The Aga Khan sent his brother Muhammad Bakir to Sirjan to acquire provisions, and himself retreated to Rumni, a village near Shahr-i Babak. After four days, a message arrived from Muhammad Bakir Khan that he had been encircled in the fortress of Zaydabad at Sirjan by a large Qajarid force under the command of the beglerbegi of Kirman, Fazal Ali Khan Qarabaghi. The Aga Khan set out at once and succeeded to relieve his brother.
In 1257/1841, the Aga Khan defeated the royal forces of 4000 at the command of Isfandiyar Khan, the brother of Fazal Ali Khan near Dashtab. In the interim, Fazal Ali Khan had collected a force of 24000 to compel the Aga Khan to flee from Bam to Rigan on the border of Baluchistan and followed the Aga Khan close upon his heels like a shadow, and blockaded the way to the Bunder Abbas. The Aga Khan found himself between the horns of a dilemma on that juncture and finally decided to move to southern Khorasan to Afghanistan. Starting at Rawar, he transversed the arid Dasht-i Lut to Qain. In June, 1841 Muhammad Shah sent Abdullah Khan, the commander of his artillery from Tehran with orders to burn and demolish the towns and villages that were suspected of assisting the Aga Khan. He also sent Khan Ali Khan, the governor of Lar against the campaign. In the meantime, Habibullah Khan, the governor of Yazd also came out to fight with the Aga Khan, with eight guns and a body of troops. Thus, the Aga Khan had been embosomed on all sides by his enemies. In a battle with Khan Ali Khan, he was repulsed, and had to fly to the mountains of Baluchistan. During the night, however, the Aga Khan returned the mountain with reinforcements and surprised the troops of Khan Ali Khan in ambushing upon them at full gallop and turned them back.
Accompanied by his brothers and many soldiers and servants, the Aga Khan proceeded eastward, and after having adventured on a long perilous journey through central Iran, he crossed the borders, and arrived at Lash in Afghanistan in 1257/1841, marking an end of the longer Iranian period of Ismaili Imamate. In sum, after facing heavy odds and finding himself out-numbered, the Aga Khan I forced his way through the king's army and reached Afghanistan. Naoroji M. Dumasia writes in 'The Aga Khan and his Ancestors' (Bombay, 1939, pp. 27-28) that, 'His exile from Persia was a loss to that country, but Persia's loss was the gain of the British Empire, and his comradeship in arms with the British army cemented the ties of friendship.....The part which the Aga Khan played as an ally of the British in that disastrous war was in every way worthy of the heroic deeds of the great martyrs of Islam whose blood flowed in his veins.'
Ismaili History 807 - The Aga Khan I in Afghanistan
The British had grown to be a paramount power in India in the course of the 18th and early 19th century. About the time that the Aga Khan was having troubles in Iran, the British were deeply involved in Afghanistan, and their efforts were aimed at establishing in Kabul a rule that would be friendly to Britain, and prevent the Russian influence penetrating the borders of India, that would possibly threaten the existence of British empire. The First Anglo-Afghan War, or First Afghan War (1255/1838 to 1258/1842), which is called for heavy sacrifices and untold hardship and suffering, was undertaken partly to counter the Russian advance in Central Asia and partly to place on the throne at Kabul the dethroned ruler, Shah Shuja, in place of Dost Muhammad (1791-1863). Thus, the British occupied Afghanistan on August 7, 1839, and placed Shah Shuja (1780-1842), the amir of Sadozai tribe on the throne of Kabul and Kandhar. Sir William MacNaghten (1839-1891) was designated as the British envoy at the court of Shah Shuja.
