Sheikh Ali (Hazara tribe)

The Sheikh Ali, also known as Dai Kalan, are a major tribe of Hazaras. They live in Afghanistan's Bamiyan, Parwan (Sheikh Ali District), Kunduz and Baghlan provinces, inhabiting the road from Kabul to Mazar-i-Sharif.

In the late 19th century, Ishaq Khan rebelled against Afghan king Abdur Rahman Khan at Mazar-e Sharif. Abdur Rahman sent a force against the Ishaq Khan, passing through the Sheikh Ali territory. During their passage the force faced many skirmishs with the local Sheikh Ali over the scarce food and fodder. Once Abdur Rahman quashed the rebellion of Ishaq, he then focused on the Sheikh Ali Hazaras. The Sheikh Ali also resisted, this low level but violent expedition by Abdur Rahman, forced the Hazaras at large to rise against Abdur Rahman, in retaliation for the attacks on the Sheikh Ali Hazaras. This Hazara uprising resulted in the Jang-i-Uruzgan ("Battle of Uruzgan").

Thereafter, the Sheikh Ali faced a severe backlash from Abdur Rahman, who forcibly evicted many of them from their lands. During this process and there esattled in Kunduz, many of the Sheikh Ali Hazaras perished. Those who reached faced extinction or forced conversion to Sunni Islam. There were a few Sheikh Ali Hazaras who migrated to Quetta, the Shia ones lived with the larger Hazara group in Quetta.

A Sunni Sheikh Ali Hazara family settled in Pishin, Pakistan, north of Quetta. This family rose to prominence and its members Qazi Muhammad Essa and Qazi Muhammad Musa were among the top Muslim League leaders of Balochistan during the Pakistan Movement. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi son of Qazi Essa is a promiment Pakistani diplomat and has remained Pakistan's ambassador to United States, India and the United Nations. He was also the UNSG special representative in Iraq and Sudan. Qazi Faiz Essa the current Chief Justice of the Balochistan High court is also from this family. Qazi Essa helped the Hazaras from Quetta in sending the first Hazara delegation to United Nations in the 1970s.

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