BrandonGreenlee at 22:32, 15 April 2026

2026-04-15T22:32:26Z

New page

{{Short description|Sardar of Jhang from 1747 to 1787}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Inayatullah Khan Sial
| title = [[Sardar]] [[Zamindar]] [[Nawab]]
| succession = [[List of monarchs of Punjab|Sardar of Jhang]]
| predecessor = Walidad Khan Sial
| image =
| successor = Sultan Mahmud Sial
| regent = Shahadat Khan Sial (1747–1751) Diwan Bhawani Das (1751–1787)
| reg-type = [[Vizier|Wazir]]
| father = Bahram Khan Sial
| full name =
| issue = Sultan Mahmud Sial Sahib Khan Sial
| reign = {{Nowrap|1747 – 26 November 1787}}
| birth_date = {{circa|1715}}
| birth_place = [[Jhang|Jhangi Sialan]], [[Sial dynasty|Jhang State]], [[Subah of Lahore|Lahore Subah]], [[Mughal Empire]] (modern-day [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], Pakistan)
| death_place = Jhangi Sialan, Jhang State
| burial_place = [[Tomb of Heer Ranjha|Mai Heer Cemetery]]
| spouse = Fateh Bibi
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1787|11|26|1715|||df=yes}}
| religion = [[Sunni Islam]] ([[Hanafi school|Hanafi]])
| dynasty = [[Sial dynasty|Sial]]
| house = [[Sial (tribe)#|Jalalkhanana]]
}}
'''Inayatullah Khan Sial''' ([[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]: عنایت اللہ خان سیال) was an 18th-century [[Punjabi Muslim]] general and [[Tribal chief|chieftain]] who served as the 14th [[List of monarchs of Punjab|Sardar of Jhang]]. He succeeded his uncle Walidad Khan, who died heirless in 1747 and ruled until his own death in 1787. He was succeeded by his son Sultan Mahmud.

The [[Sial dynasty|Jhang State]] reached its zenith under Inayatullah Khan, who won 22 battles against the [[Bhangi Misl]] and the [[List of monarchs of Punjab|Nawabs of Multan]]. He also retook [[Chiniot]] from the Bhangis, which was lost to them early in his reign.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Our History {{!}} Jhang |url=https://jhang.punjab.gov.pk/our-history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521070826/https://jhang.punjab.gov.pk/our-history |archive-date=21 May 2024 |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=jhang.punjab.gov.pk |language=en |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life==
Little is known about the early life of Inayatullah Khan. He accompanied his uncle Walidad Khan to his expeditions against the chiefs of [[Kheiwa]], [[Sandal Bar]], [[Shorkot]], [[Chiniot]], [[Kamalia]], [[Sahiwal]] and [[Mari Shah Sakhira]]. He married Walidad's daughter and his only child, Fateh Bibi, and from whom he had a son named Sultan Mahmud. He had another son, Sahib Khan, through one of his concubines. He succeeded Walidad Khan after his death in [[Sodhra]] in 1747.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sir Lepel Henry Griffin |first=Charles Francis Massy |url=https://archive.org/details/panjabchiefshis00massgoog/page/n97/mode/1up |title=The Panjab chiefs: historical and biographical notices of the ..., Volume 2 |publisher=Civil and Military Gazette press, 1890 |others=Harvard University |language=English}}</ref>

==Reign==
At the beginning of his rule, he came into conflict with his cousin and brother-in-law Shahadat Khan who was a contender to the throne, but both came to terms, and Shahadat Khan was appointed his Wazir. Differences rose between both of them, and in 1751, Shahadat Khan took up arms against him but was defeated at [[Trimmu Barrage|Trimmu Ghat]]. Inayatullah again confronted Shahadat Khan in [[Sultanpur, Jhelum|Sultanpur]] where he was defeated again and subsequently succumbed to his injuries on 26 July 1751.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/tareekh-e-jhang-bilal-zubairi-unknown-author-ebooks?pageId=04DFCD58-A12E-4164-A151-2C2F70A43898&targetId=&bookmarkType=&referer=&myaction=&websiteId=0&sourceRef=&_ga=2.217084822.1877799436.1739466707-624894984.1737148797 |title=tareekh e jhang|pages=198 |language=en |access-date=2025-02-16}}</ref>

===Offensive against Sials of Rashidpur===
The town of Rashidpur was a Jagir granted to the Sials who shared a common ancestry with Inayatullah through Jalal Khan, the 4th chief of Jhang in the early 17th-century. After the incident of Shahadat Khan, Ahmad Yar Khan of Rashidpur asserted autonomy and tried to break away from the state. Inayatullah Khan, along with Zareef Khan, waged war against Ahmad Yar Khan. Ahmad Yar Khan met Zareef Khan at the gates of Rashidpur. After heavy fighting and the loss of a total 800 men from both sides, a wounded Ahmad Yar Khan surrendered, and Rashidpur was conquered.<ref name=":1" />

