Sudhan

سدھن
Locator map of Sudhan-heartland in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan
Total population
Estimated 760,000 [citation needed][1] (2017)
Regions with significant populations
Poonch	(450,000), estimations, [citation needed] [90% of the population][2]
Sudhanoti	(285,000), [95%]
Bagh	(15,000)
Kotli	(10,000)
Languages
Pahari (Poonchi)
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Pashtuns

Sudhan (also known as Sudhozai Pathan or Saddozai Sudhan)^[3][4] are one of the major tribes from the Poonch Division in Azad Kashmir with their population centered around Poonch and Sudhanoti, alongside a smaller population in the northern areas of the neighboring Bagh and Kotli.^[5]According to the local oral tradition of the tribe, they are allegedly a branch of the Saddozai tribe and originated from Pashtun areas in Afghanistan, and were the founders of their heartland of Sudhanoti.^[6][7][5]

The tribe claims an Afghan ancestry.^[8] According to Syed Ali, Sudhans have a Pashtun descent and moved to the Poonch district of Kashmir region some centuries ago.^[9] Sudhans from Poonch considered themselves to be Sudhozai Pathans (Pashtuns).^[5] Scholar Iffat Malik of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad writes:

The Sudhans claim their origin from Afghanistan and they consider themselves to be descendants of a common ancestor Jassi Khan, who was an Afghan chief and had earned the name of Sudhan (from Sanskrit, meanings "justice, fair and honest") as a compliment to his valour as he 500 years or so ago landed in Western parts of Poonch and fought for their existence, but the local people dominated them in this period, they multiplied quickly and emerged into a strong and powerful tribe. According to them, they are same as the Sudhazai tribe of high class Afghans. In social habits and customs they also are certainly akin to Sudhazais of Afghanistan. Among Afghans, Sudhazai are a very respected clan with long good history behind them. Sikhs and Dogras had to fight the Sudhans in wars spread over a fairly long time as they had never been reconciled to their rule by them, and there was first rebellion in 1837, after Sudhan people went in revolt against Sikh Empire, had captured hills from Sikhs, however Sudhans were defeated by Sikhs but survived as a strong tribe. In 1947, Sudhans were first to challenge Dogras.^[10]

About 40,000–60,000 Sudhans were recruited and served in the British Indian Army during the First and Second World Wars.^[11][12] The Sadozai are a lineage of the Popalzai clan of the Abdali tribe of the ethnic Pashtun. The lineage takes its name from its ancestor, Sado Khan.^[13]

Jassi Khan's Migration and Conquest

According to some oral traditions, an Afghan chieftan named Jassi Khan is said to be the forefather of the Saddozai Sudhans, and a descendant of one Sadullah Khan. This origin is only present in greater detail in certain books written in the later half of the 20th and 21st centuries, which claim and form the basis of the 1300 invasion origin, with other contemporary and older oral traditions pointing towards different times, different origins, or giving vaguer details.^[14][15]

Invasion of Sudhanoti in the 1300s Origin

According to books written throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, such as "The Pearl String of Saddozais" by Sabir Hussain Sabir, Jassi Khan belongs to the lineage of a different Sadullah Khan than the Saddu Khan of the Saddozai branch of the Durrani Confederation. This Sadullah is said to have been born in 961 AD, and was the son of Atman, whom himself was a descendant of one Uthman. This gives way to an "Uthmanzai" branch of a different Saddozai tribe.^[16]

Sometime in the 1300's, Jassi Khan gathered an army of soldiers belonging to his clan, from in and around Ghazni, after he had been requested by the local Brahman tribes of present day Sudhanoti to rescue them from a "tyrannous tribe", allegedly the "Bhagars" whom are said to have recently occupied those territories and ruled the local populace with cruelty.^[16][17]

Jassi, after routing the Bhagars from Sudhanoti, was granted the laqab (title) "Sudhan" from Sanskrit by the Brahmans, which is said to translate to "Very fair". Jassi later settled these territories with his troops and their families, accepting the title "Sudhan" and proceeding to rule the region of Sudhanoti until his death. His descendants continued Sudhan rule in Sudhanoti in one form or another until 1837, when after their rebellion against the Sikhs, they were stripped of all autonomy and subjugated to a direct foreign government, with the Sikhs completely annexing Poonch into the Sikh Empire and bringing it under the control of the Lahore government.^{[18][17] [4][2]}

Shams Khan, an influential zamindar of Poonch and headman of the Sudhans was the leader of the 1837 rebellion. After the prior successful conquest of Poonch, the local tribes of the region, including the Sudhans, had been pacified. From the Sudhans, Shams Khan was taken as a hostage and given to the care of Dhian Singh, who began to grow a liking for him.^[19]

In the year 1836, he returned to Poonch and began to take charge once again. At around the same time, the Yusufzai began a revolt, distracting the Sikhs and the leader of the Dogras, Gulab Singh. Rumors of a Sikh defeat began to spread, which in turn began the rise of clashes throughout Poonch between the locals and Sikh garrisons. Gulab Singh gained intelligence that Shams Khan was behind this, and called for the arrest of him and his family. Shams eluded the chasing authorities.^[19]

After this, an all-out rebellion broke out. The local Pahari tribes too joined the Sudhans and began amassing their armies. Gulab Singh ordered his son Ottam Singh to suppress the revolt. A force of five thousand troops was sent, but was ultimately defeated. The prince himself was able to escape with what was left of his army.^[19]

Assaults over local forts began, resulting in great success. The garrisons were caught off-guard and ill-prepared, and fell to the marching armies.^[20][21]

Following the defeats, Gulab Singh himself returned from his campaign against the Yusufzai, and marched with an army of eight thousand regular infantry and twelve thousand irregulars. Upon his arrival, he chose not to engage immediately, but focused on bribing local Sardars and the many enemies of Shams, either neutralizing them as foes, or turning them to his side completely.^[19]

