From Sajhan Singh to Malik Riaz

The first of the three major events in Rawalpindi’s history over the past three hundred years took place when the Sufi sage Shah Chan Chirag set up camp here in the mid-17th century.

After that, this small settlement of Jain followers began to develop into a town and then a city. The second major event happened when the British established India’s largest cantonment here in 1851, which reduced the city’s importance to two.

The third major event took place on 24 May 1960 when the new capital of Pakistan was approved on the outskirts of Rawalpindi.

The first change was spiritual while the other two changes were driven by military factors. Militancy has always dominated the history of Rawalpindi and so has the background of those emerging from the scene here. The figure who dominated the Rawalpindi scene in the late 19th century is known to the ages as Sajhan Singh. He was a military contractor. Almost a hundred years later, another figure similar to Sajhan Singh emerged on the scene of Rawalpindi, known today as Malik Riaz, who also rose to prominence as a military contractor.

Who was Sajhan Singh and what was his role in Rawalpindi?

In ‘Tazikra Rusayay Punjab’ by Sir Lippin H. Griffin and Colonel Massey, it is recorded that he was descended from Baba Guru Nanak and from Sardar Milkha Singh Thalapuria who founded Rawalpindi in 1766 and was the first Sikh ruler of Potohar. Also remained.

Sajhan Singh’s grandfather, Sardar Budha Singh, was a revenue officer in the Rawalpindi district in the 1830s during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, while his father, Sardar Nand Singh, who died in 1871, held a prominent position in the British court in Punjab. Nand Singh made a name for himself in philanthropic activities in the city and opened several institutions.

Sing Jani Sarai was also built by Sajhan Singh’s father Nand Singh. Sardar Sadhu Singh also belonged to the same family which established the Sadhu Bagh at Shahullah Dutta which is still there today. Sadhu’s son was Buddha Singh who was Sarad Sajhan Singh’s grandfather.

Sardar Sajhan Singh had two large jagirs, one was Katarian and the other Misriot. Today the capital of Pakistan is settled on these estates. Sajhan Singh used to trade in timber and bought and sold valuable timber from Kashmir. Anglo emerged as a military contractor in the Afghan wars and started supplying foodstuffs, animal fodder and fuel to the British army for which he was given the title of Rai Bahadur by the Viceroy of India in 1888 and the title of Sajhan Singh by the Governor of Punjab. In 1973, he was honored with Khilaat in the Durbar held in Hasan Abdal for his services.

Sajhan Singh died in 1901. After that his son Sardar Hardit Singh inherited his property but he also died three years later leaving two sons Sardar Mohan Singh and Sardar Sohan Singh who were studying in Aitchison College Lahore. At the time of World War II, he not only helped the British Crown in recruitment of soldiers but also gave Rs.300,000 in cash (according to History of the Rawalpindi District).

In return for these services, Sardar Mohan Singh was awarded an honorary sword, pistol and several certificates. He was also an elected member of the Indian Legislative Assembly from 1930 to 1934. Besides, Member of Chief Khalsa College, Honorary Magistrate of Rawalpindi stood first class. He was appointed a member of the Bahadur Council of India in 1935 and was sent to England where he became an adviser to the Secretary of State for India in 1940. Sardar Sohan Singh, the second son of Sajhan Singh, was very interested in charitable works and also held the powers of Honorary Magistrate of Pindi and Murree. He had three sons, one of whom was Gurbachan Singh, who was also India’s ambassador to Pakistan, Switzerland and Morocco after independence.

Colonel Sardar Shamsher Singh, son of Sardar Sohan Singh, was married to Princess Balbir Kaur, daughter of the Maharaja of Jund, a rich Indian state. The state of Jind was spread over 3260 square kilometers with an annual revenue of Rs 30 lakhs at that time.

Sajhan Singh Haveli, located in the narrow and dark streets of Bhabra Bazaar, Rawalpindi, seems to tell the story of the greatness of this family. Today, trapped in their own fringes, people may not be interested in who were the occupants of this opulent palace of their time and where did they go. But if you know that the area between Bihara Kahu and the new airport of Islamabad, including the National Assembly of Pakistan, the Prime Minister’s House, the Supreme Court, the Secretariat and foreign embassies, are the owners of this mansion. If you were a resident of K, then you might think for a moment how time flies.

Sajhan Singh Haveli was built sometime in the early 19th century but its reconstruction started in 1890 when Sajhan Singh hired renowned architects of India to transform his ancestral home into a magnificent palace. Its reconstruction was completed in 1893. Its inaugural plaque was installed on the mansion, which was sold for scrap in 1990.

This mansion has two periods. For 54 years from 1893 to 1947, it was used by the Sajhan Singh family, while the second period was from 1947 to 1982 when the mansion was allotted to the refugees from Kashmir and more than 40 families lived here. Even today, the place where the mansion was built offers a beautiful view of the entire city and Islamabad.

In the past, when the city was small, its residents would have seen the most fascinating view of the hills of Margalla and Murree from the nooks and crannies of the mansions. The mansion was surrounded by gardens and when it was built, it was the first building in the city to use Nanak Shahi bricks.

Old people of the area say that gold was also used in the construction of the mansion and the walls were engraved with gold. The occupants of the mansion used gold and silver utensils and had lavish furniture. Peacocks danced in the courtyard and lions were tied up in the porches. In the evening, melodious music was heard from the mansion. The doors, roofs and chawbars had highly ornate woodwork. The covered area of ​​the mansion is 24,000 square feet, which is about twenty-five kanals in today’s terms.

