Revolt of 1926 Or Baipasho meeting Shiyaqotek by Hidayat ur Rahman

Revolt of 1926 Or Baipasho meeting Shiyaqotek
Revolt of 1926 is commonly known as “Baipasho Meeting” in the folklore of Chitral. A dethronement plan was made by tribal elders to purge H.H Sir Shuja ul Mulk (1895-1936) from Mentorship. They came together at Shiaqotek, South of Chitral in March 1926. This plan was so secret that more than two weeks session no news came to the authorities on the meeting. After the prolong meeting on March 22, the participants of the plan agreed on one point that at any cost they will fight to remove the Mehtar and install Nasir ul Mulk on the throne. There was a strategy that two kinds of the resolution had been passed. One was clearly to implement the agreed formula and the other was that in the time of exposing the plan than it was written only this meeting was to alert Mehtar about state affairs in polite way. According to the sources, more than eighty men came together in a Baipash located in Amer Tarakan house Shiagotek. Some of the important leaders were Mir Haidar Ali Khan (Kesu Chep Ofsar), Musanif Khan of Drosh, Haji Amir Ali Khan of Damek, Sufi Sikandar Khan of Petai and Bulbul Lal of Mastuj, etc. According to British colonial sources that the resentment of participants were as followings
1. The imposition of Taxes on Upper Classes.
2. Given the importance to Roshtay and Khisraway tribes in the matters of the State.
Suddenly on the night of 22nd March 1926 that a man of meeting named Sher Jang Elias Sarjan Lal of Mulkho brought the news to Mehtarjou Dilaram Khan and Dilaram Khan delivered it to Mehtar. Mehtar sermon an emergency meeting on the same night Mehtarjou Delaram Khan  and Yakub Khan of Jughoor have participated in the meeting. After the meeting Mehtar ordered Yakub Khan for capturing all instigators. He went to Shiagotek and later on Drosh, captured all participants. Five people amongst the conspirators were admitted to the proposed plan namely Mir Haider Ali Khan, Musanif Khan, Sufi Sikandar Khan, Haji Amir Ali Khan and Bulbul Lal others managed to escape by pleasing Mehtar and assuring him of their confidence and loyalty in future by refuting the plan. On 26 May 1926 the detained leaders were sent to a prison in Abbotabad, where they remained behind the bars for four years. Sufi Sikandar Khan of Patti breathed his last after twenty-six days of illness in prison. The rest were released in June 1930. It was a revolt in name only. No mass movement took place. Neither the leaders nor their well-wishers could raise street power against the prevailing system.
Sources
1. Personal Interviews
Subedar Mahboob Alam
Akram Lal
2. A personal diary of Yakub Khan
3. Administrative report 1926
4. APA Chitral files.

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