It was 1842 when Maharaja of Kashmir sent an army under colonel Nathu Shah on the request of one of the ousted Raja of Gilgit. The Sikh army succeeded in restoring power to ousted Raja from GoharAman the ruler of Yasin. This was the moment which reshaped the history of Gilgit thereby introducing a new force “Sikhs” in the area. During the Sikh invasion of Gilgit there were independent republics to the south. First was the tiny republic of Gor. Chilasis were accused of passing through Gor for their raids in Astor and elsewhere. Gor had three fort villages and sent few goats to the Maharaja of Kashmir by way of tribute. Also provided one man from each house for military service in time of war.
The next important republic was Chilas which gave considerable trouble to the Sikhs, Dogras and British. Located on the flank of Gilgit Kashmir road and also gave command to British territory crossing Babusar pass through Kaghan to Abottabad and to Punjab. It was through Bonar valley route that Chilasis used to strike at the Gilgit Astor road to intercept the communication line coming from Kashmir. Khinner valley was the old route that gave way to pass leading towards Gilgit and Hodur Valley also lead to a pass to Gilgit. The difficulty of access gave Chilasis a spirit of independence and distinctive character.
The Lahore Chronicle of 1866 referedChilas as Algiers of east. The next important republic was Darel and had historical importance as famous Chinese traveler Fa-Hsien passed through it into Swat in 400 AD. Darel was capital of Udyan (modern Swat). Darel has several archaeological remains as it was one of the leading route towards Ghizer and onwards to China. Darel comprised of seven fort villages. Passes and tracks lead into Tangir, YasinPunial and Gilgit. Darelis used to take their flocks to the Singul and Gulmatinala in Punial and Roshan nala in Yasin. In 1906 there were 15000 animals of Darelis in Punialnala alone.
Darel was also used as refuge area for Khushwaqat princess of Yasin. It was MulkAman who once over thrown by Mir Wali took refuge in Darel. The next important republic was Tangir and from here two passes lead into Yasin. Tangiris have been providing asylum to the fugitive members of the ruling family of Yasin and also acknowledged Yasin ruler as suzerain. Even Raja of Mastuj took refuge in Tangir in 1846. Tangiris also supported Raja Gohar Aman in operation against Mehtar Mir Aman of Yasin and also in his fight against Kashmiri forces. The people of Darel and Tangir joined GoharAman in the battle against Dogras and during his attack on Gilgit and with their support GoharAman reoccupied Gilgit. According to Dr Leitner while GoharAman was governing Gilgit an army under Sikh general Mathra Das with 3000 horses came to Astor and established a thana at Astor and Bunji.
In 1889 the British re-established Gilgit as agency second time and Colonel Durand was appointed political agent. The political agent was instructed by Indian government to avoid confrontation with the tribal
On this move GoharAman asked people of Darel and Tangir to attack Sikh forces through mountains near Bunji. 5000 men form Darel and Tangir came down to Bunji in ten days. The first expedition Sikhs sent to Chilas was in 1843 comprising 1000 rifles and 600 irregulars under Basant Singh and Surj Singh but it was repulsed.
In 1851 Chilas was yet again attacked by Dogras on the pretext of their raids and accused them of plundering Astor Valley. 1000 troops were sent under Bakhshi Hari Singh and Dewan Hari Chand. They destroyed the Chilas fort though the attack was not that successful. As retaliation of this Gohar Aman attacked Sikhs position in Gilgit and killing 1500 Dogra soldiers.
However, Chilas was occupied in 1852 at the loss of 400 Dogras. After occupation of Chilas an annual tribute was imposed. In order to take revenge from Darelis for their continuous support to ruler of Yasin an expedition was sent to Darel in September 1866 under Wazir Zoraweru and colonel Bija Singh via Naupora ravine and another contingent under Bakshi Radha Kishan from Singul valley.
Aim of this invasion was to instill fear in the hearts of tribals. Darel was defended jointly by Darelis and Yasinis under Mulk Aman of Yasin. However, a massacre of Darelis was carried out and many of notables were hanged after a fierce battle. Dogra troops carried loot and plunder in Darel valley and destroyed many village but could not bring it under their occupation and lost 120 men. Tangir was controlled through governor of Punial later these areas remained tribal under the management of British assistant political agent but formed no part of Kashmir. In 1889 the British re-established Gilgit as agency second time and Colonel Durand was appointed political agent. The political agent was instructed by Indian government to avoid confrontation with the tribal. After Hunza-Nagar campaign in 1891 the Britisher wanted to establish chain of posts along the route to Kashmir and to Rawalpindi. The people of Chilas, Darel and Tangir were fearful of outside interference and never accepted foreign domination or outsiders presence in their area. After Hunza-Nagar campaign Chilasis feared the loss of their independence and Durand was also unable to establish friendly relations with Chilasis.
The writer is a retired brigadier and freelance columnist