After this, Gulab began his assaults. Major clashes occurred at Pallandri, Pallangi, Pachhiot, Paral, Panthal, Baral, Narian and Chokian. The deadliest of which occurred in Mang, resulting in Sudhan and other tribal forces being pushed back at every turn.^[19]

To spread terror throughout the ranks of the rebels, Gulab Singh devastated all captured territories, permitting total plunder and terror in great excess. He also set a reward of five rupees for the head of every insurgent and anyone that was connected to him, regardless of age or gender. The rebels were outmatched both in number and arms. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, resistance began to disperse as rebels raced to protect their own families. Homes of the locals were ransacked, survivors who could not escape either massacred or enslaved.^[19]

Shams Khan had evaded arrest up to this point, but eventually had his hiding place exposed to the Dogras. He was beheaded, alongside his nephew Rajwali. Their heads were later put in two cages of iron at the very top of the Adha Dek pass. Leaders such as Sabz Ali Khan and Malli Khan were flayed alive, alongside other commanders and notable members of the Sudhan tribe. The rebellion was then ultimately crushed, as all ring leaders were either dead or captured, and no opposition was left.^[19]

The Sudhans played a monumental role in the rebellion against the Dogra Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir. Spearheaded by Sardar Ibrahim Khan, they backed a movement supporting secession to Pakistan, which ultimately turned into an all-out revolt and later establishment of Azad Kashmir.^[22][23]

A large number of Sudhan tribals had participated in World War I and World War II through the British Indian Army. They had thus obtained expertise in war and some number of arms, which emboldened them to stand against the Dogra authorities. The occurrence of the 1947 Jammu Massacres also served as motivation for the Muslims to revolt. Leveraging these advantages, Sardar Ibrahim Khan and his cause found much support from his tribe alongside other local Muslim tribes comprising of what is now Azad Kashmir.^[24][25][26]

The Sudhans obtained further weaponry from the Pashtuns of FATA, prior to the breakout of rebellion. After rebellion was officially declared, a rebel force (dubbed the 'Azad Army'), made up of local militiamen and veterans from mainly the Sudhans, alongside a smaller number of Dhunds of Bagh, was raised in Poonch. The local Dogra garrisons were overwhelmed and defeated, with a provisional government declared with its capital in the Sudhan stronghold of Pallandri, which was later followed by a capture of the majority of the Poonch district. Succeeding this, Pashtun lashkars arrived as reinforcements, alongside widespread collapse of Dogra authority in the territories of Azad Kashmir, which ultimately culminated in the Dogra Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir's secession to India and the subsequent Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948.^{[27][28][29][30][31]}

Sudhans played an immense role in the 1955 Poonch rebellion, who revolted against the appointment of Sher Ahmed Khan and dismissal of Sardar Ibrahim Khan. The violent anti government protestors demanded regional autonomy, especially in the administration and for budgets.^[32]

The Baral Agreement was an agreement between the Government of Pakistan and rebellious Sudhan tribes signed on 20 December 1956 following the 1955 uprising.^[33]

Together with the Dhunds & Rajputs. It is the Sudhans who dominate the politics of Azad Kashmir in the present day, although the Gujjar community is estimated to be the largest among the population.^[34]

On 4 October 1947, Azad Kashmir's First Government was established in Sudhanoti. Sudhanoti is the home and centre of the Sudhans.^[35] According to the sources, on 4 October 1947, Sudhanoti was the first area that was liberated from the continuation of the Dogra regime in the areas of the present Azad Kashmir announced.^[36] So at that time on 4 October 1947, there was no parliamentary house in Sudhanoti from where the system of government could be run, so this temporary government structure was started from Moti Mahal in Rawalpindi.^[37] After that, this rebel revolutionary government prepared a 40-room parliamentary house at Sudhanoti's Chonjal Hill within twenty days, after which on 24 October 1947, the same government was shifted from Rawalpindi Moti Mahal to Sudhanoti Chonjal Hill given.^{[citation needed]} According to sources, the Government of Azad Kashmir was transferred to Muzaffarabad on 1 August 1949. One of the main reasons for this transfer of government was the growing differences between the Sudhan tribals and the Government of Pakistan, due to which ignited the 1955 Poonch uprising.^[38]

• Shams Khan, rebel leader during 1837 Sudhan revolt.
• Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, first and longest-serving President of Azad Kashmir.
• Sher Ahmed Khan, rebel leader during the First Kashmir War and former President of Azad Kashmir.
• Captain Hussain Khan, rebel leader during the First Kashmir War.
• Khan Muhammad Khan of Mong, rebel leader during the First Kashmir War.
• Khan Muhammad Khan, politician who served as the Chairman of the War Council during the 1947 Poonch Rebellion.
• Maqbool Hussain, recipient of Sitara-e-Jurat.
• Mohammad Rahim Khan, former military general, diplomat, and later civil servant.
• Aziz Khan, 11th Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee (CJCSC) of Pakistan Armed Forces
• Masood Khan, former President of Azad Kashmir and current Pakistani ambassador to the United States.
• Muhammad Anwar Khan, former military general, and later politician.
• Muhammad Hayat Khan, politician and former President of Azad Kashmir
• Muhammad Yaqoob Khan, politician and former President of Azad Kashmir
• Salman Irshad Khan, cricketer currently playing for Peshawar Zalmi.

• Bamzai, P. N. K. (1994), Culture and Political History of Kashmir, M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd., ISBN 978-81-85880-31-0

• Kapur, Manohar Lal (1980). History of Jammu and Kashmir State: The making of the State. Kashmir History Publications. p. 51.