Ahmad Yar Khan fled to Multan, where he accepted the suzerainty of Ahmad Shah while a ''[[Bakshi#Indian title|Bakshi]]'' was appointed in Rashidpur. Ahmad Yar Khan, seeking revenge, gathered his kinsmen and secretly came to Rashidpur, where he deceived its Bakshi by hiding the ammunition and canons and forced him to resign. Thus, on 25 July 1754, Ahmad Yar Khan became the first independent Sardar of Rashidpur. To certify his claim, he formed an alliance with the [[Durrani Empire|Durrani]] governor of [[Derajat]] Mahmud Khan Gujjar against Inayatullah Khan.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Punjab Government |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.105607/page/n45/mode/1up?q=Inayatulla |title=Gazetteer Of The Jhang District |date=1883 |pages=}}</ref>

Ahmad Yar Khan, who couldn't intervene in the internal matters of [[Jhang]], sent a delegation to Inayatullah demanding peace and reconciliation between the two Sial factions. Inayatullah thus allowed Ahmad Yar Khan and his men to meet him at Jhang, but just when he was about to welcome them unarmed, Ahmad Yar Khan, along with his men subdued him in his own palace and took him as a prisoner to Rashidpur. He stayed there for 4 months while the administration of Jhang was held by his prime minister, Diwan Bhawani Das. Bhawani Das urged Mahmud Khan Gujjar to intervene in this matter and free Inayatullah Khan. An agreement was made in which Jhang accepted the independence of Rashidpur for the freedom of Inayatullah Khan.<ref name=":1" />

===Confrontation with Khakwani of Multan and Alliance with the Tiwanas===
Just after gaining his freedom, Inayatullah was taken aback as [[Ali Mohammad Khakwani]] of Multan forcibly took [[Mari Shah Sakhira]] and placed Deen Mohammad Khan as its [[Hakim (title)|hakim]]. Inayatullah Khan at once set forth for Mari and fought off Deen Mohammad, who was killed in the ensuing battle. In 1757, Mari was given to Sher Khan Tiwana, the [[Tiwana family of Shahpur|Sardar of Shahpur]] as a requital for annual tribute and as a form of alliance between the [[Tiwana family of Shahpur|Tiwana]] and [[Sial (tribe)|Sial]] families.<ref>{{Cite web |title=District Website |url=https://jhang.dc.lhc.gov.pk/publicpages/HistoryOfDistrict.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208121729/https://jhang.dc.lhc.gov.pk/PublicPages/HistoryOfDistrict.aspx |archive-date=8 December 2023 |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=jhang.dc.lhc.gov.pk |url-status=live }}</ref>

Khakwani, who had foreseen these events, didn't sit quiet and to weaken Inayatullah's dominion won over the Sials of [[Shorkot]] by giving them Jagirs in Multan. As this challenged the local traditions of the Sial tribe, Inayatullah raised an army and left for Shorkot to settle the dispute. Khakwani interpreted this as an invasion and readied his men for an attack. Inayatullah gathered his nearby tribesmen and met Khakwani's forces near Kotla Muhammad Zarif Khan. The fighting pursued for 3 days but at last went in the favour of Inayatullah. Inayatullah then captured Shorkot, Kotla Zarif, Sarai Sidhu, and [[Garh Maharaja]] and gave the won over Jagirs to his loyal tribesmen.<ref name=":1" />

===Campaigns against the Sikhs===
These changes of events did not sit well with Ali Mohammad Khakwani. Khakwani, who wanted to annoy Inayatullah, gave Sikh mercenaries Surat Singh and Ajab Singh a contingent of the Multani army and the administration of Nekokara, a village at the border of Jhang state. Both commanders barged into Sial territories and looted various towns and villages. To deal with the saboteurs, Inayatullah camped at [[Jabboana]] without any supply of men. Surat Singh and Ajab Singh quickly responded by attacking Jabboana, but Inayatullah, with the help from the local populace, defeated the Sikhs. With Ajab Singh killed, Surat Singh fled the battlefield, leaving Nekokara in the hands of the Sials.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Umair Mirza |url=https://archive.org/details/the-rajas-of-the-punjab/page/459/mode/1up?q=Sial |title=The Rajas of The Punjab |date=1873}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

On the other hand, Sher Khan Tiwana rebelled against Inayatullah Khan and contacted [[Maha Singh|Maha Singh Sandhawalia]] of [[Sukerchakia Misl]]. Both of them raised an army of 3,000 men against Inayatullah Khan, who had now allied himself with [[Jhanda Singh Dhillon]] and [[Ganda Singh Dhillon]] of [[Bhangi Misl]]. In the initial skirmishes, Sher Khan routed Inayatullah's forces, but after assembling his forces, Inayatullah defeated Sher Khan and expelled him from Mari Shah Sakhira which was instead given to Muhammad Khan, the [[Khans of Sahiwal|Sardar of Sahiwal]].<ref name=":1" />

