Discussing Punjabi Muslim history, culture, politics
“Let the Turanis, Rajputs, Iranis & Afghans do the ruling & fighting; we will stay alive” [1] Concludes the book Punjab: A History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten, but every conclusion has a premise & if the premise isn’t even true then the argument falls flat. The book also claims: “Whether or not they were Muslim,… Continue reading “Let the Turanis, Rajputs, Iranis & Afghans do the ruling & fighting; we (Punjabis) will stay alive”
Karl Marx, Credit: Wikipedia Disclaimer: the post is not meant to endorse Marxism nor am I a Marxist myself if that even matters to the reader. There is also an untoward symptom in Punjab, the communication between Multan and Lahore having been cut off for eight days."Karl Marx, October 30th, 1857. Published New-York Daily Tribune.… Continue reading Karl Marx on the 1857 War of Independence
Map of Kashmir (not Sultanate)Source: Wikipedia Born in 1395 Shahi Khan (later Zain-ul-Abidin) was the 8th Sultan of the Shah Mir Sultanate which reigned for over two centuries in Kashmir. Shahi Khan is left to take care of the Sultanate by his brother Sultan Ali Shah, who is on a trip to see his father… Continue reading Jasrath Khokhar brings Zain-ul-Abidin to the Kashmir throne
Source: [1] A project I work on from time to time is compiling a list of Punjabi Muslims in Mughal Nobility. I also previously wrote about Shahbaz Khan Kamboh. Recently I had the fortune of coming across another Punjabi Muslim standout who was in fact the Grand Vizier or Prime Minister of Mughal Empire for… Continue reading The Grand Vizier: Sadullah Khan
Note: I wrote this piece back in 2020, but decided to revisit & refurbish it to make improvements such as intext-citations. The Khokhar are one of the recurring tribes in the military history of Punjab playing a key role in the politics of the Indian sub-continent on numerous occasions. The tribe is credited with the… Continue reading Jasrath Khokhar, rebel forever.
Previously, I discussed how the narrative of Punjab especially the Muslims being indifferent to the 1857 War of Independence is based off of propaganda created by the colonial administration of Punjab at the time headed by Sir John Lawrence due to the severity of the situation. The idea here was to discourage further uprisings and… Continue reading Punjab Revolts Part 2: All not quiet in Eastern Punjab
Credit: @AliZoraiz142 on Twitter Make sure to read the follow up post on Adina Beg's significance to the Punjabi Muslim narrative. The collapse of Mughal authority in 18th century in Punjab saw breakdown of a centuries old order, which had brought peace and prosperity in Punjab. Revolts, invasions and raids were the new normal because… Continue reading Adina Beg: Soldier, Statesman, Diplomat, Hero
With official bulletins titled “All well in the Punjab” and the “Punjab is perfectly quiet” the idea of Punjabis being loyal during the 1857 War of Independence was a narrative constructed by Sir John Lawrence who headed the administration of Punjab. These were measures taken on the psychological front to nullify the fervor of the… Continue reading Punjab Revolts: The role of Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal in 1857 War of Independence
Punjabi Waseb 