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==Notable People==
==Notable People==
*[[Tikka Khan]], [[Pakistan Army|Pakistan army]] [[general]] who served as the Military Governor of East Pakistan in 1971 and later became the first [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army staff]] from 1972 to 1976.
*[[Tikka Khan]], [[Pakistan Army|Pakistan army]] [[general]] who served as the Military Governor of [[East Pakistan]] in [[Bangladesh Liberation War|1971]] and later became the first [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army staff]] from 1972 to 1976.
*[[Asif Nawaz Janjua]], [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of staff]] for the [[Pakistan Army]] from 1991 till his poisoning and death in 1993
*[[Asif Nawaz Janjua]], [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of staff]] for the [[Pakistan Army]] from 1991 till his poisoning and death in 1993
*[[Iftikhar Khan Janjua|Iftikhar Janjua]], [[Major general|Major General]] of the [[Pakistan Army]], fought and died in the [[Battle of Chamb]]
*[[Iftikhar Khan Janjua|Iftikhar Janjua]], [[Major general|Major General]] of the [[Pakistan Army]], fought and died in the [[Battle of Chamb]]

Revision as of 18:30, 31 December 2022

The Janjua (also spelt janjua, Junjua, Janjuah) is a Rajput[1][2] clan found predominantly in Pakistan's Punjab Pothohar Plateau.[3]

History

Connection with the Hindu Shahis

The 10th century Arab historian Masudi mentioned that in his time the kings of Gandhara were all called "Arabic Hahaj for Hindu Shahis" (which has been variously read Hajaj, J.haj or Ch'hach), while the area of Gandhara itself was called "country of the Rahbūt" (Rajputs).[4] Elliot transliterated the character to "Hahaj" and Cunningham had it equated to the Janjua tribe/clan, who were held to be descendants of Juan-Juan Khaganate.[5] Rahman doubts this theory and instead transliterates to "J.haj", an Arabicised form of Chhachh, which is even today the name of the region around the Hindu Shahi capital of Hund.[5]

Delhi Sultanate Period

The Janjuas were allies of the Mongols during the reign of Balban, who launched a punitive expedition to the region, capturing a large number of horses. The author of the Tarikh-i Mubarak Shahi states that two sons of Raja Jodh waited on the Dehli Sultan and converted to Islam during this period, transpiring that the Janjuas went over to Balban. Janjuas continued allying themselves with the Mongols, but the region of Koh-i-Jud was ravaged for the first time by the Mongols during the Alai era for refusing to act as a guide for the Mongols. Sultan Alauddin, considering the Janjuas as his co-religionists, kept all the northern forts under their custody and acknowledged their suzerainty in the region.[6]

Mughal period

In the 16th century, the Mughal Emperor Humayun was usurped by the Pashtun king Sher Shah Suri, who constructed the Rohtas Fort in Punjab to check Humayun's entry into Hindustan, and also to keep a check on the local tribes including Gakhars as well as Janjuas.[7][8][need quotation to verify]

Sikh period

The expansion of the Sikh Empire, spearheaded by Ranjit Singh, was met with a rebellion by the Janjua Sultan of Watli, Sultan Fateh Muhammad Khan. A six-month siege of Kusuk Fort in Watli followed[9] and this was ended when the inhabitants ran short of water.[10]

The Kala Khan branch of Rawalpindi Janjuas fortunes were also eclipsed by the rise of the Sikh Empire.[11]

British period

By the time the British Raj took an interest in conquering the Sikhs in 1848–49, they were joined by opportunistic tribes such as the Janjua, Gakhars and Awans who had lost control of their centuries-old ancestral kingdoms to the imperial Sikh Empire and sought revenge. Tai Yong Tan says that "Besides being impressed with their track record, the British saw in them, with their traditional and historical enmity against the Sikhs, an effective counterpoise against the latter."[12]

The Janjua rebellion against the Sikh Empire was a political rebellion, as the Janjua were initially keen allies to the Sukerchakia Misl.[13]

During the nineteenth century, they were listed as a martial race.[14] During this period, due to their high aristocratic status, the Janjuas refused to serve in any regiment that was not commanded by either a Janjua or another commander of equal social standing.[14] This preference was honoured by the British when selecting regiments for them.[14]

Notable People

References

  1. ^ Jones, Philip Edward; Jones, Philip (2003). The Pakistan People's Party: Rise to Power. Oxford University Press. pp. 377, 378, 379. ISBN 978-0-19-579966-8.
  2. ^ Metcalf, Barbara Daly (1 January 1984). Moral Conduct and Authority: The Place of Adab in South Asian Islam. University of California Press. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-520-04660-3.
  3. ^ Hussain Khan (2003). Chronicles of Early Janjuas. ISBN 9781462088645. Retrieved 29 May 2022. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Rehman 1976, p. 48.
  5. ^ a b Rehman 1976, pp. 48–50.
  6. ^ Dr. Hussain Khan (2003). Chronicles of Early Janjuas. p. 21.
  7. ^ The Life and Times of Humāyūn by Ishwari Prasad, Published by Orient Longmans, 1956, p. 36
  8. ^ Temples of Koh-e-Jud & Thar: Proceedings of the Seminar on Shahiya Temples of the Salt Range, Held in Lahore, Pakistan by Kamil Khan Mumtaz, Siddiq-a-Akbar, Publ Anjuman Mimaran, 1989, p. 8
  9. ^ Stein, Marc Aurel (1936). Archaeological reconnaissances in north-western India and south-eastern Iran. London. p. 46.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ The Land of the Five Rivers and Sindh: Sketches, Historical and Descriptive David Ross, Publ.Languages Dept., Punjab, 1970, p. 153
  11. ^ Talbot, Ian (1996). Khizr Tiwana, the Punjab Unionist Party and the Partition of India. Psychology Press. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-0-7007-0427-9.
  12. ^ Tan, Tai Yong (2005). The Garrison State: The Military, Government and Society in Colonial Punjab 1849–1947. Sage. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-0-7619-3336-6.
  13. ^ Singh, Wazir (1990). Sikhism and Punjab's Heritage. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. p. 160.
  14. ^ a b c Tan, Tai Yong (2005). The Garrison State: The Military, Government and Society in Colonial Punjab 1849–1947. Sage. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-7619-3336-6.