afghanistanKhan. In order to prevent a confrontation with the Barakzais, Timur Shah
continued to honour his father’s agreement with Hajji Jamal Khan, who
remained as wazir, but he bound his family to the royal interest by marry-
ing one of Hajji Jamal’s daughters. When Hajji Jamal died, shortly after
Timur Shah became king, he was succeeded by his second son, Rahimdad
Khan, for Hajji Jamal Khan’s eldest son, Hajji Darwish, had become a Sufi
and renounced worldly ambition (see Chart 3). When Rahimdad proved
unpopular with his tribe, Timur Shah dismissed him and in 1774 appointed
Payinda Khan, the full brother of his Barakzai wife, and bestowed on him
the title of Sarfaraz Khan.
Most of the other high offices of state under Timur Shah, however,
were given to outsiders. Gul Muhammad Khan, Timur’s ’amin al-mulk, or
chief fiscal officer, was head of the Baburis of Baluchistan, a tribe that was
heavily involved in trade with India and had become exceedingly wealthy
as a result. Lutf ‘Ali Khan, Timur’s chief collector of taxes, was a Shi‘a
from Turbat-i Shaikh Jam in Persia, while his religious establishment was
dominated by farsiwans from the Koh Daman, Kohistan and Tagab, mostly
affiliates of Mujadidi tariqas of northern India. His most senior religious
and judicial official, Qazi Faiz Allah, was ‘a Moolah of the obscure clan
of Dowlut Shahee’, most likely a Safi from Tagab. 6 As for the day-to-day
running of the state business, this was in the hands of Qizilbash scribes
and secretaries.
The rebellions of Arsala Khan Mohmand and ‘Abd al-KhaliqDespite moving his capital, Timur Shah still faced challenges from within
his own Saddozai clan. The year before Ahmad Shah died, Shuja‘ Khan,
subadar of Multan and a Maudud Khel Saddozai, was deposed by a Hindu
and in February 1772 the Sikhs took possession of the city. Shuja‘ Khan
appealed to Timur Shah for military assistance to recover his capital and
in late 1774 Timur Shah sent Madad Khan Ishaqzai to assist in the siege of
Multan. The king followed at a more leisurely pace but soon tired of life in a
siege camp and returned to the comfort of Peshawar. During his stay, a plot
was formed to assassinate him and place Timur’s brother, Sikandar Mirza,
on the throne. According to Elphinstone, the instigator of this conspiracy
was Hazrat Mian ‘Omar Baba of Chamkani, the pir who had conferred the
title of Dur-i Durran on Ahmad Shah and had blessed his jihad against
the Marathas and Sikhs.
Exactly why the hazrat turned against Ahmad Shah’s chosen successor
is unclear, but it may be that he was piqued because Timur Shah failed to