IMAM’S REPRESENTATIVES IN AFGHANISTAN

Mawlana Hazar Imam arrived in Karachi on November 21, 1964 on a long tour of Pakistan. On this occasion, Ramzan Ashuri and Awaz Ali came in Karachi and held a meeting with Wazir Captain Amir Ali Karim (1910-1978), an estate agent of the Imam. The Imam graciously gave an audience to them in Hyderabad on December 23, 1964 and discussed on the current affairs of the Afghan jamats. The Imam ordered Varas J.H. Lakhani, better known as Chhotu Lakhani of the Ismailia Association for India, to make a trip of Afghanistan and prepare a report of his close evaluation with the jamat. He arrived in Kabul and prepared a report of 25 pages, touching all secular and religious dimensions of the jamat.

Sayed Mansur, the son of Sayed Mohammad Khan, who had opposed Sayed Nadir Khan and his sons and led the splitting group, or the Mansuri group, also came in Karachi very soon. He assured to serve the jamat honestly in accordance with the guidance of the Imam. Thus, he was appointed as a head of the splitting group. He was also authorized to collect the religious dues and spend for the benefits of the Ismailis wherever was required.

In August 1965, Chhotu Lakhani visited Kabul. He worked for the Afghan jamats for 8 years (1965-1973). He oftenly visited Kabul once a year, where he stayed for a month and examined the affairs of the jamats, and submitted its reports from time to time to the Imam. He also visited the jamats of Torkman, Siasang, Kalu, Shibar and Mazar-i Sharif. He also intended to visit as far as Badakhshan, but Shah Abdul Jabbar Khan, the head of the Ismaili jamats and a member of the parliament put certain obstructions on his way to Badakhshan.

Chhotu Lakhani was well rooted in religious knowledge. With his untiring efforts, some awareness in religious matters began to emerge in the jamat of Kabul. He is credited to have built a Jamatkhana, known as Nukhustin Jamatkhana (first jamatkhana) at Sabaka Tehmani, Kabul in 1969. Those Ismailis who had broken their relation with Sayed Nadir Khan in 1963 and acknowledged Sayed Mansur as their leader attended it. Henceforward, some religious rites and ceremonies, the reciting of the Farmans, the majalis during the salgirah of the Imam, etc. came to be solemnized. This Jamatkhana proved a best platform in acknowledging the identity of the Ismailis in Afghanistan for the first time as a religious sect of Islam.

Since 1977, the entire affairs of the New Jamatkhana have come under the supervision of the estate office of Imam in Karachi in accordance with the principles of the Ismaili Institutions.

Sayed Nadir Khan and his sons or the Naderi group had built a small Jamatkhana at Chamak Babarak, Kabul in 1970, which is attended by few persons, where they follow their own religious practice. They offer Namaz of 32 rakats, which is followed by Dua. When the Taliban captured Kabul, the Dua was removed, only the Namaz is offered. No Farman is recited or any Ismaili rite and ceremony are performed in it. When the Naderi group gained influence during the communist regime, they extended and rebuilt the premises of their Jamatkhana, known as Jamatkhana Umavi Markazi Ismailiyya Afghanistan (General Central Jamatkhana for the Ismailis of Afghanistan). Adjoining to it, they also built a grand mosque with precious stones like lapis lazuli.

After enjoying his authority for over 50 years, Sayed Nadir Khan died at the age of 71 years in 1971, and was buried in Kayan. His son Sayed Nasir Naderi claimed for himself as the successor of his father. He got his authority recognized from the illiterate adherents of his Naderi group, and forced them to prepare long scrolls duly stamped with thumbs or signatures.

Sayed Nasir Naderi said to have visited Paris at the end of 1971, and gained an audience of the Imam in presence of Chhotu Lakhani. It was decided to appoint him as an agent of the Imam for two years to avoid his clash or rift with other jamats. After two years, the period of his office was neither extended nor any Farman seems to have been issued to this effect for him or his brothers. It implies that the tradition of venerating the mukhi virtually came to an end among the Afghan Ismailis.

