Saturday 22 November 2014

In 18th century a 6,000-strong Baloch army of Nasir Khan of Kalat was completely wiped out by Kakar Pashtuns


The author of Hayat-i-Afghani (completed in 1865) writes:-

Of all their external foes (of Kakars), the Baloch is the much ancient and hated. Though for a long time past they had no hostile collision of any importance, they are divided by the remembrance of mutual injuries, and are ever on the look out against each other. About a 100 years since a famous engagement took place in  which Tamas Khan (Santiya Kakar) led his clan to signal victory. The occasion, happened thus ; Nasir Khan , a Wali of Baluchistan , angered by the raid of a Kakar , marched into Shal (Quetta) at the head of 6,000 men with intent to crush his troublesome neighbors. A force like this was not be rashly withstood , and the Kakar clan (the Santiya) retreated in a body to Dozakh or Dozhak , a stony table-land lying west of Zori valley high up among impassable mountains , and the only access to which is a steep pass. The Baloch , finding no means of approach from Shal , came from the side of the Hanna valley, and after climbing a high hill , reached the mouth of a narrow precipitous defile from whose summit they could easily pour down upon the entrapped Kakar. The wary Santiya leader Tamas Khan allowed the enemy to reach the last steep , and as they were struggling up this, already within sight of success, suddenly burst upon them with impetuous onslaught, drove them down headlong and destroyed them almost to a man. Since then the Baloch have shown disposition to keep aloof from the Kakar. [1]


1- "Afghanistan and its inhabitants", pages-150 , English translation of Hayat-i-Afghani by Muhammad Hayat Khan, published in 1860

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