Mazrak Zadran

Mazrak Khan Zadran[2] (Pashto: زمرک خان ځدراڼ;[3] fl. 1900s – 1972) was a Zadran chieftain who fought against the Afghan government during the Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947 in order to support the restoration of King Amanullah Khan. Some sources render his first name as Mazarak[4] or Zemarak.[5]

Mazrak Khan Zadran
زمرک خان ځدراڼ
Tribal chief of the Zadran tribe
In office
c. 1925 – 11 January 1947
Preceded byBabrak Khan
Succeeded byAbdulla Khan Jadran Yawan (?)
Personal details
FatherBabrak Khan[1]
SiblingsSher Muhd Khan
Saad Akbar Babrak
Izmair
5 or 14 others
TribeZadran
Military service
Battles/warsAfghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947

Personal life and appearance

Mazrak was the eldest[6] of the 9[6] or 18[7] sons of Babrak Khan, who was the Zadran chieftain at the time of Mazrak's birth.[4] Among Mazrak's brothers was Saad Akbar Babrak.[8] Mazrak's winter home was in the village of Almara.[8] His appearance in 1951 was described as a "thickset man with a black beard" who "wore a brown embroidered woollen chugha (cloak) over his shalwar qamiz".[9] In 1972, he was described as a "typical rugged Pathan, confident of his appearance and bearing, soft-spoken, with an air of self-acquired nobility. He was in light brown shalwar kameez, black high Liaquat cap, black shoes, dyed beard and moustache."[10]

Chieftain
Main article: Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947

Mazrak came to power following his father's death.[4] He supported the restoration of Amanullah Khan,[11] a king of Afghanistan who was deposed in the Afghan Civil War.[12] A Pakistani enquiry in 1947 states that "after the present dynasty seized the throne of Kabul, Mazarak, the elder brother of Said Akbar, was given the rank of Naib Salar."[13]

Mazrak (left) with his father, Babrak. Picture taken 1925 or earlier.

In April 1944, Mazrak led an ambush against government troops in the Southern province,[14] after which he was beaten back and forced to retreat into the hills.[15] He continued to fight the Afghan government for the following years. In late 1944, he invaded the British Raj, where he was joined by a Sultan Ahmed, a chieftain from Balochistan.[16] They were later joined by another rebel leader nicknamed Pak.[17]

However, Mazrak's fortunes were not to last. He was forced out of British territory due to British bombardment.[18] In October 1945, most Safi surrendered,[19] followed by the surrender of Sultan Ahmad in November.[20] Nonetheless, Mazrak and his brother Sher Muhd Khan continued to fight,[21] refusing to surrender until 11 January 1947.[22] Mazrak was expelled from Afghanistan by the government and was favourably received by the authorities in the British Raj.[5]

Succession

In Political conspiracies in Pakistan, written in 1969, it is stated that the Zadran chieftain at the time was Abdulla Khan Jadran Yawan,[23] although it's unclear if succession was immediate or if someone else was chieftain between Mazrak and Abdulla.

Exile and later life

By 2 April 1948, Mazrak and his brother Saad had been interned in Kahil, Abbottabad, in houses no. 3000 and 3259 respectively, under the provisions of Regulation III of 1818.[24] On that day, Ghulam Sarwar, Deputy Commissioner, wrote to the Superintendent of Police letter No. 4938/30.20, requesting him to keep a close watch on and occasionally report their activities.[24] During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, Mazrak (who was still imprisoned) allegedly encouraged his followers to join the Azad Kashmir Regular Force to "free Kashmir from Hindu rule".[25]

On 16 October 1951, Mazrak's brother, Saad Akbar Babrak, shot and killed Liaquat Ali Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan. Shortly after, Mazrak was interned in the Police Reserve Inspector's vacant bungalow, and would remain interned there for "quite some time".[9] He alleged that prior to his brother's assassination of Liaqat Ali Khan, he had been offered £1400 by "certain Afghan officials" to kill Liaqat, but that he had turned down the offer.[5]

