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 of Pakistan. Karlal territory borders on both Azad Kashmir and Punjab.

The tribe trace their descent from Sardar Kallar Shah who is believed to have come from southern Afghanistan, and is believed to have been a descendant of Alexander 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 and Abbottabad, they are known as "Sardars" because during the time of the Delhi 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 secular Sunni Muslims. Karlals have a liberal social structure and have accepted inter-marriages with other people, including both Pashtuns and Punjabis. This has led to an ethnic blend within the community, which now constitutes 30% of the population of the district of Abbottabad. They are a Hindko 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 of Gojra in Punjab, derive their ancestors from the Karlals in Abbottabad, Hazara. The account of the 1857 India's First War of Independence also known as the 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 particularly Sheikhs, Jadoons and Awans etc. They were extensively distributed in hilly areas of district Abbottabad 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 like Karachi, Lahore and Abbottabad. Their commonly used family name ``Sardar`` refers to the official title given to the established ancestor of the family ``Karlal Shah`` by Mammluk Sultane Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, or Altamash (1210-1236). Shams-ud-din belonged to the tribe of Ilbari in Turkestan and he considered Karlal Shah (Who was an Afghan and practising the same religion of Islam) 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 at Delhi. This befriended him more with the Sultan at Dehli who let him stay as Sardar of the area. Many of the social habits or customs of karlals are similar to Judaism. They used to practice circumcision of male child on the 8th day of birth, observing Kosher rules in eating which are similar to Jewish 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 many Mosques are decorated with Star 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 of Tanakh, Torah or Old Testament.All such claims need careful investigations. Though in the present times non of them accepts Judaism as their official religion.The only confusing article of their religion is belief in the arrival of Messiah or Meedhi which relates them to Judaism. Interestingly, they do not believe that prophet Muhammad was a Messiah. They say that ``Messiah has to arrive``. The concept of Immam Meedhi among Shia is entirely different story of Meedhi or Messiah. The common belief is that Meedhi or Messiah will appear (A concept of Judaism) and lead them to Temple in Jerusalem or Holy 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 from Jainism with strong influence of Jewish customs and traditions found among many tribes of this area for examle Pathans or Pakhtoons 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 like Muhammad 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 of Dehli Sultanate in 13th century AD.

Notable Karlals

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*"The Punjab Chiefs" by Sir 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