The iron and iron sheets and copper used in the construction of the mansion were procured from Britain. In 1937, electricity was also installed in this mansion.

The gate of the mansion opens into a street with mansions on either side. A mansion is also found above the street. The residents of the mansion used to live on one side of it and their employees on the other side. There is also a well in the old part with baths built next to it.

The verandah gate of the mansion is in the style of the gates of the fort, with very beautiful floral designs and ivory carvings. While entering, there is another veranda with rooms on the sides and in front is a courtyard with fountains. The expert painters of that period painted various artworks on the walls along with the pictures of the residents of the mansion.

There are rooms all around while stairs on both sides lead to the upper floor. The upper floor has beautiful arches on which the woodwork is visually appealing. There are also verandas towards the courtyard where wrought iron sheds imported from Italy are used to protect from the sun. While on the upper floor there are rooms on both sides from where the view of the entire city and the mountains of Margalla can be seen. It seems that the Sajhan Singh family used to have evening parties here. Apart from this, music was played and social and religious events were held here.

The doors, windows and crevices of the mansion are still highly decorated and perhaps there is no craftsman in this period who could do such fine work with such finesse. The tiles used here were imported from the UK at that time. The furniture was Victorian style and the dinnerware was imported from China. When there were lights in this four storied mansion in the evening, 45 rooms of the mansion would light up and people would come from far and wide to see the sight of this mansion.

The Sajhan Singh family not only spent their wealth in the construction of this magnificent palace but also built other buildings of public interest in the city. According to Rawalpindi Gazetteer 1910, in 1883 Sajhan Singh also built Massey Market. Bagh Sardar was also built by Sajhan Singh where there were gardens, lawns and twelve rivers. Apart from this, a Gurdwara, a marriage hall, a museum and the Hardit Singh Library were built. Massey Gate was also built by Sajhan Singh in memory of Brigadier General John Massey at a cost of Rs.

Sajhan Singh along with his uncle Kirpal Singh also founded the Lansdowne Institute in 1890 at Mall Road Rawalpindi. Where there were theaters and auditoriums for dance, there were also accommodation and food facilities for artists. Lord Lanes Downey was the Viceroy of India from 1888 to 1894.

About Sajhan Singh, Aziz Malik writes on pages 195-96 of his book Rawal Des, ‘Sardar Sajhan Singh’s children were not female. He was inherited by his daughter’s two sons, Sardar Sardar Mohan Singh and Sardar Sohan Singh. His wealth and property were such that even without a standing state, he was not considered less than a Maharaja. Masturat of their house used to go out wearing burqa to attend marriages and deaths. When Sardar Sohan Singh went to England for sightseeing, his beard case etc. were wiped clean.

‘Around 1936 one of his sons was married to the daughter of Maharaja Jund. The celebration lasted for several days and more wine than water was poured. A feast of distinguished guests was parted at Lubinsdown Gardens. In this too, Nau Noosh’s enthusiasm remained warm. One of his sons died in England, so he bought a plane to bring the body here and after Kriya Karam, the plane was also burnt! These were Amiri’s Chonchle and Shahana Thatbat.

Shahzada Kothi was the residence of these noble brothers. I have seen their bar room and library with my own eyes. When the family fled to Delhi during the partition riots, hundreds of bottles of muskrat (narcotic substance) and thousands of books were strewn around the house. But their secret treasure was kept in a wall of the building. At the beginning of 48 there was an official level discussion between the two governments, Sardar Mohan Singh came to Pindi by plane and the then IG of Police Khan Qurban Ali Khan brought out the treasure under his supervision on the instructions of Mohan Singh. Handed over to.

It is recorded on page 40 of Rawalpindi’s Yadeen, published 2017 by Hussain Ahmed Khan, that ‘Sajhan Singh’s grandsons Sardar Sohan Singh and Sardar Mohan Singh’s Prince Kothi was also used as a Presidency for some time after Pakistan became Pakistan, while later Fatima Jinnah University was established. Its occupants were called Rais-e-Azam and the Bagh Sardaran area is also a memorial to him where a six-acre library and park were built, including a clock tower that chimed every hour.

“But ironically, during the Kashmir Jihad, tribals were stationed here who used to target the clock tower due to which it was destroyed.”

Sajhan Singh also had two cinemas in the city named ‘Rose’ and ‘New Rose’. Hafiz Abdul Rasheed, an elderly person of Rawalpindi, writes in his memoirs that ‘Among the non-Muslim personalities of Rawalpindi, Sajhan Singh, the garden chief, also had a noble character. Four horse carriages and wagons were the way of life of the state. He was an unbiased and unbiased man. Hindus treated Muslims with equal compassion. In their weddings, the Muslim noblemen Noon, Toane, Doultane, Hotane all participated like real brothers and for months the atmosphere of Rawalpindi was filled with various kinds of sports spectacles and dances.

The old library on Nehru Road was also built by Sajhan Singh, where there were many rare books. Daily newspapers and magazines were frequent. Entering the library, one felt that we had entered a school that belonged to the ancient world. There was a charm and wonder in its atmosphere, but it is a pity that it was destroyed brick by brick, which is the death knell on the forehead of Rawalpindi.’

I stand in front of Sajhan Singh Haveli and think how there were noble people who lived in neighborhoods but built inns in public interest, built libraries, museums, public gates, inns, schools and hospitals. How much time has changed, even today, rich people like Sajhan Singh live in this city, who build luxurious palaces for themselves, but like Sajhan Singh, they do not do any work for the public interest. If time has forgotten Sajhan Singh, then these people are also dust.