In 1976, President Mohammad Dawood (1973-1978) imprisoned the followers of Naderi group, except Sadi who was out of Afghanistan. They were charged of procuring collaborations with some high-ranking officials, statesmen and members of ex-parliament, who were trying to overthrow the regime of Dawood. His opponents in the jamat however reveal a different story of their imprisonment that in 1966, Sayed Nadir Khan attacked on his uncle’s sons, Shuja Khan and Manuchehr Khan, whose followers were plundered. Shuja Khan and his brother have an unsettled long dispute over inheritance right with his uncle, Sayed Nadir Khan. Both Shuja Khan and Manuchehr Khan knocked the door of the court and lodged complaints against Syed Nadir Khan, whose details were highlighted in local newspapers. The case lasted for one year, but Shuja Khan and his brother failed to obtain their properties and authority. Meanwhile, Shuja Khan expired in Kabul; therefore Manuchehr Khan could not prolong the case alone and negotiated treaty of peace with Sayed Nadir Khan, and went to live in his native home, Kayan.

One another incident is supposed to have badly confronted them than ever before. Haji Abdul Hussain, one of the trusted men in Naderi group said to have been an eyewitness of an incident. He related that a girl and boy loved with each other, but the father of the girl opposed their marriage. Both of them quitted their homes and harboured in the house of Sayed Nadir Khan to acquire his favour. Unfortunately, both of them had been killed on a night in the house of Sayed Nadir Khan, and their dead bodies were thrown away behind the house of Manuchehr. The parents of the girl and boy reported the police and charged upon Manuchehr as a killer. This seems to be a root cause of enmity between them.

Manuchehr was an innocent and pleaded for justice. Sayed Nasir Naderi was a member of parliament, and tried with his friends to arbitrate and solve the matter. During the proceeding of case, Manuchehr divulged many ill activities of Sayed Nadir Khan and his sons. Some members of the parliament, who were against Sayed Nadir Khan, had extended their support to Manuchehr. Under the chairmanship of Sadullah Khan, the President of the Court Martial, a committee was formed, called "The Executive Committee for Investigations of the Premises of Sayed Kayan" to deal the charges upon Manuchehr. The committee started their investigation from Doshi district, where the Ismailis were asked about their belief on Sayed of Kayan. The ignorant people responded that they considered him as their pir or murshid, some even said to have claimed that they held them to the rank of an Imam and Prophet. The non-Ismaili circles learnt it and branded the Ismailis as polytheists. Since the Constitution in Afghanistan was in force, wherein the freedom of beliefs and religions were guaranteed, therefore, no serious reaction appeared publicly. Had the fundamentalists been on power, they were put to death. Nevertheless, the report of the inspection team was published in the newspapers. In the meantime, some dissident persons like Sayed Ahmad Barkhordar and Ibrahim Arzo (both were killed in 1985) from Doshi district published articles in the newspaper and discredited the group of Sayed Nadir Khan.

It is said that the Muslims over 3000 of different walk of life reviled the activities of Sayed Nadir Khan. The investigation lasted for six months in Doshi district, and was continued in the provinces of Jabal Saraj and Parwan. The report of the investigation committee filled 6000 pages. The three sons of Sayed Nadir Khan, viz. Sayed Mansur, Sayed Nuruddin Rawnaq and Sayed Qadir Khan as the main guilties, and 28 notable persons in Doshi district were imprisoned for 28 months. The file relating to their crimes could not be referred to the court for final verdict because of the influence of the Naderi group, therefore, the accused were released on bail. Their case remained in custody of the archives of Interior Ministry. The case was resumed in the time of President Dawood, resulting an arrest of Sayed Nasir and Sayed Gawhar Khan. They remained in prison during the period of Khalq communist regime. Sayed Nasir and Sayed Mansur were survived from the slaughterhouse of the regime after the Soviet regime, but their brothers Nuruddin Rawnaq, Gawhar Khan and Qadir Khan are reported to have been executed.