Muhammad Isa Khan: A legend of all times
by Hidayat ur Rahman
Muhammad Isa was the son of Hurmat Shah Charvelu of Torkhow, the foster brother of Shahzada Sher Afzal. Born possibly in Ujhnu in around 1845 (Azmat Esa). He was one of the greatest legends of all time in Chitral’s history. His family had a great rivalry with other tribes in the Torkhow valley i.e., Khoshey and Pinshoway. Isa had seven brothers and two sisters, as I have explored in different sources. One was married to Gurdiyal, a great-grandfather of Qimat Nazim Beg of Torkho; the other was married to Singul Khan, a forefather of Muhammad Ismail of Reshun. Himayat Shah was killed by his brother later on on the orders of Mehtar Aman ul Mulk. His foster brother, Sher Afzal Khan, was appointed governor of the Torkho Valley and other surrounding areas in 1856.
This gave him power in the tribal politics of the region. Isa’s father took on the position of
Charvelship and other members of his family remained in different positions. Mehtar granted
him the village of Uzhnu as a Jigir (fief) and landed properties in Khoshwakhtan Dur
Chomorkhon, Ayun etc. Earlier, one of his relatives, married to Muhtaram Shah 1, was known as
Khorur Khonza.
He was no doubt one of the great military commanders, encountered many battles in Chitral and abroad. The war of Maimana is famous in Afghan history. In this battle, Mehtar Sher Afzal,
Muhammad Isa and Daniyal Beg did a great job winning the decisive battle for Amir of Afghanistan.
محمد عیسیٰ خان گیتی
لوٹ کافرو نست اریر
موتے مستوچ کیا داریر
میمنو لشٹ اریر
Isa came to Chitral in October 1892 with his master, Sher Afzal. Firstly, they reached Droshp in Lotkuh valley with a contingent of five hundred men and killed Murid Dastagir a governor of Khuzarah. They then proceeded towards Chitral and captured the royal fort for his foster brother. This sudden attack is one of the greatest tactical wars in the history of Chitral. During the war, Muhammad Isa arrived towards the main gate and Daniyal Beg from the garden’s side. They remained in Chitral for two months, then, on the arrival of Sardar Nizam UL Mulk Sher Afzal and his party, they fled to Afghanistan.
Sher Afzal and his party again invaded Chitral when the war between the British and Umara Khan Khan of Jandul was underway. They reached Khairabad near Kesu and conducted a Mahraka for a situation in Chitral, most of the participants asked Sher Afzal to follow the British, but Muhammad Isa rejected the idea, and Sher Afzal endorsed the decision. During the war, Sher Afzal and his followers were with the Pathans. At once, Muhammad caught two British officers, Fowler and Edwards, on the polo ground in Reshun. “On 15th March 1895, Edwardes’ and Fowler were persuaded to join Muhammed Isa in watching a polo match on the ground immediately next to the buildings held by their troops. During the course of the match, Edwardes’ and Fowler were overpowered and the buildings immediately stormed, with most of the Kashmiri troops and the Sappers and Miners killed, other than a small group of Muslim soldiers who were taken prisoner. Dhurm Singh and his men put up a ferocious resistance until they were overwhelmed.” The defeat of the British in Biyar was one of the great strategies of Isa. He besieged Mastuj Fort for eighteen days. After the war, Muhammad Isa escaped towards Tangir. He was posoined to death by a mullah in Tangir (1906CE). He had a son named Muhammad Ayub Khan.
Muhammad Isa believed in religious and social agendas that had come down to him through his spiritual thinking. Seeking a return to an imagined free kingdom from the Britishers. Importantly, Muhammd Isa had initiated the campaign to free Chitral from the Begars and slavery. After Muhammad Isa, various writers did not do justice to Muhammad Isa. Various stories have been made against him which have nothing to do with reality.
Posted on 14 March 2024