In 1972, Mazrak, who was still in Abbottabad, was interviewed by Zubair Qureshi on his brother's assassination of Liaqat Ali Khan.[10] Mazrak insisted that his brother did not kill the Prime Minister and stated that he was still getting a stipend ($255 monthly[26]) from the Pakistani government which was his only source of income and which was enough for his living and occasional trips to holiday resorts.[10] His preferred summer escape was Shogran in the Kaghan Valley.[10]

Family
Mazar Khan[27]
fl. late 19th century
Babrak Khan
d. 1924 or 1925		Khan Muhammad[28]
Mazrak Zadran
fl. 1900s – 1972		Saad Akbar Babrak[29]
b. 1921 or 1922
d. 16 Oct 1951		Sher Muhd Khan[30]
fl. 1925 – 1947		Izmair[31]
fl. 1925 – 1945		5 or 14 others[note 1]
Dilawar Khan[35]
b. 1939 or 1940		Muhammad Umar Babrakzai[note 2]
fl. 1980
  1. Sources disagree how many sons Babrak had - Jamna Das Akhtar states that Babrak had 18 sons,[32] while a Pakistani government inquiry titled The Assassination of Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan states that Babrak had 9 sons.[33] David B. Edwards states that Babrak had 2 sons,[34] but this appears to be false, as at least 4 of his son's names are known.
  2. Muhammad Umar Babrakzai was Babrak Khan's grandchild[36] although it's unclear through what father.
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References
  1. The Assassination of Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan: Report of the Commission of Enquiry. Manager of Publications. 1952. p. 16.
  2. The Assassination of Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan: Report of the Commission of Enquiry. Manager of Publications. 1952. p. 22.
  3. Gohar, Abdul (30 October 2016). "تـورې دې لالا وهي …نوڼۍ دې عبدالله وهي". nunn.asia. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  4. Fetherling, George (2011-11-16). "AKBAR, Said". The Book of Assassins. Random House of Canada. ISBN 978-0-307-36909-3.
  5. "Afghan Bribes Alleged For Killing In Pakistan". West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954). 1951-10-23. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  6. Malik, Murtaza (2002-01-01). The Curtain Rises: Uncovered Conspiracies in Pakistan, Afghanistan. Royal Book Company. p. 37. ISBN 978-969-407-271-5.
  7. Akhtar, Jamna Das (1969). Political conspiracies in Pakistan: Liaquat Ali's murder to Ayub Khan's exit. Punjabi Pustak Bhandar. p. 224.
  8. The Assassination of Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan: Report of the Commission of Enquiry. Manager of Publications. 1952. p. 11.
  9. Qureshi, M (2006). "Witness to Liaquat's Assassination" (PDF). psc.edu.pk. Pakistan Perspectives. p. 136. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  10. "Memoir: The last speech of the first Prime Minister by Nazar Abbas". The Friday Times. 2012-11-15. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  11. Khan, Sarfraz; Ul Amin, Noor (Winter 2014). "THE CONTRIBUTION OF INDIAN MUSLIMS IN DEVELOPING PRINT MEDIA AND SPREADING ENLIGHTENMENT IN AFGHANISTAN(1870-1930)" (PDF). Central Asia Journal. p. 130.
  12. Muḥammad, Fayz̤; McChesney, R. D. (1999). Kabul under siege: Fayz Muhammad's account of the 1929 Uprising. Markus Wiener Publishers. ISBN 9781558761544.
  13. The Assassination of Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan: Report of the Commission of Enquiry. Manager of Publications. 1952. p. 11.
  14. "REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 1944 FOR THE DOMINIONS, INDIA, BURMA, AND THE COLONIES AND MANDATED TERRITORIES". Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs. 25 May 1944. p. 6. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019.
  15. "REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 1944 FOR THE DOMINIONS, INDIA, BURMA, AND THE COLONIES AND MANDATED TERRITORIES". Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs. 25 May 1944. p. 6. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019.
  16. Yapp, Malcolm (2001). British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the foreign office confidential print. From 1946 through 1950. Near and Middle-East 1947. Afghanistan, Persia and Turkey, january 1947-december 1947. University Publications of America. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-55655-765-1.
