Muslim Gurjars also spelled Gujjar, Gujar, or Gojar, are an ethno-religious group of the larger Gurjar ethnic community, who follow Islam and are native to the north-western regions of South Asia. They are primarily found in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and also in various regions of northern India. They embraced Islam from the medieval period onwards, and are divided into several sub-groups and clans. In Pakistan, they traditionally belong to the agricultural class of the country and are a politically influential community.
Muslim Gujars are a large ethnic group in Pakistan, particularly in Punjab and Azad Kashmir, and the third-largest ethnic group in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Jammu and Kashmir. They are also found as a minority group in Afghanistan, Nepal and other parts of north India.
In the Himalayan states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, most of them are nomads with some settled communities. In Indian Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh they traditionally belong to the agricultural class. Based on their occupation nomad Muslim Gujars in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and HP are divided into subgroups like Van Gujar, Bakarwal, Banjara, and Dodhi Gujars.
In northern India, Muslim Gujars live in a geographical and biosocial isolation from Hindu Gurjars, with whom they have not maintained relationships, and marriages between the two groups are restricted. In contrast, intermarriages are common among Muslim Gujars of Himachal Pradesh and Muslim Van Gujars of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
History In the Sikh traditions (1665–1703 CE), a story about Bhai Sahib Singh suggests that many Muslim Gujars lived in northern India and some may have become Muslim in the 16th and 17th centuries. The story mentions a Gujar chief named Jamatullah in Bidar, Karnataka; his Muslim name support the suggestion. The reported conflict between the Gujars and the Sikhs suggests presence of Gujars in the region.
Muslim Gujar dynasties Swat Valley In 1849 Saidu Baba, a Muslim saint of the Gujar Khatana community, became foremost religious and political figure in the Swat Valley. His descendants, the Mianguls, were later recognised as the hereditary rulers of the Swat (princely state) by the British in 1926. The state existed autonomously until it was dissolved and merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 1969.
Poonch In the 17th century, Abdur Razzak Khan was a Gujar chief of the Poonch region of Kashmir. He was the son of Abdul Fateh Khan. In the early 18th century Muslim Gujars, with Bomba and Khakha tribes from the lower Jehlum Valley, often attacked Kashmir. They raided the valley when the central government of Mughal Empire was weakened, killing and looting. These attacks terrified the people of Kashmir and the tribes names became synonymous with terror. During Ali Muhammad Khan's rule (1713–15), the Bomba chief with Gujar chief Abdur Razzak of Poonch region started causing trouble in Karna and Baramulla areas. Ali Muhammad Khan arrested the Gujar chief and Haibat Khan, the grandson of Bomba Chief. In 1732 during rule of Abu Barakat Khan again Haibat Khan raided but Abu Khan personally stopped him.
Inayatullah Kashmiri the noble of the Mughals lost control of Kashmir, and Abu Barakat Khan became new ruler of Kashmir. However, Inayat Ullah Khan did not give up. He formed an alliance with Bomba and Khakha tribes and attacked Abu Brakat Khan. Abu Brakat Khan then formed an alliance with the Gujars of Poonch and counterattacked in which they succeeded to kill Inayatullah Khan. Many people died on both sides the fierce battle, and ultimately after Inayat Ullah's death conflict was ended.
In the 1740s, Babarullah Khan of Baramulla became independent and with the support of Gujar, Bomba and Khakha tribes he raised rebellion against Abu Brakat Khan. Violence continued in the valley until new governor Abu Mansur Khan was appointed in 1745. Gujars, Bombas and Khakhas tribes continued raiding until 1846, when Maharaja Gulab Singh with the help of the British army stopped them.
In the 18th century a Gujar of Sangu clan, Roohullah Khan, established Sangu dynasty or state in Poonch region of Kashmir. During the reign of Raja Bahadur Khan, Ruhullah rose to such prominence that he was appointed the post of Wazir. In 1797, Abdullah Khan, the Nazim of Kashmir, attacked Poonch and appointed Wazir Ruhullah Khan as its ruler in 1798. Ruhullah Khan died in 1819 and was succeeded by his grandson Mir Baz Khan. Kashmiri historian Muhammad Din Fauq described Ruhullah Khan as a remarkable and brave ruler.
In June 1814 Ranjit Singh's army moved towards Poonch and Rajauri. But Ruhullah Khan, the ruler of Poonch prevented the Sikh artillery from passing through. A fight broke out and about 500 people were wounded or killed on both sides.
Hazara In the early 18th century, a Gujar of the Khatana clan in the Hazara region was the chief of Kot Najeebullah. Later, he lost his jagir to Tareen tribe. In the 18th century, Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, again granted Muqaddam Musharaf, the jagir of Kot Najeebullah consisting of eight villages in the Hazara region in exchange for 15,000 rupees. The villages comprised Kokalia, Pandori, Jharr, Dedra, Dingi, Chamba Pind-Gujran, Kot Najibullah and some other.
After the death of Muqaddam, General Sir James Abbott granted the jagir to his son, Mir Muqaddam Ahmad. Mir Ahmad died on 12 October 1849. After Ahmad's death, Jagir was given to his elder son, Mir Ghulam Muhammad. Ghulam Ahmad died on 1 May 1880, and later his jagir was given to his elder son, Mir Abdullah.