In 1782, Desu Singh Dhillon, the successor of Ganda Singh, had vowed to capture [[Chiniot]] after Inayatullah refused to pay him the agreed tribute in 1778 which was in effect since 1765 when Desu Singh's father [[Hari Singh Dhillon]] captured and plundered Chiniot. Inayatullah called upon Anup Singh and Balni Singh, the [[Kiladar|Qiladars]] of Chiniot, and sent a message to [[Nawab Muzaffar Khan]] of Multan for military assistance. Muzaffar Khan, at once, despatched a force under Diwan Singh to Jhang. The combined army then went straight for Chiniot, which was already at that time under the authority of Desu Singh. A fierce battle broke out, but Desu Singh was outclassed and was shot and killed while his forces dispersed and retreated. Inayatullah, victorious, stayed in Chiniot for some time to restore order and then went back to Jhang.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Chhabra |first=G. S. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.29082/page/476/mode/1up |title=Advanced study in History of the Punjab vol.1 |date=1960 |language=English}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Punjab Government |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.105607/page/n44/mode/1up |title=Gazetteer Of The Jhang District |date=1883}}</ref>

===Later campaigns===
The [[Kathia]] sardars of [[Shorkot]] on behalf of the [[Kharal|Kharals]], asked Inayatullah Khan to give the region around [[Kamalia]] to the Kharals. As a matter of goodwill, he granted this land for an annual 1,000 rupees tribute and a gift of 5 horses.<ref name=":3" />

After the death of Noorang Khan Jaskani, the chief of Hyderabad Thall and an officer of the [[Nawabs of Mankera|Nawab of Mankera]] Hayat Khan Jaskani, his three sons; Noor Khan, Sarang Khan and Khushhal Khan, wanted the chieftaincy for themselves. Khushhal Khan went to Jhang for assistance as his brothers expelled him from Hyderabad Thall. Inayatullah Khan himself went to resolve the dispute, and after seeing the vast Jhang army, both the brothers absconded, leaving behind Hyderabad Thall to Inayatullah, who appointed Khushhal Khan as its chief.<ref name=":1" />

The Qiladar of [[Hadali]], Mabara Khan, who was a subordinate of Sher Khan Tiwana, defied his orders and asserted independence. Sher Khan Tiwana asked Inayatullah, who had just reached Jhang from Hyderabad Thall for military backing. Inayatullah cooperated with Sher Khan Tiwana, but Mabara Khan had foreseen these events and presented the keys of Hadali to Inayatullah, who in return gave them to Sher Khan Tiwana for an annual tribute of 2 horses.<ref name=":1" />

[[Ahmadpur Sial Tehsil|Ahmadpur Sial]], a Jagir of Ahmad Sial Rajbana, was under the governance of Multan. The Rajbanas raided Garh Maharaja, which was under the authority of Jhang. Inayatullah first initiated peace talks, but after its failure, camped at Garh Maharaja and then took Ahmadpur Sial without any resistance. He pardoned the Rajbanas but ordered them to give him the same annual tribute which they provided to Multan.<ref name=":1" />

In 1787, Jahan Khan Barakzai, a commander of Emir [[Timur Shah Durrani]], came to Punjab for an inspection of an invasion and was welcomed by Inayatullah to Jhang. He stayed there for a while and then left for Lahore. At the end of his career, Inayatullah gave the Jagir of Uch Gul Imam and an annual pension to a [[Sufism|Sufi]] Saint, Syed Zulf Ali, also known as Shah Gul Muhammad.<ref name=":2" />

==Death==
Inayatullah Khan died on 26 November 1787 (15 [[Safar]] 1202 [[Islamic calendar|AH]]) in his residence in Jhang and was succeeded by his elder son Sultan Mahmud.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" />

==Legacy==
Inayatullah Khan proved to be one of the last effective Muslim chieftains of [[Punjab]] as other regional rulers like [[Muqarrab Khan Gakhar|Muqarrab Khan]] of [[list of rulers of Pothohar plateau|Pothohar]], [[Khans of Sahiwal|Fateh Khan]] of [[Sahiwal]] and [[Nawab Muzaffar Khan|Muzaffar Khan]] of [[Multan]] were defeated by the Sikhs in late 18th or early 19th-century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wikeley |first=J. M. |url=https://archive.org/details/punjabimusalmans00wikeuoft/page/142/mode/1up?q=Sial |title=Punjabi Musalmans |date=n.d. |publisher=Lahore Book House |others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sial, Inayatullah Khan}}

[[Category:1715 births]]
[[Category:1787 deaths]]
[[Category:People from the Subah of Lahore]]
[[Category:Punjabi warriors]]

{{Improve categories|date=February 2025}}

Inayatullah Khan Sial - Revision history

BrandonGreenlee at 22:32, 15 April 2026