A leading member of the Meçohysaj clan, Veli was appointed as mutasarrıf of the Sanjak of Delvina after a power struggle with his cousins and brothers regarding the inheritance of his deceased father Muhtar Bey.
Muhtar himself was the son of Mustafa Yussuf from the Gjirokastër region, a notable brigand, warrior and clan chieftain who eventually obtained the title of bey and possibly official recognition as the deputy governor of Tepelena.
Becoming a Bey during this period was the recognition of the hereditary leadership of an individual within a tribe or clan and its fighters, and so upon Muhtar's death, some of his followers and titles went to his son, Veli.
[1] Initially, the Sublime Porte officially recognised Islam Bey by appointing him mutasarrıf of the Sanjak of Delvina in 1752 and granting him the title of Pasha of the two tails.
Additionally, as the third son of Muhtar, Veli could only claim his inheritance in Tepelena by force, and so he attacked the town with his men and burned his brothers alive.