Nawab of Dera Ghazi Khan In the 18th century, Mahmud Khan Gujar served as the de facto ruler and governor of Dera Ghazi Khan from around 1738 to 1772. He was the son of Yusuf Khan. Previously he served as a grand wazir under Mirranis. He teamed up with the Durranis to overthrow Mirranis and then initiated a project to build and restore canals in D. G. Khan. Punjab Government Gazetteer credit him with founding the settlement of Mahmud Kot and initiating canal works in the region.
Nawabs of Gujrat During the 1857 unrest, Sultan Ali, a Gujjar leader of the Kalas clan in Ajnala, Gujrat, kept his area safe from looters. The British government rewarded him with land and the title of Safed Posh for his bravery. His son, Fazal-e-Ali, continued doing good work by building schools, hospitals, and banks. People loved and respected him so much that the British government gave him the title of Nawab. He was popularly known as Sir Syed of the Punjab region. Nawab Fazal Ali had two sons Nawab Mehdi Ali and Nawab Asghar Ali. Nawab Mehdi Ali died in 1958. Nawab Asghar Ali held several positions, including chairman of the District Board and Central Co-operative Bank. He also contributes to education by developing Zamindara High school into a degree college.
Haryana Before partition, Muslim Gujars were zamindars in some parts of Indian Punjab and Haryana, such as in areas like Toda Bhim Pargana and villages including Umri, Umrah, Ujinah, Pur, and Pinangwan in Haryana.
British period During the British Raj era, Gujars were classified as a martial race and enlisted in class company regiments.
According to William Crooke, Gujars were an important agricultural and pastoral tribe. They were found in many areas including: Gujar Khan, Gujrat and Gujranwala, named after Gujar community. They were also found in areas like Rawalpindi and Jalandhar where they mainly work as farmers.
Different British-colonial era writers note the Gujars for their farming skills. David Thomson reported the Gujjars in Jhelum District to be skilled farmers. Carolyn Stedman described the Gujjars in Rawalpindi district as excellent as cultivating.
Evenly Brikeley Howell noted that after 30 years of British Raj, Gujars were likely no more prone to crime than other farming groups. While many Gujars focus on herding animals rather than farming, this doesn't apply to all of them.
In the British colonial era, the Gujar community was divided into various clans. British administrator Denzil Ibbetson, in his work "Castes of Punjab", notes a total of nineteen notable clans of Gujjars in British Punjab. These clans include: Tanwar, Chokhar, Rawal, Kalsian, Khatana, Kasana, Kalas, Gorsi, Chechi, Dhodar, Poswal, Lawi, Bijar, Khaindar, Melu, Thakaria, Chauhan, Monana, and Bhumls. According to Horace Arthur Rose, Chechi and Kasana were the major clans of Gujars in the region of British Punjab.
1857 Rebellion In Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Muslim Gujars of Ludhiana district of Punjab, India took arms against British Raj in India. Some Muslim Gujars from Muzaffarnagar, and Saharanpur districts of Western Uttar Pradesh also participated in the 1857 war of independence. Gujars actively participated in the 1857 rebellion against the British government. Due to their involvement, they were classified by Britishers as a "criminal tribe" in the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act. They were denotified from criminal tribe list in 1949.
According to British orientalist William Crooke, Gujars were always against the British government, who they saw as unfair. When the British power wreaked in Indian subcontinent during the Indian rebellion of 1857, Gujars took advantage and looted and burned British areas. He viewed Gujars as having criminal nature.
The Britishers believed that nomadic groups like Gujars of Himalayas survived mainly by stealing because they did not have a fixed way to earn a living. However, this view ignored the fact that these communities made a living through herding animals. British officials claimed that these groups were a "Criminal class" that needed to be stopped because they were openly stealing.
The Britishers had several reasons to target Nomad Gujjars of Himalayas and similar groups. They were worried because, Gujjars were monadic and hard to control. Their nomadic lifestyle conflicted with British plans for farming and land ownership. They might rebel, like they did in Indian Rebellion of 1857, which threatened the British rule in Indian subcontinent. According to David Arnold, the Britishers wanted to control these groups socially through Criminal Tribe Act rather than because they were truly criminal.
1947 Partition During the 1947 Partition of India, many Muslim Gujars were massacred in the Jammu region. Survivors fled to Pakistan, but most Gujars in Poonch, Rajauri, and Kashmir division stayed in their homes.
In the 1947 Partition of India, communal violence broke out in Jammu and Kashmir. Muslim soldiers were disarmed, while soldiers of other faith were not. According to Ian Stephens, Maharaja Hari Singh supported violence against 'Muslim Gujars' and even ordered his forces to fire at them. Eyewitnesses also accused Hari Singh of directly participating in killings, including shooting three Muslim Gujars at Mishriwala.
1947 partition of India changed the demographic structure of Gujars in Indian Punjab. Before partition, 75% of Gujars in Punjab region were Muslims, and most of them migrated to Pakistani Punjab, changing the community's makeup in Indian Punjab.
After the partition of India many Muslim Gujars migrated from Indian Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to Pakistan. Before the partition of Punjab in 1947, Gurdaspur became part of Indian Punjab 80 villages of the Muslim Gujjars migrated from Gurdaspur to Sialkot in Punjab, Pakistan. Some other Muslim Gujjars from other districts of Indian Punjab also migrated to Pakistani Punjab and settled in Sheikhupura and Sargodha districts.
In 1947, some Bakarwal and Van Gujar families also migrated from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh to the northern areas of Pakistan.
Modern period