Aman ul-Mulk
| Aman ul-Mulk | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1821 Chitral |
| Died | 1892 |
| Resting place | Chitral |
| Title | The Mehtar of Chitral |
| Tenure | 1858-1892 |
| Residence | Chitral |
| Predecessor | Mehtar Shah Muhammad Mukhtaram Shah III |
| Successor | Mehtar Afzal ul-Mulk |
Aman ul-Mulk (1 January 1821 – 30 August 1892) was the Mehtar of Chitral who ruled it from 1857 to 1892. His rule saw Chitral reach its territorial peak, extending from Ishkamun in Gilgit Agency to Asmar in Afghanistan. His death lead to the Siege of Chitral an instance of high drama, which goes down in the annals of British India as an epic of enormous courage and determination.
Muhtarram Shah Kator the III was succeeded by Aman ul-Mulk. In order to succeed Aman ul-Mulk had killed his elder brother in 1856. Thus in 1857, Aman climbed to the throne of Chitral, by steps slippery with the blood he had shed. He is referred to in local chronicles as the Great Mehtar, who ruled over the valleys with true oriental despotism between 1857 and 1892. Sir George John Younghusband denoted him as a “strong and astitute” ruler.Lord Curzon acclaimed him as "The very man for such a state and such times”.
Aman ul-Mulk ruled over Upper and Lower Chitral extending from the borders of Punjab on one side to the borders of Kafiristan and Dir on the other. The northern boundary of his dominion was the watershed of the Hindu Kush. In those early years, up to 1871, Chitral still paid tribute to Badakhshan in slaves, but it would be absurd to infer from this fact that Chitral ever acknowledged the suzerainty of Jehandar Shah or of the Afghan faction that dispossessed him.
In 1878 Aman ul-Mulk being anxious of aggression by the Amir of Afghanistan placed Chitral under the nominal suzerainty of the Maharaja of Kashmir. This brought him into direct touch with the Government of India, with whom from that time until his death he did all he could to maintain friendly relations. In 1885 a mission under Sir William Lockhart visited Chitral and was very cordially received, and so too was Colonel Durand, who went there in 1888.
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