The Facts about a Diamond
(A comparative study of certain historical events)
The Baloch tradition speaks of a certain diamond that was once in the possession of Ashraf Shah, the Afghan ruler of Iran (1725-1730). He was said to have been battling the Baloch and was killed by Abdullah Khan Baloch, the ruler of Balochistan (1717-1731) and his son-in-law Ibrahim Khan Baloch, the chief of Kharan.
The tradition carries some historical facts if to be compared with the various statements of the contemporary chronicles and writers. The chronological data will suffice the purpose to bring into light the facts which had gone underneath of misrepresentation, distortion and exaggeration. The blemish put on the loyalty of the Baloch, the motives of Ashraf Shah, the number of men he had, his murder and the place of his murder, all had been ignored. Abdullah Khan Baloch, his militant power and his alliance to Nadir Shah (1736-1747) and his political and military activities, all had been either ignored or had gone distortion and misrepresentation by some so-called scholars and commentators, but history will preserve the facts about the men of deeds and "a truth remains a truth".
The above-mentioned tradition was first recorded by the staff of the British Gazetteer office, Quetta, Balochistan. The office was founded in c.188. The record refers to the Sardar or chief, Mir Purdil Khan of Kharan rather than his eldest brother Sardar Mir Ibrahim Khan. It says that Mir Purdil Khan was the one who killed Ashraf Shah Afghan and took the royal diamond out of his baggage. Later he sold it in Sind when he was driven out by the forces of Nadir Shah (1738-39).(SL. Ibid.p-34-35).
The Baloch writer Mir Kamalan Gichki(c.1873) refers to the war between Nadir and the rebel Baloch chiefs, Malik Dinar Gichki of Kech Mekran and Mir Purdil Khan Nosherwani of Kharan. The contemporary Balochi ballads and epics also speak of various battles fought against the commanders of Nadir by the two turbulent chiefs. According to Mir Kamalan Gichki, Mir Purdil Khan was hard pressed by the army of Nadir and made way for Sindh. He returned when Nadir invaded Sind and captured Miyan Sahib. Miyan was the title adopted by the Kalhur rulers of Sind. By Miyan he meant, " Miyan Noor Muhammad"(1719-1753) who received the title of " Khudyar Khan" from the Mughul emperor of India. Mir Kamalan adds that, the Miyan Sahib had seven treasures which contained two diamonds, namely Koh-i-Nur (mountain of illumination) and Koh-i-Tur(Mount Turus). Nadir confiscated all his treasures along with two precious diamonds. Later, he ceded the towns of Kachchi plains as blood compensation for the killing of Amir Abdullah Khan and made it over to Amir Naseer Khan rather to Amir Muhabat Khan. Nadir returned to Herat (SL. 2.21, Bl. P-86-89).
Mir Kamalan in his book 'Kech Nama' (written, 1875) an history of Kech Mekran based on traditions and weak memories, composed in Persian poetic verses, mentions the exploits of the two Baloch chiefs, namely, Malik Dinar and Mir Purdil Khan, in Irani Balochistan up to the borders of Kirman, the former invaded Kasarkand and killed the chief Mir Isa of Kasarkand and advanced to Garmsir around Bampur and disappeared a certain Braho tribe, probably Brakhoi or Brakohi. The latter carried his raids as far as Minab Bandar, close to Hormuz ( Bandar-Abbas). He, also, mentions Taqihan ( Taqi Khan of Fars) and Muhammad Ali Khan( Afshar), sent by Nadir , to deal with the two Baloch chiefs. According to Mir Kamalan, later peace was concluded (c.1740) and Mir Purdil Khan accompanied Nadir on his expedition to Khurasan, Mavar-ul-Nahar ( Turkistan) and back to Isfahan(1741-1744), where he died of smallpox, some say by slow poisoning (Ibid. SL.2.B. p-?).
Abdul Qadir Athir (sic) Shahwani, a latest Baloch writer, gives a somewhat different story of the diamond. He writes that after being defeated in the battle of Khawaja Marat( prob. Mar Khwarat near Isfahan(c.1729), Ashraf Shah escaped and sought asylum Larkana( Sind). He received no favour and being disappointed, he returned to reach his brother(rather uncle) Shah Hussain Ghilzai of Kandahar via Kharan. At the time(1730), Kharan had fallen under the sphere of Nadir(not until1738-39). Mir Purdil Khan got wind of the return of Ashraf Shah and blockaded his routes. Ashraf set his camp at Bun-band stream in Kharan region and next he started with twelve hundred men to reach Soravak(the southern district of Kandahar). He was taken as a captive and was executed when he denined to have any diamond. His bag and baggage were searched and finally the diamond was discovered tied to his arm. It was Koh-i-Nur diamond which was later sold to a Sindhian mercantile by the chief Mir Purdil Khan(1731-1743). In this way, the diamond reached Shah Jahan (the emperor of India) (R.1628-1658???) at Delhi India. SL. 4 Ibid. p-88-90.
The Baloch writer, like certain afghan and Persian writers of his time (20th century A.D), least cares about time and place and chronicle records or documentary proofs. In fact, neither Ashraf reached Sind or Shoravak nor his royal diamond, the so-called Koh-i-Nur reached the emperor Shahjahan, for Shahjahan died(c.1666 and Ashraf Shah was killed in the skirts of Zardkoh(yellow mountain) close to the Garmsir( warm region) of Bampur, not by Mir Purdil Khan but his elder brother, Mir Ibrahim Khan, son-in-law of Mir Abdullah Khan Baloch, ruler of Balochistan(1717-1731) around 1730 A.D.
The second episode by the same author seems to be fabricated; a close kin of the chief, Mir Purdil Khan got offended his brother and went to Panjab where he sold the diamond to the ruler, Ranjit Singh(died 1792). When the British forces defeated the Sikhs of Panjab( c.1849), the diamond fell into the hands of Britishers who carried it to England.
The writer writes about the war between the chief Mir Purdil Khan and the troops of Nadir and finally the conclusion of peace etc,which are somewhat, based on historical facts. SL.4. Ibid.p-92-95.
Muhammad Kazim Marwi, a contemporary writer and secretary of Nadir, gives a vivid description of the political situation in Balochistan at a large and each one of the Baloch chiefs and their territorial and political importance. Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi, the foreign minister of Nadir, also is clear and hones in his descriptions. The descriptions and chronicles of the two Persians may carry minor mistakes and confusions, but these can be removed by comparison and analysis. These two along with Abdul Karim Kashmiri and Shah Muhammad Ali Harzin(1766-1792) often refer to the one man, namely, Abdullah Khan Baloch as "Hamik-i-Balochistan"(ruler of Balochistan). he ruled a vast territory (approx. 22,11,378 Sqm?)from Rampur capital of Derajat (area 50,000 sq.m), in the east upto Bampur(capital of Irani Balochistan)