From Mirpur with Love!

(Shaikh Muhammad Ali)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mirpur_city.jpg)

A novel is achieved with hard work, the short story with

inspiration – Paulo Coelho

From Mirpur with love Page 1

 From Mirpur with love!
The last time that I travelled to the Mangla Dam, I was returning from the Rohtas fort
and since my father in law was also with us and he being a little tired, we decided not
to go and see Mirpur city. This was about three years ago and the flame of visiting
Mirpur in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was still burning in my heart.

Lately, I was invited by the Department Chairman of the Electrical Engineering

Department at the Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST) to come speak
on ‘Change Management’ on 25th June 2010.

(Going down South on GT Road till Dina)

This was a golden opportunity to take my family to go see Mirpur, AJK. For in traveling to
a truly foreign place, we inevitably travel to moods and states of mind and hidden
inward passages that we'd otherwise seldom have cause to visit.

After attending work on Thursday, we left for Mirpur in the evening while taking the
famous Grand Trunk road down South. Mirpur is about 125 kilometers from Islamabad.
We reached there in about 2.5 hours (Traffic rush included) i.e. after Maghreb prayers
and were put up at the ‘Holidays In Kashmir’ hotel by my host, a good friend and the
Deputy Director, P&D of MUST i.e. Faisal Shehzad on the famous Allama Iqbal Road.

From Mirpur with love Page 2

 (Hotel ‘Holidays in Kashmir’ in Mirpur, AJK)

It was a reasonably sized yet a comfortable room in which we were to spend the
current night and the rest of the next day. After checking out our whereabouts and
having a sumptuous dinner, we retired early. It had already started raining.

The next day I woke up early and got ready for the presentation at the university. Faisal
came to pick me up while the university was on the same road that we were staying
and was hardly a 10 minute drive. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the topic and
participated in asking relevant questions on the subject.

(I am giving a lecture on ‘Change Management’)

From Mirpur with love Page 3

 (The presentation in full swing)

After having a session for almost two hours which followed by a healthy question answer
session, we called it off and stepped outside for a photo session. We were
accompanied by one of the IT guys and the Project Director of the Electrical
Engineering department.

(The Project Director, Faisal and I)

From Mirpur with love Page 4

 (With the Electrical Engineering Department in the backdrop)

A little introduction:

Mirpur (Urdu: ‫)پ و ر م ی ر‬, also known as 'Little Britain’, is the largest city in Azad Jammu
and Kashmir, and the capital of Mirpur District. Mirpur is located at the extreme south of
Azad Kashmir at an elevation of 459 metres (1,509 ft). It is 125 kilometres (68 miles) south
east of Islamabad via the Grand Trunk Road and 295 kilometres (183 miles) south of
Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.1

History:

The city of Mirpur was founded in 1052 AH (around 1642 AD) by a Gakhar chief Miran
Shah Ghazi. The Imperial Gazetteer of India Provincial Series Kashmir and Jammu (1909)
provides this information about Mirpur history as "it is said to have been founded by the
Gakhars, Miran Khan and Sultan Fateh Khan".2

The Sikh Empire:

The area now comprising Mirpur has been historically associated with Potohar though
modern demarcation of Potohar devised by British excludes Mirpur by using Jhelum
River as the eastern boundary. By the end of 18th century, Gakhar power in Potohar
had declined. Mirpur had become part of Chibb ruled state of Khari Khariyali with
capital at Mangla Fort. 3

With the rise of Sikh power in Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji established his supremacy
and set his eyes on the Chibh states of Bhimber and Khari Khariyali. In 1810, a force was

1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirpur,_Pakistan
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.