By the end of 1840, the signs of revolts among the Durrani and Gilzay tribes became apparent against the presence of the British in Afghanistan, and the puppet rule of Shah Shuja. Yar Muhammad Khan, the ruler of Herat also contemplated an attack on Kandhar, and had sent a secret mission to the Iranian governor of Mashhad for acquiring aids to expel the British from Afghanistan. Thus, the position of the British envoy, Major Elilliott D'arcy Todd (1808-1845) became impaired in Herat in spite of the treasures he had given to the ruler. In January, 1841 Yar Muhammad demanded further money which, Major Todd knowing his intrigues, refused to pay a penny more until Yar Muhammad gave him guarantee of good conduct, such as admitting a British garrison to Herat. Yar Muhammad refused and insisted on payment of the British subsidy as usual. Thus, Todd himself withdrew from Herat on February 10, 1841, resulting the British mission to Herat ended in failure. The internal risings in Kandhar however were put down by the British commander, General Nott in consultation with Major Henry Rawlinson (1810-1895). The British position in Kandhar, nevertheless, was yet insecure.
Inside Afghanistan, the Aga Khan began to trek from Girishk to Kandhar. On August 6, 1841 the intelligence from Girishk reached Rawlinson, reporting the arrival of the Aga Khan and his hundred horsemen. Rawlinson in turn informed to MacNaghten of the Aga Khan's influence and of his importance as an Iranian refugee in Afghanistan. Henceforward, a close relation developed between the Aga Khan and the British. From Girishk, the Aga Khan had reported his arrival to Muhammad Taymur, the Birtish appointed governor of Kandhar, and also to Major Henry Rawlinson. Soon after his arrival in Kandhar, the Aga Khan sent a letter on October 21, 1841 to Sir William MacNaghten (1839-1891), the British envoy at Kabul, expressing his reasons for leaving Iran that, 'Since the conduct of the Iranian government has been so opperssive that all the respectable people and nobles of Iran, particularly those of Iraq, Fars and Kirman have been reduced to vexatious misery, the whole body of the learned men, governors and chiefs induced to throw off the yoke of the Iranian allegiance and protect the wretched people.' The Aga Khan stayed on as a guest of Muhammad Taymur at Kandhar. He lived very extravagantly in a large house with all his horsemen and servants, and received his allowances monthly from the Afghan revenues, that is 500 rupees for himself and 25 rupees for his each horseman. The number of horsemen he had brought with him was hundred, but later on the number was increased to three hundreds.
The internal revolts in Kandhar were put down by October, 1841 by Nott, in which Akram Khan, the chief of Durrani tribe was executed, resulting a disaffection among the other tribes, and a very serious outbreak took place at Kabul too in November, which gradually spread to Kandhar. The British position became critical and in the ensuing struggle, the Aga Khan as the ally of the British, was necessarily involved. Rawlinson also made use of the Aga Khan's influence among the Shiite group, to bring about the success.
In November, 1841, the eastern Gilzays broke into revolt near Kabul in protest against the reduction of their allowances, and occupied the passes on the road to Jalalabad, plundered and cut off the communications of Kabul. On November 2, the insurrection broke out in Kabul and Sir Alexander Burnes (1805-1841), MacNaghten's deputy was murdered. The British lost control of Kabul. MacNaghten tried to negotiate with the raiders, but on December 23, he was too murdered and the condition of the British at Kabul became very critical.
The insurrection spread slowly towards Kandhar. Muhammad Ata Khan was sent by the Kabul party to win the Durranis, and thereby raised an insurrection in Kandhar. To encounter this move, Rawlinson also tried to win the favour of the Durranis against the revel Barakzais. But on December 27, a force of Janbas murdered their British officer, Lieut. Colding at Kandhar. Meanwhile, Safdar Jang, a brother of Muhammad Taymur also joined the Durranis. To put down the rising, William Nott (1782-1845) on January 12, 1842 fought with the rebels and defeated them. The Aga Khan had also joined Nott and Rawlinson in the skirmish of Killashek with his 100 horsemen. One of the Aga Khan's men was killed and few others were wounded. Rawlinson, in his report on the Aga Khan mentioned, regarding the event of January 12, that, 'On this occasion, Agha Khan, having volunteered the services of his hundred men, was present and was engaged in skirmishing with the enemy.'
