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CHITRAL , a native See also:state in the See also:North-See also:West Frontier See also:Province of See also:India. The state of Chitral (see also See also:HINDU KusH) is some-what larger than See also:Wales, and supports a See also:population of about 35,000 rough, See also:hardy hillmen. Previous estimates put the number far higher, but as the Mehtar assesses his fighting strength at
8000 only, this number is probably not far wrong. Both the state and its See also:capital are called Chitral, the latter being situated about 47 M. from the See also:main See also:watershed of the range of the Hindu Kush, which divides the See also:waters flowing down to India from those which take their way into the See also:Oxus. Chitral is an important state because of its situation at the extremity of the See also:country over which the See also:government of India exerts its See also:influence, and for some years before 1895 it had been the See also:object of the policy of the government of India to See also:control the See also:external affairs of Chitral in a direction friendly to See also:British interests, to secure an effective guardianship over its See also:northern passes, and to keep See also:watch over what goes on beyond these passes. This policy resulted in a British agency being established at See also:Gilgit (See also:Kashmir territory), with a subordinate agency in Chitral, the latter being usually stationed at Mastuj (65 m. nearer to Gilgit than the Chitral capital), and occasional visits being paid to the capital. Chitral can be reached either by the See also:long circuitous route from Gilgit, involving 200 M. of See also: The See also:town of Chitral (pop. in 1901, 8128), is chiefly famous for a See also:siege which it sustained in the See also:spring of 1895. Owing to complications arising from the demarcation of the boundary of See also:Afghanistan which was being carried out at that See also:time, and the ambitious projects of Umra See also:Khan, chief of Jandol, which was a See also:tool in the hands of Sher Afzul, a See also:political refugee from Chitral supported by the See also:amir at See also:Kabul, the mehtar (or ruler) of Chitral was murdered, and a small British and See also:Sikh See also:garrison subsequently besieged in the fort. A large force of Afghan troops was at that time in the Chitral See also:river valley to the See also:south of Chitral, nominally holding the Kafirs in check during the progress of boundary demarcation. It is considered probable that some of them assisted the Chitralis in the siege. The position of the political See also:agent Dr See also:Robertson (afterwards See also:Sir See also:George Robertson) and his military force of 543 men (of whom 137 were non-combatants) was at one time See also:critical. Two forces were organized for the See also:relief. One was under Sir R. See also:Low, with 15,00c men, who advanced by way of the Malakand pass, the Swat river and See also:Dir. The other, which was the first to reach Chitral, was under See also:Colonel See also:Kelly, commanding the 32nd Pioneers, who was placed in command of all the troops in the Gilgit district, numbering about 600 all told, with two guns, and instructed to advance by the Shandur pass and Mastuj. This force encountered See also:great difficulties owing to the deep See also:snow on the pass (12,230 ft. high), but it easily defeated the Chitrali force opposed to it and relieved Chitral on the loth of See also:April, the siege having begun on the 4th of See also: The troops in Swat were also concentrated at Chakdara and reduced in strength. The mehtar, Shuja-ul-Mulk, who was installed in See also:September 1895, visited the See also:Delhi See also:durbar in See also:January 1903. See Sir George Robertson, Chitral (1898). (T. H. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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