Sudhan

Sudhans (also known as Sudhozai) is one of the major tribes from the districts of Poonch, Sudhanoti, Bagh and Kotli in Azad Kashmir, allegedly originating from Pashtun areas.[1]

History and particulars

The tribe claims an Afghan ancestry.[2] According to Syed Ali, Sudhans have a Pashtun descent and moved to the Poonch district of Kashmir region some centuries ago.[3] Sudhans from Poonch considered themselves to be Sudhozai Pathans (Pashtuns).[4] Scholar Iffat Malik of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad writes:

The Sudhans claim their origin from Afghanistan and they consider themselves to be descendants of a common ancestor Jassi Khan, who was an Afghan chief and had earned the name of Sudhan (from Sanskrit, meanings "justice, fair and honest") as a compliment to his valour as he 500 years or so ago landed in Western parts of Poonch and fought for their existence, but the local people dominated them In this period, they multiplied quickly and emerged into a strong and powerful tribe. According to them, they are same as the Sudhazai tribe of high class Afghans. In social habits and customs they also are certainly akin to Sudhazais of Afghanstan. Among Afghans, Sudhazai are a very respected clan with long good history behind them. Sikhs and Dogras had to fight the Sudhans in wars spread over a fairly long time as they had never been reconciled to their rule by them, and there was first rebellion in 1837, after Sudhan people went in revolt against Sikh Empire, had captured hills from Sikhs, however Sudhans were defeated by Sikhs but survived as a strong tribe. In 1947, Sudhans were first to challenge Dogras.[5]

About 40,000–60,000 Sudhans were recruited and served in the British Indian Army during the First and Second World Wars.[6][7]

Role in 1947 Poonch rebellion
Main article: 1947 Poonch rebellion

The Sudhan tribe has been described as "a main and martial tribe of dissident Poonch" by Christopher Snedden, a political analyst. Sardar Ibrahim Khan, a barrister, and politician of the Muslim Conference party, was among the Sudhan people who rose to significance in 1947 as a result of the campaign and later rebellion against the Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Khan led a significant faction of the Muslim Conference activists in their demands that Singh should join Pakistan rather than accede to India. Together with the Muslims from Bagh, it was the Sudhans who were at the heart of this campaign.[8] The rebels were directed by the Pakistan Army, and with the support of Pashtun tribal lashkars sent in from the Khyber and Waziristan tribal agencies,[9] they were able to 'liberate' a portion of the state, called Azad Kashmir (Free Kashmir). Azad Kashmir has been under the control Pakistan ever since.

Together with the Rajputs, it is the Sudhans who dominate the politics of Azad Kashmir in the present day, although the Gujjar community is probably the largest among the population.[10]

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References
  1. Snedden, Christopher. The Untold Story of the People of Azad Kashmir. Columbia University Press. p. xix. Sudhan/Sudhozai – one of the main tribes of (southern) Poonch, allegedly originating from Pashtun areas.
  2. Hussain, Rifaat (2005). "Pakistan's Relations with Azad Kashmir and the Impact on Indo-Pakistani Relations". In Dossani, Rafiq; Rowen, Henry S. (eds.). Prospects for Peace in South Asia. Stanford University Press. p. 361. ISBN 9780804750851.
  3. Syed Ali (1998). "South Asia: The Perils of Covert Coercion". In Lawrence Freedman (ed.). Strategic Coercion: Concepts and Cases. Oxford University Press. p. 253. ISBN 0-19-829349-6. Poonch at the time of partition was predominantly Muslim and the overwhelming majority of them were Sudhans, who were descendants of Pashtuns of Afghanistan, settled in the region some centuries ago.
  4. Snedden, Christopher. Kashmir - The Untold Story. HarperCollins India. p. 43. ISBN 9789350298985. Sudhans from Poonch considered themselves to be Sudho Zai Pathans (Pukhtoons), which explained why the Pashtun tribesmen from NWFP province lost no time coming to help Jammu and Kashmir's Muslims in 1947..
  5. Malik, Iffat (2002), "Jammu Province", Kashmir: Ethnic Conflict International Dispute, Oxford University Press, p. 62, ISBN 978-0-19-579622-3
  6. Syed Ali (1998). "South Asia: The Perils of Covert Coercion". In Lawrence Freedman (ed.). Strategic Coercion: Concepts and Cases. Oxford University Press. p. 253. ISBN 0-19-829349-6.
  7. Stephens, Ian (1963). Pakistan. Frederick A. Praeger Inc. p. 199.
  8. Snedden, Christopher. Kashmir – The Untold Story. HarperCollins India. pp. 1937–1938. ISBN 9789350298985.
  9. Josef Korbel, Danger in Kashmir, New York:United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan Report, 1954, pp.49–54
  10. Lyon, Stephen M.; Bolognani, Marta (2011). "The Mirror Crack'd: Shifting Gazes and the Curse of Truth". In Bolognani, Marta; Lyon, Stephen M. (eds.). Pakistan and Its Diaspora: Multidisciplinary Approaches. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780230347120.

Further reading
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