Kakkar Khan

Sham S. Misri

The Afghan rule in Kashmir (1753-1820), which continued for 67 years was probably the worst ever seen by the inhabitants of the valley. The Muslims invited the Afghans to take over the administration of the valley. This was perhaps the greatest blunder that the Kashmiris did.

Afghan Governors of Kashmir reigned with terror. People began to be looted and killed indiscriminately. Petty Afghan soldiers began to amass wealth by the foulest means. Most of the well to do people of the valley were summoned by the Governor to his palace, and ordered to surrender all their wealth on pain of death. Their houses were completely sacked, and many people were put to sword. There was complete gloom and despair on every side. All the prosperity of the valley was gone, and the people could not even move on the streets, for fear of being robbed of even their scanty clothing.

 Kashmiri’s never imagined that all the beauty and nobility for which Kashmir and its people were known throughout the world would be ruthlessly wiped off under their rule. A Kashmiri poet has lamented this as: I enquired of the gardener the cause of the destruction of the garden. Drawing a deep sigh he replied, “It is the Afghans who did it”! Kashmiris got a rude shock when they witnessed the first acts of barbarity at the hands of Afghans.

There are many stories about Afghan rule; one such popular story among the people of the valley is as follows.

It is said that a delegation of Kashmiris went to Kabul to request the King for a merciful governor. He asked them to choose any of his wazirs sitting in his court. They pointed towards an elderly pious man with white flowing beard, thinking that the old man would be god fearing. The King readily agreed and sent Kakkar Khan with them. They brought him in a procession to Kashmir. As they were about to reach Srinagar a funeral was passing by. The governor asked them to stop. Kashmiris were happy thinking the pious man might offer homage (fateh) to the departed soul. On the contrary he asked them to open the coffin and bit the ear of the deceased and shouted, “Tell the dead in the next world that Kakkar Khan has arrived in Kashmir!”