Katoor dynasty
Dynasty that ruled Chitral
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Katoor dynasty (also spelled Katur and Kator) was a dynasty, which along with its collateral branches ruled the sovereign and later princely state of Chitral and its neighbours in the eastern Hindu Kush region for over 450 years, from around 1570 until 1947.[1][2] At the height its power under Mehtar Aman ul-Mulk the territory controlled by the dynasty extended from Asmar in the Kunar Valley to Sher Qilla in the Gilgit valley.[3] The Mehtar of Chitral was an influential player in the power politics of the region as he acted as an intermediary between the rulers of Badakhshan, the Yousafzai Pashtuns, the Maharaja of Kashmir and later the Amir of Afghanistan.[4][5]
Origins
The name Katoor is an ancient one and has been in use long before the ancestor of the Katoors settled in Chitral in 1520. According to one theory, Katoor was a Kushan title of nobility.[6] Katoor also means dragon in the archaic Bashgali dialect of Kohistani. According to the royal history of the Katoor dynasty, their ancestor Ayub Baba who came to Chitral in 1520.[7] The title of Shah Katoor was given to Mohtaram Shah, the first ruler of the house, by a local holy man who claimed that his bravery and integrity were reminiscent of the pre-Islamic Katoor rulers of the region.[8]
Territorial expansion
When the dynasty was first founded by Shah Katoor, his domains included lower Chitral, Kunar Valley, Lot-Kuh, Torkhow and Mulkhow regions of upper Chitral. Under Shah Katoor the II, Mastuj and the Yasin Valley also came under Katoor domination. The Kati and Kom tribes of Kafiristan, tribes of Dir Kohistan, Swat Kohistan and Kalam paid a yearly tribute to the Mehtar. Shah Katoor the III invaded Wakhan in retaliation for a raid on Chitral from Wakhan, and forced the Mir of Wakhan to pay tribute as well.[9] In 1876, Mehtar Aman ul-Mulk conquered the Ghizer and Puniyal and laid siege to the Dogra garrison of the Maharaja of Kashmir in the Gilgit fort. During this time the tribes of Darel, Tangir and Kandia and the state of Nagar also paid tribute to the Mehtar of Chitral.[10] The Katoor dynasty's influence reached its peak under Mehtar Aman ul-Mulk, when territories of Ghizer, Yasin and Ishkoman were conquered in 1880.[1]
Descendants of the royal family of Chitral
The descendants of the Katur dynasty are still widely respected and honoured in Chitral today. The last ruling Mehtar Muhammad Saif-ul-Mulk Nasir was educated at Aitchison College.[11] He had received Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953) and Pakistan Republic Medal (1956).[12]
Politics
The family continues to be one of the strongest political families in the district, although it has not consistently aligned itself with any particular party in the district.[13] Shahzada Mohiuddin, grandson of Shuja ul-Mulk, served as the Minister of State for Tourism in the 1990s.[14] He was twice elected as chairman of District Council Chitral, once as District Nazim, and four times as Member National Assembly of Pakistan (MNA).[15] Shahzada Mohiuddin also served as chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas (KANA).[16][17] The current head of the family, Fateh-ul-Mulk Ali Nasir, was elected to the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the 2024 provincial elections.[18]
Notable members of the royal family
Mata ul-Mulk, one of the youngers son of Shuja ul-Mulk, served in the first Kashmir war.[19] He is best known for defeating the Indian forces in Skardu commanding the Chitral Bodyguard, during the Siege of Skardu.[20][21]
Burhan-ud-Din, another son of Shuja ul-Mulk, served as commander of the Indian National Army in Burma. He also served as a Senator after the World War II.[22]
Colonel Khushwaqt ul-Mulk, one of the younger sons of Shuja ul-Mulk, served as the Commandant of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) Rifles. He was educated at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (now the Rashtriya Indian Military College) at Dehradun, India. Following his father's death in 1936 he became the governor of Upper Chitral.[23] He was a philanthropist and helped the Brooke Hospital for Animals, the British-based equine charity, to set up a centre in Pakistan. At the time of his death, he was the most senior surviving military officer of the Pakistan Army.[24] His youngest son Sikander ul-Mulk has captained the Chitral Polo Team at Shandur for over two decades.[25][26][27][28][29] His eldest son Siraj ul-Mulk has served in Pakistan Army and Pakistan International Airlines as a pilot.[30][31]
Masood ul-Mulk, grandson of Shuja ul-Mulk, is a Pakistani expert on humanitarian aid.[32] He is the son of Khush Ahmed ul-Mulk, the last surviving son of Shuja ul-Mulk.[33][34] Khush Ahmed ul-Mulk served in the British Indian Army. As of 2014[update] he was the most senior surviving member of Chitral's royal family.
Taimur Khusrow ul-Mulk, grandson of Shuja ul-Mulk, and son of the daughter of the Nawab of Dir, served as a bureaucrat with the Federal Government of Pakistan[35] and served as Accountant General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prior to his retirement in 2016.[36]
Rulers
The rulers of the Kator dynasty with the date of their accession [37]
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