abdur Rahman. The demands, set out very clearly by the leadership and sent to Kabul, were the following:

“...decrease in taxes, the ending of violence, the liberation of their religious leaders and Mirs, and freedom to exercise and safeguard local traditions in local administration” (Temirkhanov, 1980:122)

"All those who have rebelled against me, 'Amir of Islam' must be annihilated. Their heads shall be mine; you may have their fortunes and children." (Abdur Rahman, as he called upon the Pashtuns. )


Phase two (1890-1893)

During the years 1880-91, Abdur Rahman succeeded in subjugating new areas of Hazaristan, inhabited by over 50 different Hazara clans, such as: Orazgan, Sultan Ahmad, Looni, Haidar, Mir Qadam, Daya, Fuladi, Donkah, Khajah, Qarliq, Muhammad Dabah, Nihal, Basah, Daulat Khan, Nic Muhammad, Aziz, Aska, Taghlog, Temoor, Qutina, Khiyal, Chopanak, Mir Qoli, Daro, Barlas, Pajpa, Mir Adinah, Shadi, Tajik, Nor Beg, Haji khan, Khordak Zaida, Maliki, Moridi, Makanak, Gholam, Zawoli(zabuli), Morad, Enayat Khan, Se Pai, and Khoshnoo (Temirkhanov, 1980:116).

This area in fact constituted about half of the entire Hazaristan. As Orazgani writes : “The whole of Hazaristan was inhabited by approximately 500,000 families, of which some 300,000 were under the control of government rule” (1913:73)

By 1892 Abdur Rahman had succeeded in subjugating virtually all of Hazaristan, without facing any serious resistance. The Hazaras had accepted the taxes imposed on them, and had sent many of their men to be soldiers in the army.

However, this did not appear to be enough in the eyes of Abdur Rahman. He continued to view the Hazaras as a great threat and so set out to completely destroy and disband them as a force in Afghanistan. In order to do this, he first summoned to Kabul and then imprisoned or exiled, Hazara Mirs and religious leaders. In their place, he dispatched Afghan governors and commanders and accompanied by battalions of soldiers.

These new governors and commanders, amongst whom numbered many of Abdur Rahman’s cousins, were free to do as they pleased in their new domains. The most of these was Abdul Qodos, who according to Kakhar “was the first to enjoy the company of Hazara women” (1973:5). According to one of Abdur Rahman’s spies, who had been sent to the Hazaristan:
“Afghan officers and commanders, headed by Abdul Qodus khan, married daughters of Hazara leaders by force, each taking more than one wife, and generally spent their time drunk and enjoying themselves” (Faiz, 1912, vol. 3:740,745,761).

Government soldiers were free to fine people as they pleased, or to capture and torture men under the pretext of disarming them. Orazgani gives numerous accounts of the different torture methods used. Farhad khan, one of Abdur Rahman’s commanders slew 6 people and then hanged their bodies from a tree; on another occasion he tied four people up and had them dragged by their horses until their flesh had begun falling off. On yet another occasion, two Hazaras were told to swear at Imam Ali(as). When they refused to do so they were thrown in front of a pack of hungry dogs to be devoured. A heated stone, red as fire, was thrown a man’s shirt while his hands and legs were tied up; or a cat would be placed inside a man’s trousers and kicked and beaten until the animal would become fierce and scratch and trip the man’s legs and genitals (Orazgani, 1913:79-80)