After two months, the rebel group near Kandhar, prepared for a big incursion under the direction of Mirza Ahmad. The British were in a difficult state. Money was scarce and so was fodder for the cattle. There were no medicines for the wounded in the camp. On March 7, 1842, Nott resolved to give a severe blow to the rebels. On this occasion, Rawlinson in consultation with Nott formed a Parsiwan troop, with the horsemen of the Aga Khan and other Shia chiefs, Nabi Khan and Mirza Ibrahim and placed altogether 300 cavalry under the command of the Aga Khan. Nott with his forces marched out of Kandhar in pursuit of the enemy and some small skirmishes took place on March 9. On the following day, Nott continued his onwards marching. Captain Neill, an eye-witness, in his book, 'Recollections' (p. 179) mentioned, 'A small body of cavalry, commanded I believe, by Meerza Ahmed, who was kept out to employ and deceive us, molested our rear for a short time; they were, however, driven back by Aga Khan, a Persian refugee Prince, who with about two hundred (it was 300) followers, had accompanied our force from Candahar, and rendered our rearguard some very valuable assistance.' Rawlinson in his report, dating December 20, 1842 to Governor General, also mentioned that the services at that time of the Aga Khan were such consequence, 'that the general thought him deserving of special notice in the report that was forwarded to the government on the occasion.' As the year 1258/1842 progressed, the state of Afghanistan still remained more critical. In July, Kandhar and Jalalabad were still under the British advanced posts, and the intervening valleys and defiles were in the hands of the Afghans.
Meanwhile, Lord Ellenborough (1841-1844), the Governor-General had arrived in India in succession to Auckland and he decided that the British troops should evacuate Afghanistan. In July, 1842 the Aga Khan too learned the evacuation programme of the British. Nott with his troops retreated via Ghazna, Kabul and Jalalabad, and the remaining troops were to return to India via Quetta and Sukkur. The charge of Kandhar was left in the hands of Safdar Beg. The Aga Khan also proposed to accompany the forces retiring to India.
Ismaili History 808 - The Aga Khan I in Sind
The Aga Khan I in SindAfter the departure of the British forces from Kandhar on August 9, 1842 for Quetta, the Aga Khan stayed on in Kandhar for about six weeks with Sardar Sherdil Khan. Rawlinson who sympathised with him, had advised him to retreat to India. Hence, the Aga Khan reached Quetta on October 5, 1842 and then went to stay with the Khan of Kalat, Mir Shahnawaz Khan for more than a month. Before he left, he had been given a letter of recommendation to Sir Charles Napier (1782-1853) by MacNaghten. By the end of November, the Aga Khan reached Sukkur and met Sir Charles Napier, who had been commissioned a general officer to the supreme civil, political and military control of both upper and lower Sind by Lord Ellenborough on August 26, 1842. In January, 1843, the Aga Khan went with Napier to the British camp at Bhiria and then to Hyderabad with his sixty horsemen. In Hyderabad, he was employed in the British service during the battles of Miami and Dubba.
