His Highness Sir Shuja ul-Mulk KCIE (1 January 1881 – 13 October 1936) was the Ruler (from Persian: مهتر) of the State of Chitral,[1][2][3][4][5][6] and reigned it for 41 years until his death in 1936.

[43] When Mehtar Aman ul-Mulk died in 1892, a long war of succession broke out between his sons,[44] with Umra Khan of Jandol and Sher Afzul in the background,[45] which lasted three years.

Afzal promptly seized all the arms and treasure in the fort of Chitral, and proclaimed himself Mehtar,[48] and then proceeded to murder his brothers whom he saw as potential contenders to the throne.

[49][50] Meanwhile, he also addressed letters to the Viceroy of India and to the British Foreign Secretary, announcing the death of his father, and his own accession to the Mehtarship, with the consent of the people and of his brothers.

[51] However, after a reign of just a few months he was killed by his uncle Sher Afzul, who coming up stealthily from Kabul, attacked the fort by night and slew him.

[55] The stimulated Amir, sent a deputation to Lieutenant Bertrand Gurdon, then Resident Political Officer in Chitral, asking to be recognised as Mehtar, but was told that the orders of the British Government must be awaited.

[58] Their purpose was to give support to Gurdon, prevent blood spill from engulfing the British officers in Chitral and impede falling of the Mehtarship into hostile hands.

[59] Shuja ul-Mulk at age 12 appeared intelligent, took keen interest in all matters of state and was said to have a natural kingliness of manner, with a sedative gravity.

Thus at a durbar on 2 March 1895, Sir George declared that subject to the approval of the Government of India, Shuja ul-Mulk was recognised as Mehtar.

[63] On 4 March the enemy closed in around the fort and the siege began, with the Chitralis compelled to join Sher Afzul for well-founded fear for their families' well-being.

Thus increasing the urgency to act and necessitating the simultaneous involvement of Colonel James Graves Kelly, commanding the 32nd Sikh Pioneers Gilgit to march to the relief from the north.

[74][75][76] The Division under Sir Robert Low consisting of 15,000 troops,[77][78] assembled into three infantry brigades,[79] and with some 30,000 mules, horses and camels had by this time marched over the Malakand Pass into Swat and Dir.

[89] Following the relief of Chitral and coronation of Shuja ul-Mulk as Mehtar, the question of future policy confronted the Government of India.

As far as Shuja was concerned, a sudden pull out by the British would create a power vacuum and set the stage for further belligerence in the state of which he had just assumed rulership.

Theoretically the whole property of the country belonged to him, and in more than theory, he actually disposed of the persons and possessions of his subjects.As Mehtar, he was supreme in judicial, legislative as well as in executive authority.

[110] On the invitation of the British, Shuja ul-Mulk in 1903, collaborated to create the Chitral Scouts,[111] a native force which could serve in the defence of the land.

During his visit in 1899 to India he took up his plea with Viceroy Lord Curzon and persisted in his demand until the Government handed over Mastuj and Laspur to him under an agreement on 13 May 1914.

[141] Shuja ul-Mulk's requests after having been given the fullest of considerations could not be acceded to as acknowledging his reversionary interest in these districts could potentially lead to conflict between Chitral and Kashmir.

[163][161] In 1911 Shuja ordered Mirza Muhammad Ghufran to write a book documenting the history of Chitral for which he received considerable tracts of land in different parts of the state.

[165][166] In 1919, in recognition of his loyalty and services during the recently concluded Third Anglo-Afghan War, Shuja ul-Mulk was granted a personal salute of 11-guns,[167][168] along with a Knighthood by being appointed Knight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire,[169][170] with the title of His Highness following in 1920.

He went on to visit Indore, Bombay before arriving at Jammu where he was received at a formal Durbar by the Maharaja of Kashmir Pratap Singh and treated as a state guest.

Shuja also visited the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College at Dehradun where he enrolled his younger sons for private education.

[193] Following his accession Shuja ul-Mulk, guided by his mother and the Commissioned Indian Officers, began introducing widespread and comprehensive reforms.

[196] Other minerals extracted included orpiment, silver, lead, antimony, crystallised quartz, iron ore, copper and potassium nitrate.

A fraction of the cannabis and opium shipments were consumed in Chitral with the bulk being sold in markets as far afield as Kabul, Peshawar, Lahore and Bombay.

It is said that Shuja spent his early evenings on the telephone relaying and relieving messages from distant administrative units of the state to keep himself abreast.

[235] Conforming to generation old tradition, Shuja ul-Mulk would have his afternoon and evening meals at a gathering attended by nobles and elders called the Mahraka.

His daughter was married to Naqibzada Pir Sayyid Jamal ud-din Al-Gilani, a direct descendant of Abdul Qadir Gilani, patronym of the Qadiriyya order.

Perceiving this as an omen of insurrection Shuja gave the orders to forcibly convert Ismailis to Sunnis, thus leading to even wider unrest.

[246][247][248][249] Describing him in 1937, Bertrand Gurdon wrote,"Shuja ul-Mulk was a devout Sunni, and made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1924, but bigotry and fanaticism found little place in his character.