Mir Chakar Khan Rind

Baloch has a long and rich history and different from rest of the nations to have martial kind of tribes which have been the beauty of this historic nation. Baloch are also known for their bravery across the world because of its great and brave people who have been the men of war and honor. One of these men of war and honor was Mir Chakar Khan Rind, who was probably one of the most famous and brave leaders Baloch have ever had. Mir Chakar was the first to make Baloch widely known in subcontinent and in rest of the world. His bravery drew the attention of hundreds of historian to have research on his life as well as the bravery and traditional lifestyle of Baloch. 

According to some historians Mir Chakar Rind or Chakar-e-Azum was born in about 1454 but some others

believe that he was born in 1468 in Makuran. He was a king of Rind tribe in the 15th century and has also been considered a folk hero of Baloch. He is also famous for his role in the folk story of Hani and Shay Murid. He became the head of Rind tribe at the age of 18 when his father Mir Shayhak was 80 years old. 

After getting the kingship of Rind tribe, he along with his colleagues decided to go out of Makuran for the search of fertile land as the areas of Makran were barren. Mir Chakar Rind along with almost forty thousand Rinds with thousands of camels and horses laden with goods left Makuran forever. They kept on traveling, eventually, they reached at Khuzdar. After some days rest in Khuzdar, Mir Chakar Rind and his companions started moving towards Kalat’s upper mountains. They fought successfully against the ruling tribes and took hold of a vast area from Khuzdar to Kalat. Mir Chakar along with his caravan entered Bolan passing through hard paths. At last, he reached Dhadar and raised his flag. After couple of years, Mir Chakar shifted his camps from Dhadar to Sevi (Sibi now). But his cousin Mir Meeran Rind settled in Dhadar and established his reign (Sardari) there. Mir Chakar also ruled in Kachchi, before reaching Sibi. After gaining power in the mentioned areas, Mir Chakar settled in Sevi (Sibi) and became the only owner there. He ruled Kalat, Kachchi, and Sevi (Sibi) for forty years. 

Mir Chakar was widely famous for his bravery; he proved his personal valor in 1496, when he traveled to Hirat (Afghanistan) to muster support from Sultan Shah Hussain. He was made to fight a mad elephant and ride a tough horse in Hirat. He succeeded in all these tests though could not get the support. 

According to Justice Mari Mir Chakar Rind was leading an army of 40 thousands soldiers, who were extremely brave and faithful. Sardar Gishkori believed that Chakar Rind’s army was not less than Mogul horde in term of war; however, they were defeated by their own bad decision during warfare. Even Baloch historian consider Rind or Chakarian era as ‘the golden period’ for Baloch, they believe Baloch were in a position to become a powerful nation in the shape of the world. 

Unfortunately, the kingdom of Mir Chakar was short-lived due to 30 years war between Rinds and Lashars. Mir Chakar and Gwahram Lashari, head of Lashari tribe, went to war that caused the death of thousands, including Mir Chakar’s brother Mir Sohrab Khan Rind and Mir Meeran Rind, one of the bravest and devoted commanders of Rind tribe. Chakar was extremely broken with the death of Mir Meeran. 

Unquestionably, there was a time when Rinds and Lashars were living jointly with love and friendliness and stood on the whole for each other to face every hard situation. Before them, Mir Shayhaq (father of Mir Chakar) and Sardar Nodbandag Lashari (son of Lashar Khan and father of Gwahram Lashari) helped each other in every miserable condition till their old ages. But with the passage of time, differences and misunderstanding among Rinds and Lashars got born and they became thirsty of each other’s blood; therefore, the long and unexpected war broke out between them. 

Certainly, the thirty years war and bravery of Rinds and Lashars became a shining but destructive part of Baloch history, which turned ‘the Golden period’ of Baloch into ‘Dark Age’. Today, many believe Rinds’ and Lashars’ 30 years’ war brought about a serious damage for Baloch as a nation since Baloch fought series of wars amongst themselves. The result of these tribal conflicts not only caused large-scale bloodshed but also resulted in their mass migrations; as right after the last war against Lashars, when Lashars were completely crashed by Rinds, Mir Chakar Rind along with his caravan once again started wondering from Sibi to Punjab in about 1511. 

To settle in Multan, he requested for help from Langa Sultan but his request was rejected because of Malik Suhrab Dodai. Thus he couldn’t fully get place to settle in Multan. Later, he joined the first Mogul king ‘Babar’s’ army. After the death of Babar, Humayun became the head of Mogul dynasty. Under the command of his son, Mir Shahdad Khan, Mir Chakar’s forces joined the Mogul army of Emperor Humayun. As a reward, Humayun endowed Chakar and his son ‘Shahdad’ with property (Jagir) including horses, slaves and land in the areas of Multan, Khoshab, and Sahiwal. 

Following the defeat of Mogul dynasty in Delhi by Sher Shah Suri’s forces, Humayun went exile in Persia in about 1539. After the death of Sher Shah Suri, Suris, under the command of Saleem Shah Suri, were defeated in 1555 and Humayun regained his dynasty in Delhi. Mir Shahdad, son of Mir Chakar, supported Humayun in the war against Suri. In this war, the exemplary roles and bravery of Banadi, sister of Mir Chakar, and rest of the Rinds are still remembered to thousands. They played an enormous role by supporting Humayun in gaining his dynasty. As a result of these victories, Humayun gave land to Mir Chakar and his son, Mir Shahdad, in the close proximity of Delhi. Many Baloch settled in Farakh Nagar and Bahadur Gharh, but Mir Chakar himself settled in Sathgharh (Sahiwal district) and gained power and respect there. 

It is said that Mir Chakar ruled Sathghara until he died in about 1565. The companions of Mir Chakar constructed a tomb for his body in Sathghara. No doubt, Mir Chakar has been held responsible for the backwardness and destruction of Baloch as a nation because of his bad decisions especially in term of warfare; but the name and popularity that he has given to Baloch can never be ignored. In his era, Balochi oral literature reached its highest peak. Chakar has been considered among the greatest personalities of 15th and 16th centuries. He will remain be alive for his bravery and ‘Bahoti’ in the hearts of thousands.