Punial State
Encyclopedia
Punial State was formerly a princely state
(under the British it was a "Special Political District" of the Gilgit Agency
and not a Princely State) in the northwest part of the Northern Areas
which existed until 1974. The state bordered the Gilgit Agency
to the south, the former princely state of Yasin
to the west, Ishkoman
to the north and Afghanistan
(Wakhan Corridor
) to the northwest. The state capital was the town of Sher Qila. The area of Punial now forms the above named tehsil
of Ghizer District
.
Punial was an independent principality for several centuries. The British
gained control of the area and the neighbouring valleys by mid 19th century followed by a military engagement of severe intensity. The first Rah of Punial was Isa Bagdur, succeeded by his son Akbar Khan, who in 1913 was deposed by the British and replaced by his son, Anwar Khan, succeeded in turn by his son Jan Alam.
This area and other neighbouring states were never ruled directly by Kashmir
.
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
(under the British it was a "Special Political District" of the Gilgit Agency
Gilgit Agency
The Gilgit Agency was a political unit of British India, which administered the northern half of the Princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Gilgit Agency was created in 1877 and was overseen by a political agent of the Governor-General of British India. The seat of the agent was Srinagar...
and not a Princely State) in the northwest part of the Northern Areas
Northern Areas
Gilgit-Baltistan , is the northernmost political entity within Pakistan. It borders Pakistan's Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province to the west, Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor to the north, China to the east and northeast, Azad Kashmir to the southwest, and Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the...
which existed until 1974. The state bordered the Gilgit Agency
Gilgit Agency
The Gilgit Agency was a political unit of British India, which administered the northern half of the Princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Gilgit Agency was created in 1877 and was overseen by a political agent of the Governor-General of British India. The seat of the agent was Srinagar...
to the south, the former princely state of Yasin
Yasin Valley
The Yasin Valley, Tehsil Yasin or Babaye-i-Yasen or Worshigum is a high mountain valley in the Hindu Kush mountains, in the northwest region of Gilgit in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Yasin is separated from the Ishkoman Valley by a high mountain pass...
to the west, Ishkoman
Ishkoman
The Ishkoman valley lies in the north of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and the Pamir corridor.-Political status:Administratively, Ishkoman valley constitutes a Tehsil of Ghizer District. It is located at a range of altitudes, from . The valley consists of 20 villages, with a total population of...
to the north and 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...
(Wakhan Corridor
Wakhan Corridor
Wakhan Corridor is commonly used as a synonym for Wakhan, an area of far north-eastern Afghanistan which forms a land link or "corridor" between Afghanistan and China. The Corridor is a long and slender panhandle or salient, roughly long and between wide. It separates Tajikistan in the north...
) to the northwest. The state capital was the town of Sher Qila. The area of Punial now forms the above named tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
of Ghizer District
Ghizer District
Ghizer District is northernmost part of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Its capital is Gakuch. Ghizer is also a contact point between Gilgit and Chitral and also it is contact point to China, Tajikistan via Qurumber pass through Ishkomen/Darkut Yasin . Ghizer is a multi ethnic district and three...
.
Punial was an independent principality for several centuries. The British
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...
gained control of the area and the neighbouring valleys by mid 19th century followed by a military engagement of severe intensity. The first Rah of Punial was Isa Bagdur, succeeded by his son Akbar Khan, who in 1913 was deposed by the British and replaced by his son, Anwar Khan, succeeded in turn by his son Jan Alam.
This area and other neighbouring states were never ruled directly by Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
.