Sind, about 50,000 square miles in extent, had a population of little over a million in the time of the Mirs. H.T. Lambrick writes in 'Sir Charles Napier and Sind' (London, 1952, p 14) that, 'The great majority of concurred in the opinion that Sind was crushed by the oppressive government of the Mirs, a selfish, ignorant, and bigoted despotism, delibrately calculated to prevent that development of the country which its great natural resources deserved.' During the Anglo-Afghan War, the Mirs of upper and lower Sind had allowed the British forces to pass through their territories. In 1840, James Outram was appointed as the British political agent to the Mirs of lower Sind in place of Henry Pottinger. Outram was also made political agent of upper Sind in place of Ross Bell in 1841. Sir Charles Napier held many meetings in December, 1842 and January, 1843 with the Mirs for the negotiations. However, on January 11, 1843, Napier stormed the deserted fortress of Imamgarh. The Baluchi tribes of one of the Mirs were embittered and on February 14, 1843, attakced the British residency in Hyderabad. On February 17, Napier marched with his forces on Hyderabad and defeated the Mirs of Hyderabad, Khairpur and Mirpur in the battle of Miami. The Mirs of upper and lower Sind surrendered except Mir Sher Muhammad of Mirpur. On March 26, 1843, at the battle of Dubba, Napier defeated Sher Muhammad, and the annexation of Sind to the British territories was formally announced on August, 1843. In Sind, the Aga Khan placed his cavalry at the disposal of the British, and tried to convince Nasir Khan, the then Talpur amir of Kalat, to cede Karachi to the British. Nasir Khan refused to cooperate, the Aga Khan disclosed his battle plan to James Outram. As a result, the British camp was saved from a night attack. For his valuable services, the Aga Khan was granted an annual pension of
Ismaili History 809 - The Aga Khan I in Jerruk
After the conquest of Sind in 1259/1843, the British attempted to subjugate neighbouring Baluchistan, in which the Aga Khan again helped them militarily and diplomatically. From Jerruk, where the Aga Khan was staying after February, 1843, he contacted the various Baluchi chieftains, advising them to submit to the British rule. He also sent his brother Muhammad Bakir Khan together with a number of his horsemen to help the British against Mir Sher Khan, the Baluchi amir. Soon afterwards, the Aga Khan I was given a post in Jerruk to secure the communications between Karachi and Hyderabad. Charles Napier writes in his diary on February 29, 1843 that, 'I have sent the Persian Prince Agha Khan to Jherruk, on the right bank of the Indus. His influence is great, and he will with his own followers secure our communication with Karachi. He is the lineal chief of Ismailians, who still exist as a sect and are spread all over the interior of Asia.'
H.T. Lambrick writes in 'Sir Charles Napier and Sind' (London, 1952, p. 157) that, 'Bands of Baluchis had plundered most of the wood and coal stations on the Indus, interrupted the mail route to Bombay via Cutch, and also the direct road to Karachi, whence supplies and artillery had been ordered up. With a view to reopening communications with Karachi, Sir Charles sent the Agha Khan to take post at Jherruk with his followers, some 130 horsemen.' On March 23, 1843, the Aga Khan and his horsemen were attacked by the Jam and Jokia Baluchis, who killed some 70 to 72 of his followers, and plundered 23 lacs of rupees worth of the Aga Khan's property. Napier, in April and May, 1843, sent warnings to the Jam and Jokia Baluchis, asking to return the plunder of the Aga Khan and surrender. In May, 1843, Napier ordered his commander at Karachi to attack and recover the property of the Aga Khan, which was done.
The encounter of Jerruk had been equated by the Aga Khan I, according to the native informations, with that of the event of Karbala. In Jerruk, some 70 to 72 Ismaili fidais had sacrificed their lives in fighting with the enemies of their Imam, and their dead bodies were buried on that spot. According to the report of 'Sind Observer' (Karachi, April 3, 1949), 'Seventy dead bodies of Khojas buried 107 years ago at Imam Bara in Jherruck town, 94 miles by road north-east of Karachi, were found to be fresh on being exhumed recently in the course of digging the foundation for a new mosque for the locality, a Sind government official disclosed on Saturday. The bodies which lay in a common grave were again interred another site selected for the mosque. The Khojas were believed to have been murdered in a local feud 107 years ago according to local tradition in Jherruck.'
It was with the approval of the British government that in 1260/1844, the Aga Khan sent Muhammad Bakir Khan to capture the fortress of Bampur in Iranian Baluchistan. Later, he also sent his other brother, Sardar Abul Hasan Khan, who finally occupied Bampur and won other successes in Baluchistan, while Muhammad Bakir had been relieved to join the Aga Khan in India.