From Mirpur with love Page 5

sent against Raja Sultan Khan of Bhimber and was met with fierce resistance. However,
in 1812 another Sikh army under Prince Kharak Singh defeated Sultan Khan and the
Bhimber state was annexed as Jagir on Kharak Singh. Around the same time, Ranjit
Singh acquired Gujarat and invaded Khari Khariyali ruled by Raja Umar Khan. Raja
Umar Khan made peace with Ranjit Singh. But before a settlement could be made, he
died and the state and Mirpur became part of Ranjit Singh's territories.4

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hindu_temple_purana_mirpur-001.jpg)

In 1816, Ranjit Singh annexed Jammu state and in 1820 awarded Jammu to his
commander Gulab Singh who hailed from Jammu and was under the service of Ranjit
Singh for the past eight years. Between 1831-39 Ranjit Singh bestowed on Gulab Singh
the royalty of the salt mines in northern Punjab, and the northern Punjab towns including
Bhera, Jhelum, Rohtas, Mirpur and Gujarat. 5

Gulab Singh kept on expanding his kingdom and in 1840 Baltistan was made subject to
Jammu and Gilgit fell to a Sikh force from Kashmir in 1842. The state of Kashmir was
annexed by Ranjit Singh in 1819. However the rebellion in Hazara in the beginning of
1846 compelled the country to be transferred to Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu as well.6

4
Ibid.
5
Ibid.
6
Ibid.

From Mirpur with love Page 6

 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shrine_of_Meeran_Shah-001.jpg)

As an aftermath of the First Anglo-Sikh War and the Treaty of Lahore, the Treaty of
Amritsar was signed between the British Government and Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu
on March 16, 1846. This treaty transferred him all the hill states between Ravi and Indus.
The transfer included Kashmir Valley, Hazara and the southern hill states (including
former Khari Khariyali) thus sealing the fate of Mirpur with the new state of Jammu and
Kashmir.7

Early Mirpur:

Since Mirpur lies at the point where the Jhelum River breaks out of the heavily forested
foothills of the Pir Panjal Mountains into the plains of the largely treeless Punjab, it was an
ideal spot for the construction of the boats used to carry goods down the five rivers of
the Punjab to the Indus River and onto the seaports in the Indus delta. Traders have
been operating from there across the Indian Ocean for over three thousand years. Most
of the crew on the boats trading up and down the Punjab and Indus River system were
drawn from Mirpur, as training as a boat-builder was a necessary prerequisite for
becoming a boatman.8

7
Ibid.
8
Ibid.

From Mirpur with love Page 7

 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mangla_dam_jari_kas_2-001.jpg)

New Mirpur City:

Mirpur city is situated at 459 meters above sea-level and is linked with the main
Peshawar-Lahore Grand Trunk road at Dina Tehsil. It is the headquarters of Mirpur
District, which comprises three sub-divisions, Mirpur, Chaksawari & Dadyal. The building
of the new city in late sixties paved the way for New Mirpur situated on the banks of
Mangla Lake. 9

In fact the remains of the old city (old Mirpur) are underneath the waters of the Mangla
Lake, during colder months the water level decreases such that you can see the tops of
minarets from the first mosques, and also the remnants of a Sikh gurdwara as well as a
Hindu mandir possibly dedicated to the "mangla mata" (Mangla mother goddess). 10

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mirpur_shivala_temple_02.jpg)

9
Ibid.
10
Ibid.

From Mirpur with love Page 8

This is a glimpse of pre-independence times when there were many faiths co-existing in
Kashmir as a whole, but however after partition the Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs fled to
India. Mirpur was well planned and the buildings are mostly of modern design, in
addition there is significant inward investment from expatriates now living in the United
Kingdom, Europe, North America, & the Middle East. The city has a number of hotels,
restaurants, shopping malls and other urban facilities. 11

Back to the main story:

After the presentation, I came back to the hotel and after saying my Juma prayers with
Adil and having lunch; we decided to go visit the Mazar (mausoleum) of Mian
Muhammad Baksh, a famous Sufi poet of Khari Sharif, Mirpur.

