Karlal
Encyclopedia
The Karlal are a tribe found in the Abbottabad
and Haripur
districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
. Karlal territory borders on both Azad Kashmir
and Punjab
.
The tribe trace their descent from Sardar Kallar Shah who is believed to have come from southern Afghanistan
, and is believed to have been a descendant of Alexander the Great..In Haripur and Abbottabad
, they are known as Sardar
s because during the time of the Delhi Sultanate
(1206–1296) they became the sardar (meaning leaders) of this area.The majority of the people of the Karlal tribe are Sunni Muslims. Although the Sardari-System is now obsolete, the name prevails due to extensive usage by local peoples, including other tribes who prefer to refer Karlals as sardars.The origins of the Karlal are mentioned both in the census reports of Ibbetson
and Rose as well as in the district Gazetteer - compiled during British rule
.They are extensively distributed in hilly areas of Abbottabad District
known as Gillies or Gilyat.
In 1822 Ranjit Singh sent a large force under famous General Amar Singh Majitta which was defeated by karlals with great slaughter. Amar singh was also murdered by karlal .Lepel Griffin writes in his book about this battle of sumandar khata. From 1822 to 1845 Karlal tribe fought many battles with Sikhs and was able to retain its independence throughout Sikh period. In 1844 once again Lahore Dardar sent a large force under Diwan Mulraj and Hari Singh to subdue Karlal country, again taking advantage of their difficult geographical terrain Karlals were able to defeat Sikh army at place called Nah and killed more than 150 Sikh soldiers.
During the British period at the time of mutiny in 1857 this tribe tried to revolt against the rule of East India company however britishers were able to imprison Karlal chief Sardar Hassan Ali Khan and many mutineers of this tribe were hanged along with some Dund tribesmen(Mutiny Reports 1857 Hazara District).According to the District Gazetteers of Rawalpindi
and Hazara written jointly by the respective Deputy Commissioners of the above areas, the tribe Kharral of Gojra
in Punjab, derive their ancestors from the Karlals in Abbottabad, Hazara. The account of the 1857 India's First War of Independence also known as the Indian Mutiny clearly establishes strong cooperation and connectivity between the two tribes linking them to the common ancestor with the assumption that the Kharrals of Gojra and Karlals of Abbottabad are actually the one and the same tribe.British has to establish five cantonments of Bara Gali,Nathia Gali,Dounga Gali ,Changlagali in the small Karlal territory to keep this tribe subdued along with the construction of road which started immediately after war of independence of 1857.
During the time of Indian independence movement entire Karral tribe joined the flanks of Muslim League and strive hard for the creation of Pakistan.In the elections of 1946 fought on the single point of division of India, people of this tribe were forerunners in defeating congress candidates who had the backing of more populace tribes like Jadoons and Sawatis. In fact the representative and leader of this tribe at that time Captain Sardar Zain Muhammad khan MLA was not only able to defeat rival congress candidate from Abbottabad,s only constituency at that time but had the honor of representing entire District Hazara in the historic Delhi Muslim League Parliamentarians Convention which under the leadership of Quaid-E- Azam finally voted for division of India and creation of Pakistan.
Abbottabad District
Abbottabad is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 1,969 km with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town...
and Haripur
Haripur District
Haripur is a district in the Hazara region of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, province of Pakistan with an altitude of around above sea level. Haripur District has the highest Human Development Index of all the districts in the Hazara....
districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Karlal territory borders on both Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
and Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
.
The tribe trace their descent from Sardar Kallar Shah who is believed to have come from southern Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and is believed to have been a descendant of Alexander the Great..In Haripur and Abbottabad
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
, they are known as Sardar
Sardar
Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
s because during the time of the Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
(1206–1296) they became the sardar (meaning leaders) of this area.The majority of the people of the Karlal tribe are Sunni Muslims. Although the Sardari-System is now obsolete, the name prevails due to extensive usage by local peoples, including other tribes who prefer to refer Karlals as sardars.The origins of the Karlal are mentioned both in the census reports of Ibbetson
Denzil Ibbetson
Sir Denzil Charles Jelf Ibbetson KCSI was an administrator in British India and an author. He served as governor of the Central Provinces and Berar from 1900 to 1902....
and Rose as well as in the district Gazetteer - compiled during British rule
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
.They are extensively distributed in hilly areas of Abbottabad District
Abbottabad District
Abbottabad is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 1,969 km with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town...
known as Gillies or Gilyat.
History
As per Wajab Ul Arz of 1874 compiled by British authorities this tribe through out history tried to retain their independence ,during Mughal era when the Gakkars were trying to extend their authority in the entire lower Hazara the leader of Karlal tribe Morcha Kulli Khan at that time was able to murder the Ghakkar chief and retained his tribes independence.Turks were also never able to extend their authority over this tribe although enjoying suzerainty over large portion of Pakhal Sarkar at that time.In Durrani period no attempt was made by Afghan rulers to subdue their territory .However when the Sikhs Captured lower Hazara they tried to gain contol over entire lower Hazara including Karlal territory.In 1822 Ranjit Singh sent a large force under famous General Amar Singh Majitta which was defeated by karlals with great slaughter. Amar singh was also murdered by karlal .Lepel Griffin writes in his book about this battle of sumandar khata. From 1822 to 1845 Karlal tribe fought many battles with Sikhs and was able to retain its independence throughout Sikh period. In 1844 once again Lahore Dardar sent a large force under Diwan Mulraj and Hari Singh to subdue Karlal country, again taking advantage of their difficult geographical terrain Karlals were able to defeat Sikh army at place called Nah and killed more than 150 Sikh soldiers.
During the British period at the time of mutiny in 1857 this tribe tried to revolt against the rule of East India company however britishers were able to imprison Karlal chief Sardar Hassan Ali Khan and many mutineers of this tribe were hanged along with some Dund tribesmen(Mutiny Reports 1857 Hazara District).According to the District Gazetteers of Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
and Hazara written jointly by the respective Deputy Commissioners of the above areas, the tribe Kharral of Gojra
Gojra
Gojra , the capital of Gojra Tehsil, is a city of Toba Tek Singh District in the Punjab province of Pakistan, it is located at 31°9'N 72°41'E and is located 30 miles from Faisalabad, 125 km from Burewala, 157 km from Vehari and north of Toba Tek Singh...
in Punjab, derive their ancestors from the Karlals in Abbottabad, Hazara. The account of the 1857 India's First War of Independence also known as the Indian Mutiny clearly establishes strong cooperation and connectivity between the two tribes linking them to the common ancestor with the assumption that the Kharrals of Gojra and Karlals of Abbottabad are actually the one and the same tribe.British has to establish five cantonments of Bara Gali,Nathia Gali,Dounga Gali ,Changlagali in the small Karlal territory to keep this tribe subdued along with the construction of road which started immediately after war of independence of 1857.
During the time of Indian independence movement entire Karral tribe joined the flanks of Muslim League and strive hard for the creation of Pakistan.In the elections of 1946 fought on the single point of division of India, people of this tribe were forerunners in defeating congress candidates who had the backing of more populace tribes like Jadoons and Sawatis. In fact the representative and leader of this tribe at that time Captain Sardar Zain Muhammad khan MLA was not only able to defeat rival congress candidate from Abbottabad,s only constituency at that time but had the honor of representing entire District Hazara in the historic Delhi Muslim League Parliamentarians Convention which under the leadership of Quaid-E- Azam finally voted for division of India and creation of Pakistan.