The Aga Khan built his residence at Jerruk, resembling the style that of the Mahallat. Jerruk, a town about 89 miles and 2 furlongs from Karachi via Gharo, Thatta and Soonda; is 150 feet high from the Indus level, having two hills blanketing the town from two sides. About 300 to 350 Ismailis lived in Jerruk, and the Aga Khan I made it his headquarters.
Meanwhile, the Aga Khan quitted Jerruk, and proceeded to Kutchh via the port of Karachi on Ramdan, 1260/October, 1844, which was his first marine trip. Maharao Shri Deshalji, the ruler of Kutchh feted him with due consideration at Kutchh Mandvi, and took him to Bhuj and gave him a state bungalow for his stay. The Aga Khan then moved to Kathiawar, where Jam Saheb Shri Ranmalji received him in Jamnagar. For a year, thereafter, he travelled through Kathiawar and came to Bombay via Surat and Daman on December 16, 1845 and was well received with the cordial homage of the whole Ismaili population of the city and its neighbourhood.
Ismaili History 810 - The Aga Khan I in Calcutta
Soon after his arrival in Bombay, the Iranian government demanded Aga Khan's extradition from India, citing the Anglo-Persian Treaty negotiated between Iran and India on November 25, 1814, which reads: 'Should any Persian subject of distinction showing signs of hostility and rebellion take refuge in the British Dominions, the English Government shall, on intimation from the Persian Government, turn him out of their country, or, if he refuses to leave it, shall seize and send him to Persia.' The British India was placed on the horns of a dilemma. It could not, on the one hand, risk a breach of the friendly relation established with Iran, and on the other, surrender to his enemies one who regardless of personal losses and risk of life, had stood by the British as a faithful ally in their greatest hour of trial. At length, however, through the intervention of the British envoy, it was agreed that the Aga Khan should be allowed to remain in India provided he stayed at Calcutta from where he could not be a menace to the Iranian government as from Sind. The government of India wrote to Superintendent of Mysore Princes and ex-Amirs of Sind, a letter which reads:- 'It having been determined upon political considerations that the Persian nobleman Aga Khan Mahallati, shall be required to reside for the present in Bengal. I am directed to inform you that the President in Council considers that it will be expedient to fix the Aga's residence in the vicinity of Calcutta and to place him under your care. Aga Khan of Mahallati is a nobleman of high rank and allied to the royal family of Persia. He is in the receipt of an allowance of Rs. 3000 per mensem from the British government for services rendered in Afghanistan and in Sind.'Thus, the Aga Khan was naturally reluctant to go to Calcutta on April 19, 1847 with his 52 followers. After crossing Poona, Ahmadnagar and Khandesh, he reached Indore on June 1, 1847. The British railway had not yet come to India and the journey from Bombay to Indore was overland. The Aga Khan's men suffered terribly; three died on the way to Indore. Seven arrived at Indore with severe fever and two died there. The Aga Khan also underwent an eye operation at Indore, and left it on June 18, 1847 for Agra, where he procured boats for Calcutta, and reached there some time in August.
Sir Orfeur Cavenagh (1821-1891) had arranged for a house at Dumdum (where the city's airport is now) in Calcutta under the care of Bengal Presidency. The Aga Khan I was however in a new city surrounded by strangers. In June, 1848, the Aga Khan I fell ill, and was sent to hill station, and in July, the residence of the Aga Khan was shifted to Chinsurah in Calcutta. He had to stay in Calcutta for 18 months until the death of Muhammad Shah in 1264/1848. He learnt of this after one month, and immediately approached Maddock, that he should be allowed to return to Iran. The reason for enforcing his detention was now virtually at end. The Aga Khan I desired to be furnished with facilities to return to Bombay. On December 6, 1848, the Indian Government agreed to send the Aga Khan to Bombay. He quitted Calcutta on December 8, 1848 with his wife and a suite of 40 retainers, in the Peninsular and Oriental Steamer, Lady Mary Wood, which sailed from Calcutta and reached Bombay on December 26, 1848.
