He was the younger son of the Khan of Jandol who were a Tarkalani[a] ruling class; but he killed his elder brother, seized the throne, and made himself a power on the frontier.

[5] In 1894 he held undisputed sway over almost the whole of Bajour, when his restless ambition caused him to interfere in the internal affairs of Chitral.

The Government of British India intervened and ordered Umra Khan to leave Chitral.

When he refused, the Chitral Expedition was despatched; Umra Khan was driven into exile in Afghanistan, and died there in 1904.

[5][8][9][10][11] He is declared as The Afghan Napoleon by Winston Churchill in his book titled the Malakand Field Force.