Hazara Nation

In order protect themselves and to gain promotion, the Amirs commanders committed ever more and worse atrocities. They openly abused Hazara religious leaders and tortured or incarcerated Hazara Mirs and elders; even those Hazara leaders who supported the government were not spared, but sent to Kabul or imprisoned under false pretexts (Faiz, 1912, vol.3:733,740). At the height of this policy, Abdul Qodos was commanded from Kabul to gather and send to Kabul all Sayyeds, Mullahs, and Mirs from the newly-conquered areas. From amongst these, those known for their support and loyalty to the Amir were placed in positions of power; those who were considered neutral were sent in to exile in other parts of Afghanistan, and those under suspicion were kept in Kabul in order to prevent any chances of an uprising (Ibid:761)In order to speed up the depopulation of Hazaristan and its repopulation by Pashtun nomads, Abdul Qodos arrested and sent to Kabul the Mirs of the Day Kundi, Day Zangi and other clans, where they were tried for obstructing the law. Arable Hazara land was retaxed:

“There were no laws and regulations regarding the amount and method of collection of taxes. Land tax would be collected in wheat [100 kherwar=100 seer, seer=7.066 kg] from one family one day...The next day oil would be added on, then 100 sheep, then straw, followed by barley and so on. Government officials would take all this on a whim and by force as they pleased” (Orazgani, 1913:81)

Those who refused to pay these taxes, such as members of the Day Chopan clan, were massacred by the hundred, including women and children. The rest of the population was totally disarmed, a process accompanied by random looting, destruction and assault on Hazara women (Faiz, 1912, vol.3:733).

Thousands of documents can be produced and hundreds of pages written, on the inhuman policies and activities of Abdur Rahman. the aim of giving these examples here is to provide a background to the period preceding the uprisings. it was the culmination of these conditions which provided the basis for the major uprising by the Hazaras. The actual trigger for the first rebellion was the assault by 33 Pashtun soldiers on the wife of a Pahlawan Hazara. The soldiers, who had entered the house under the pretext of searching for arms, tied the man up and assaulted his wife in front of him. The families of both the man and his wife, deciding that death was one hundred times better than such humiliation, killed the soldiers involved and attacked the local garrison, from whence they recovered their confiscated arms.

And so the major Hazara uprisings of April 1892 began in the occupied Hazaristan. Interestingly, the rebellion first began in parts of Hazaristan where the Amir enjoyed much support. Following the success of the above mentioned attack on government forces, the Orazgani Hazaras also took arms and joined the uprising. Of all the Afghan forces in the area., only Muhammadullah Khan and his men were able to flee and defend themselves. As the uprising spread and neared Kabul, the rebels were joined by Kabuli Hazaras and even some dissatisfied government officials.

"...The top half of his head was covered with dough shaped like a bowl and boiling oil poured into it. This was done until the hot oil pierced through and the soldier lost consciousness ...until he eventually died" method for getting a soldier to confess

Although the uprising had begun as a popular rebellion by ordinary Hazaras, it was soon joined by prominent Hazara leaders, the first of whom was Mohammad Azim Beg, the Day Zangi Mir. Muhammad Azim Beg had been amongst the first Mirs to pledge allegiance to the Amir in Kabul in 1887 and so had been given the title of Sardar by Abdur Rahman. Indeed, according to Orazgani, it had been Muhammad Azim Beg who had planned Abdur Rahman’s invasion of the originally unoccupied Hazaras such as Orazgan, Chorah, and Arjistan (Orazgani,1913:76), and had consequently been made Viceroy of Hazaristan (sultan, 1980, vol.1:280). However, when the time came, Azim Beg joined the Hazara uprising and attempted to organize and to give it clear direction. In order to do this wrote all Hazara Mirs and invited them all to a general meeting. It was this meeting, which was to be known as the famous Jirga-e Au Qool, that the Hazaras officially declared war on Abdur Rahman (Faiz, 1912, vol.3:800).

The major difference between this uprising and the Sheikh Ali uprising (1888-1890) was that, while the latter had had specific aims such as reduction of taxes, etc., the Jirga-e Au Qool had as its declared intention, the overthrow of the Amir of Kabul. It was also for this reason that the uprising attracted a number of Maimana Uzbaks, along with government and Afghan officials (Temirkhanov, 1980:1370). Thus, the rebellion spread throughout Hazaristan, attracting Hazara officers and soldiers in the service of the Amir. Soon the rebels took over government food stores in Hazaristan and closed off strategic roads into the region (Faiz, 1912, vol.3:800).

To begin with, Abdur Rahman did not view the matter as particularly serious and attempted to quash the rebellion by dispatching small forces to assist Abdul Qodos. Soon, however, Abdul Qodos was defeated by Mir Azim Beg, as was General Shir Mohammad Khan, leader of Abdur Rahman’s dispatched force. As well as victory over these forces, the Hazaras also gained access to a supply of arms and ammunitions.

It was at this point that Abdur Rahman became aware of the extent and seriousness of the uprising, and called upon Sunni religious leaders to conduct a ‘religious crusade’ against the ‘godless’ Shi’a Hazaras, promising those who took part in the crusade, Hazara land, wealth, women and children as reward. An enormous force was put together: some 30,000-40,000 government troops, 10,000 mounted government troops, and some 100,000 civilians (Faiz, 1912,vol.3:781-2,809,812; sultan 1980, vol.1:283). Also volunteering to join the crusade Pashtun nomads(kochi’s) who had long pleaded with the Amir to fight the Hazaras (sultan 1980, vol.1:283). A state of emergency was declared in all cities. Even the British government offered the assistance of British military advisers to Abdur Rahman (Temirkhanov, 1980:143).

Government and voluntary forces, along with the Afghan nomads, led by Abdul Qodos, General Gholam Heydar Khan and General Shir Mohammad Khan, surrounded all the areas where the rebellion was taking place. The first resistance came from the Day Zangi area where, despite a valiant effort, the Day Zangi were defeated and their leaders killed or captured. By June 1892, all out bloody war reigned throughout Hazaristan.

Despite impressive successes, by August 1892, the major forces of rebellion had been defeated, and Azim Beg, the principal leader of the rebellion was captured and later executed in Kabul. Soon, Orazgan, the main center of the fighting was captured and totally destroyed; thousands of Hazara men, women, and children were sold as slaves in the markets of Kabul and Qandahar, while numerous towers of human heads were made from the defeated rebels as a warning to others who might challenge the rule of the Amir