- Karlal
Karlal (also known as "Kard'al", "Karaal", "Karhral", or "Kiraal") is a tribe found in the Abbottabad and Haripur districts of the
North-West Frontier Province ofPakistan . Karlal territory borders on bothAzad Kashmir and Punjab.The tribe trace their descent from Sardar
Kallar Shah who is believed to have come from southernAfghanistan , and is believed to have been a descendant ofAlexander the Great . The various names of the tribe are derived from the name "karal" or "karaak" which means strength, bitter or straightforward, signifying the military character of the person. In Haripur andAbbottabad , they are known as "Sardar s" because during the time of theDelhi Sultanate (1206-1296) they became the sardars (meaning leaders) of this area. Although the Sardari-System is now obsolete, the name prevails due to extensive usage by local peoples, including other tribes who prefer to refer Karlals as sardars. The majority of the people of the Karlal tribe are secularSunni Muslim s. Karlals have a liberal social structure and have accepted inter-marriages with other people, including bothPashtun s and Punjabis. This has led to an ethnic blend within the community, which now constitutes 30% of the population of the district ofAbbottabad . They are aHindko speaking tribe.According to the District Gazetteers of
Rawalpindi and Hazara written jointly by the respective Deputy Commissioners of the above areas, the tribe Kharral ofGojra in Punjab, derive their ancestors from the Karlals in Abbottabad, Hazara. The account of the 1857India's First War of Independence also known asthe Indian Mutiny clearly establishes strong cooperation and connectivity between the two tribes linking them to the common ancestor with the assumption that the Kharrals of Gojra and Karlals of Abbottabad are actually the one and the same tribe.Origins
The origins of the Karlal are mentioned both in the census reports of Ibbetson and Rose as well as in the district Gazetteer - compiled during British rule/
Karlals does not have a
Hindu origin like some other tribes of this area particularlySheikhs ,Jadoons and Awans etc. They were extensively distributed in hilly areas of districtAbbottabad known as Gillies or Gilyat. After independence of Pakistan from British rule in 1947,they migrated to many urban areas and started living in cities likeKarachi ,Lahore andAbbottabad . Their commonly used family name ``Sardar`` refers to the official title given to the established ancestor of the family ``Karlal Shah`` by Mammluk SultaneShams-ud-din Iltutmish, or Altamash (1210-1236). Shams-ud-din belonged to the tribe of Ilbari inTurkestan and he considered Karlal Shah (Who was an Afghan and practising the same religion ofIslam ) a natural ally to be appointed as a ``Sardar`` or military leader of this unruly area. Karlal Shah effectively subdued local tribes eventually winning their loyalty to the sultan atDelhi . This befriended him more with the Sultan atDehli who let him stay as Sardar of the area. Many of the social habits or customs of karlals are similar toJudaism . They used to practice circumcision of male child on the 8th day of birth, observingKosher rules in eating which are similar toJewish faith. They never eat blood or anything which is polluted with blood.Star of David can be amply found in their houses, so much so manyMosques are decorated withStar of David . Legends which are widely held by many of those who claim to have knowledge of the history of the origin of this tribe says that they are children of Ishaq (Ishac of Torah or Tanakh and Jakoob (Jacob ofTanakh, Torah or Old Testament .All such claims need careful investigations. Though in the present times non of them acceptsJudaism as their official religion.The only confusing article of their religion is belief in the arrival ofMessiah orMeedhi which relates them toJudaism . Interestingly, they do not believe that prophetMuhammad was a Messiah. They say that ``Messiah has to arrive``. The concept of Immam Meedhi amongShia is entirely different story of Meedhi or Messiah. The common belief is that Meedhi orMessiah will appear (A concept of Judaism) and lead them toTemple in Jerusalem orHoly Temple to establish a universal empire where there will be no evil and injustice and this emipre will last for thousands of years.They also believe that before the end days(Dooms Day)this universal empire will end. In public practice they are mostly secular Sunnis. Their conversion to Islam dates back to 8th century AD. They probably might have converted fromJainism with strong influence of Jewish customs and traditions found among many tribes of this area for examlePathans orPakhtoons who also have similar social habits. Names like Adam,Jacob ,Cain or Kala ,Azar or Izhar , Jaswick, are still common among the older generation which points strongly of biblical influences. Present day trend is more oriented towards Arabic names likeMuhammad with its thousands of combinations, Noor-ul-Haq, Rizwan-ul-Haq, Razaq, Haleem, Kareem etc. The most interseting aspect of their names is that usually they use ``Sardar `` as a family name. Which was just an official title in the times ofDehli Sultanate in 13th century AD.Notable Karlals
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*"The Punjab Chiefs" bySir Lepel H. Griffin
*Tareekh-E-Frishta
*Tareekh-E-Hazara by Badhar Khan
*Tareekh-E-Bani Aees by Sardar Iqbal Khan
*Tareekh-E-Karlal by Nasir Khan Karlal
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