(On the road to Khari Sharif)

Mīān Muhammad Bakhsh was a Sufi saint and a Punjabi/Pahari poet of great repute.
He is especially renowned as the writer of a book of poetry called Saiful Malūk. He was
born in a village called khanqa pir-e-shah Ghazi Khari Sharif, situated near Mirpur District
of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. 12

He belonged to the Gujjar caste of the Dedhar clan; he was a fourth generation
descendant of Pīr-e Shāh Ghāzī Qalandar Damriyan Wali Sarkar, who was buried in
Khari Sharif. Pīr-e Shāh Ghāzī's khalīfah was Khwājah Dīn Muhammad; and his khalīfah
was Mīān Shamsuddīn, who had three sons: Mīān Bahāval Bakhsh, Mīān Muhammad
Bakhsh, and Mīān 'Alī Bakhsh. Mīān Muhammad Bakhsh's ancestors originated in
Gujarat, but had later settled in the Mirpur District of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. He was
poet of Pahari language (widely spoken in different parts of Kashmir).13
11
Ibid.
12
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mian_Mohammad_Bakhsh
13
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mian_Mohammad_Bakhsh

From Mirpur with love Page 9

 (At the Mazar of Mian Muhammad Baksh)

The Mazar was about a 15 – 20 minutes’ drive from the hotel heading south from Mirpur.
It was pretty warm when we got there but the atmosphere was serene and calm just
like at any other mazar in the country.

(The epitaph of Mian Muhammad Baksh)

From Mirpur with love Page 10

Besides the tomb of Mian Muhammad Baksh, the grave of Qalandar Pir-e-Shah Ghazi
better known as Damriyan Wali Sarkar is also present at the Khari Sharif enclosure. Mian
Muhammad Baksh is the Mureed (read disciple) of this gentleman in the fourth
generation.

(A plaque on the mazar of Pir-e-Shah Ghazi)

After saying our fateha (read prayers) at the first tomb we then visited the second one
of Pir-e-Shah Ghazi.

(The epitaph of Mian Muhammad Baksh)

From Mirpur with love Page 11

We stayed at the complex for an hour or so and then decided to call it a day and
headed back to Mirpur.

(The complex of Khari Sharif where two Sufi saints are buried)

On the way back to Mirpur city, we enjoyed peculiar scenery while the children
stopped to have pictures.

(A peculiar stony mountain)

From Mirpur with love Page 12

 (Another view of the stony rocks)

It took us another 15-20 minutes or so to get back to Mirpur city. I was again tempted to
visit Kotli as well on this trip when I saw this board but due to paucity of time, I decided
to do this some other time.

(On the way back to Mirpur from Khari Sharif)

There is not much to see in Mirpur except for Mangla Dam and the old temples in the
old city which are in the middle of the water and can only be visited when the water
recedes. It was also too hot to go around in midday and since we had decided to
leave for Islamabad in the evening thus we were just breezing through town at a fast
pace. While doing this, we also passed through the famous Mega Mart of Mirpur.

From Mirpur with love Page 13

 (Passing by Azad Mega Mart in Mirpur city)

Since we had already checked out from the hotel after Juma prayers and lunch before
going to Khari Sharif, thus we headed towards home around 5:00 p.m. or so.

(Heading for home)

On the way back, we decided to stop over and see the construction marvel in this part
of the country i.e. the famous Mangla Dam which is the 6th largest dam in the world. The
children didn’t get much time for their usual fun and frolic in the city and thus they had
a ball at the Dam.

From Mirpur with love Page 14

 (Adil and Mohsin at the Mangla Dam)

(The gang of four at the DAM)

We spent about 20 minutes at the DAM while enjoying the cool breeze surrounded by
large stretches of cool water.

From Mirpur with love Page 15

 (Another gang of four)

And thus we called it a day and drove back home while keeping in mind that ‘I shall
return’ to conquer Kotli and Bhimber.

(Country roads, take me home)

Shaikh Muhammed Ali

‘The Wandering Dervish’
E-mail: mashaikh@hec.gov.pk
Cell: +00-92-321-5072996
Date: 8th August, 2010
Time: 10:57 (PST)

From Mirpur with love Page 16