Anglo-Baloch wars
| Anglo-Baloch wars | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| British Empire | Independent Baloch tribes, including the Marri and Bugti | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Thousands of Baloch and allies | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | ||||||||
The Anglo-Baloch wars were three major military conflicts between the Marri Baloch tribesmen and the British Empire in the independent eastern Baloch tribal belt (now in the north-eastern region of Balochistan, Pakistan). These wars took place in the 19th and 20th centuries, specifically in 1840, 1880, and 1917.
During these wars, battles were fought mostly in the mountainous tribal areas of Kohistan-e-Marri and adjacent localities, now under the administrative control of Kohlu, Sibi, Bolan, Barkhan, Nasirabad, and Dera Bugti districts of the Baluchistan province.
First Anglo-Baloch war: 1840
Context
By the 1840s, the Baloch had almost lost their national identity after the martyrdom of Mir Mehrab Khan, a Baloch ruler. The subsequent British suzerainty over Kalat State also reduced the Baloch national identity.[1][page needed]
Cause
The negative relations between the Marri people and the British started in 1840 due to attacks made on the communications of Sir John Keane's army after it had passed through the Bolan Pass.[2] In March 1840, Sir John Keane decided that there was a dire need to capture the Kahan and its fort from the Marri tribesmen.[3][page needed]
Battles of Kahan
A punitive expedition against the Marri was launched by the British Army, which ended in failure. Major Claiborne was repulsed in an attempt to storm the Naffusak Pass, losing 179 of his troops, with an additional 92 wounded out of his force of 650 troops. Many of his troops died of heat and dehydration. The fort of Kahan was forced to capitulate with the honors of war.[2]
Aftermath
The First Anglo-Baloch war proved to be a disastrous campaign for the British overall. Although they held the fort of Kahan throughout the campaign, the British forces were unable to establish a proper safe passage to Kahan and continue reinforcing the Kahan Regiment with resources. The Marri tribesmen faced no such difficulties in their chain of supplies to the area as they were native to the region and were well aware of the hilly terrain.
Second Anglo-Baloch war: 1880
In 1880, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, Marri tribesmen made frequent raids on the British line of communications, ending with the plunder of a treasure convoy. A force of 3,070 British troops under Brigadier-General Macgregor marched through the country.[2]
Third Anglo-Baloch war: 1917
During World War I, British forces were facing a shortage of recruits and started a campaign to enlist the Marri, who ultimately refused to join the British ranks. As a result, clashes broke out in large areas of the Marri land. These actions lasted for many months under the leadership of General Mir Khuda e Dad Khan Marri. Ultimately Mir Khudaidad Khan Marri was killed with two of his younger brothers. Despite this, they still refused to send their youth to join the war.[1][page needed]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Marri (1989).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chisholm (1911), p. 753.
- ↑ Williams (1886).
Bibliography
- Bakhsh Marri, Mir Khuda (1977). Search Lights on Baluches & Baluchistan. Quetta: Gosha-e-Adab Publications. Unknown parameter
|orig-date=ignored (help) Search this book on
Author was a chief justice of the Balochistan High Court. - Bruce, Richard Isaac (1900). The Forward Policy and Its Results: Or, Thirty-five Years' Work Amongst the Tribes on Our North-western Frontier of India. London / New York / Bombay: Longmans, Green & Co. – via Open Library. Search this book on
- Marri, Munir Ahmed (1989). Balochistan Siyasi Kashmakash mudhamirat w rujhanaat [Baluchistan: Political Struggle]. Quetta: Gosha-e-Adab Publications. Search this book on Author was a lawyer and later a district, sessions, and monitoring judge at the High Court of Balochistan.
- Williams, Charles Reynolds (1886). Defence of Kahun: A Forgotten Episode of the First Afghan War, Being a Narrative Compiled From a Journal Kept During the Siege, and From Original Letters. London: W. H. Allen & Co. – via Google Books. Search this book on
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 753.
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