  17. Yapp, Malcolm; Preston, Paul; Patridge, Michael; Office, Great Britain Foreign (1999). British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. From 1946 through 1950. Near and Middle-East. University Publications of America. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-55655-765-1.
  18. Preston, Paul; Partridge, Michael; Yapp, Malcolm (1997). British Documents on Foreign Affairs--reports and Papers from the Foreign Office Confidential Print: Eastern affairs, July 1944-March 1945. University Publications of America. p. 348. ISBN 9781556556715.
  19. Yapp, Malcolm; Preston, Paul; Patridge, Michael; Office, Great Britain Foreign (1999). British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. From 1946 through 1950. Near and Middle-East. University Publications of America. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-55655-765-1.
  20. Yapp, Malcolm (2001). British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the foreign office confidential print. From 1946 through 1950. Near and Middle-East 1947. Afghanistan, Persia and Turkey, january 1947-december 1947. University Publications of America. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-55655-765-1.
  21. Yapp, Malcolm (2001). British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the foreign office confidential print. From 1946 through 1950. Near and Middle-East 1947. Afghanistan, Persia and Turkey, january 1947-december 1947. University Publications of America. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-55655-765-1.
  22. Malik, Murtaza (2002-01-01). The Curtain Rises: Uncovered Conspiracies in Pakistan, Afghanistan. Royal Book Company. p. 38. ISBN 978-969-407-271-5. Eventually, he and his family surrendered to the Political Agent North Waziristan on January 11, 1947.
  23. Akhtar, Jamna Das (1969). Political conspiracies in Pakistan: Liaquat Ali's murder to Ayub Khan's exit. Punjabi Pustak Bhandar. p. 223.
  24. The Assassination of Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan: Report of the Commission of Enquiry. Manager of Publications. 1952. p. 26.
  25. Yapp, Malcolm (2001). British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the foreign office confidential print. From 1946 through 1950. Near and Middle-East 1947. Afghanistan, Persia and Turkey, January 1947-December 1947. University Publications of America. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-55655-765-1.
  26. Akhtar, Jamna Das (1969). Political conspiracies in Pakistan: Liaquat Ali's murder to Ayub Khan's exit. Punjabi Pustak Bhandar. p. 244.
  27. "ببرک خان ځدراڼ/صفيه حليم". dawatmedia24. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  28. Adamec, Ludwig W. (1975). Historical and Political Who's who of Afghanistan (PDF). Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt. p. 130. ISBN 978-3-201-00921-8.
  29. Fetherling, George (2011-11-16). "AKBAR, Said". The Book of Assassins. Random House of Canada. ISBN 978-0-307-36909-3.
  30. Yapp, Malcolm (2001). British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the foreign office confidential print. From 1946 through 1950. Near and Middle-East 1947. Afghanistan, Persia and Turkey, january 1947-december 1947. University Publications of America. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-55655-765-1.
  31. https://web.archive.org/web/20041217215440/http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/pakistan/pakintrigue.htm
  32. Akhtar, Jamna Das (1969). Political conspiracies in Pakistan: Liaquat Ali's murder to Ayub Khan's exit. Punjabi Pustak Bhandar. p. 224.
  33. The Assassination of Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan: Report of the Commission of Enquiry. Manager of Publications. 1952. p. 11.
  34. Edwards, David B. (2002-04-02). Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad. University of California Press. p. 329. ISBN 978-0-520-22861-0.
  35. Zaidi, Syed (2010). "The Assassination of the Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan: The Fateful Journey" (PDF). nihcr.edu.pk. p. 81. Dilawar Khan was eleven years old boy. He was the son of Said Akbar, the alleged assassin
  36. Brown, Vahid; Rassler, Don (2013). Fountainhead of Jihad: The Haqqani Nexus, 1973-2012. Oxford University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-19-932798-0.
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