AFGHAN DELEGATIONS IN PESHAWAR

On March 13, 1978, Wazir Capt. Amir Ali sent a message through Ghulam Qadir Hunzai, an Ismaili merchant in Kabul, to the members of delegations who had been in Bangladesh that they might come in Peshawar. Abdul Samad on behalf of Sayed Nasir, Sayed Mansur from his own group, Ramzan Ashuri and Sahibdad Mehri from third group of New Jamatkhana arrived in Peshawar. Haji Abdul Hussain was not invited.

Besides Wazir Cap. Amir Ali, Mr. Sadruddin Ghulam Hyder Bandali (d. 1991) of the estate office also attended to note down the proceedings. Mubarak Ali Mukhi Merali, the Chairman of the local council for Peshawar, ex-Mukhi Qudratullah Beg and Ghulam Qadir Hunzai were also included in the meeting.

Wazir Cap. Amir Ali first of all asked Sayed Mansur the reason of inordinate delay in complying with his words to propose names for Mukhi and Kamadia within 12 days. Since he had no genuine excuse, he started to speak some irrelevant points.

Sayed Mansur however grasped to his decayed hollow trick once again that he could not write any name in the absence of his people. Despite several efforts of Wazir Cap. Amir Ali and other members, no result was yielded. Finally, Wazir told him to write his own name on top and then others, or he should write with his own writing to the Imam, so that he could respond. Sayed Mansur told, "Give me a pen and paper. I shall write." Owing to his harsh attitude, the participants were surprised. Wazir Cap. Amir Ali closed his eyes and sunk into deep thought. He never expected him to be so insurgent and unruly. He told the impatient Sayed Mansur to go outside the room for a while. He also sent Mukhi Qudrutullah Beg and Mubarak Ali to pacify him, but all in vain. Sayed Mansur also stressed that until the legal documents of the Jamatkhanas were not registered with the government and exchanged amongst each group, he would not forward names of his candidates.

At length, an idea struck in Wazir’s mind and forwarded a reformatory plan that the three groups jointly write a letter to the Imam that each group might register the documents of the three Jamatkhanas with the government in the names of 2-2 persons, and the Imam was authorized what he would guide in this matter. Thus a joint letter had been written duly signed by the members of three groups.

Meanwhile, Sayed Mansur and Sayed Nasir Naderi wrote a letter from Kabul to the estate office, asking what guidance had come from the Imam in response to their joint letter, assuring to obey the guidance without raising any objection. Wazir Cap. Amir Ali enjoined upon Ghulam Qadir to go Kabul to get the enrolment by two groups, and also get the measurements of the Jamatkhanas. Meanwhile, he gave a direction to them and dictated a letter to Mukhi Qudratullah Beg into Persian as under:-

 

March 24, 1978

Peshawar

According to my message, Janab Sayed Mansur and Abdul Samad representative of Janab Sayed Nasir on behalf of themselves, Janab Ramzan Ashuri and Sahibdad Mehri arrived from Kabul. I am thankful to them.

I have to write with pleasure that the above-mentioned persons in accordance with the guidance of the Imam, undertook that they would arrange the names of their men for the posts of Mukhi, Kamadia and Joint Kamadia, and send me within a week. Upon my request, Janab Ghulam Qadir also will make a visit of Kabul, so that he may collect a list of above names and deliver it to me. He will also get the photographs from inside, outside, sketches, spaces or extent of three Jamatkhanas, and how many people are accommodated in each Jamatkhana at one time, so that the Imam may order for the use of any one premise for prayers.

I will submit the proposals in presence of the Imam that these existing groups should select 2-2 mean and will send their names for gracious approval for the posts, and then the documentation of the Jamatkhanas would be executed in the name of 2-2 men by each group. Until at the time the documents are transferred to the holy name of the Hazar Imam.

 

 

 

 

Yours brotherly,

Sd/-

WAZIR AMIR ALI CURRIM IBRAHIM

 

 

We, the above-mentioned persons received by hands this letter through the aforesaid Wazir.

Signatures : SAYED MANSUR

SAHIBDAD MEHRI

RAMZAN ASHURI

ABDUL SAMAD

 

Accordingly, Ghulam Qadir arrived in Kabul. He measured the premises of each Jamatkhana, and also got some photographs both inside and outside, but failed to procure list of persons from Sayed Mansur and Sayed Nasir. Instead of sending list of persons, they sent an immaterial letter to the estate office. It is crystal clear that they wanted to wield their authority, making no room for others to lead the Jamat. Henceforward, no other meeting was held with the estate office and the members of the three groups, resulting almost an end of close contact since 1978.

In April, 1978, President Dawood had been killed in a military coup and the communist regime entered the territories of Afghanistan. The pro-Russian ruling party was intolerant against all ideologists and beliefs. During the cataclysm, Sayed Mansur of the Mansuri group was arrested and disappeared. His wife, assisted by Mulla Khan Mohammad and two qaris (jamatbhais) and some old persons filled the vacuum of his office.

In 1982, Amin, the second son of Sayed Mansur, aged 15 years took over the charge from his mother to lead his group. In 1983, he and Sayed Nasir Naderi had undertaken that they must fulfil the purport of Bangladesh’s Farman and would send the names to the estate office. When he assumed the authority after his father, he absolutely ignored it. In 1984, Amin fled to Pakistan. He returned to Kabul after a short while and took over charge of the office of his father.

Afghanistan was in vortex of politics in 1990. Amin went to India, and thence proceeded to London. The administration of his group however remained with his mother, assisted by a certain Mulla Khan Mohammad. When she died, Mulla Khan Mohammad and others were the chiefs of the group of Sayed Mansur.

Mulla Khan Mohammad was a naive without any interest. He was the member of Sayed Mansur Naderi’s Commission in Kabul and represented from the first Jamatkhana, He was killed in June, 1993. His dead body was discovered near Jamatkhana. No sign of the assassin was traced. Mawlavi Mir Afghan Samangani was suspected for having killed him. There were then a qari (a jamatbhai) and a vakil in the Jamatkhana, who administered the affairs according to the instructions of Amin.

 

 

[HISTORICAL REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN] [AFGHANS OF AFGHANISTAN] [ISMAILI MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN] [ISMAILIS IN AFGHANISTAN]

[RITUAL PERFORMANCES & CEREMONIES] [THE SAYEDS OF KAYAN] [SPLIT IN AFGHAN JAMAT]

[IMAM’S REPRESENTATIVE IN AFGHANISTAN] [ANOTHER SPLIT IN AFGHAN JAMAT] [WAZIR CAPTAIN AMIR ALI KARIM IN KABUL]

[AFGHAN DELEGATIONS IN BANGLADESH] [NADERISM] [CASUALTIES & MIGRATION OF THE ISMAILIS]

[AFGHAN DELEGATIONS IN PESHAWAR] [CONCLUSION] [BIBLIOGRAPHY]

[LINKS TO ARTICLES ON THE WEB]


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