The United States announced the exit of its forces from Afghanistan last year in November and the process was expected to complete this year by September 11 — an important date in the recent past that had transformed the geopolitical situation around the globe.

The almost two-decade-long presence and subsequent exit of the US from Afghanistan resonates with the 1842 departure of British forces from the region. The time, space and context are definitely dissimilar to the current situation, but one can, at the cost of sounding anachronistic in ways, infer that history repeated itself.

The 1842 occurrence is narrated in the book Taza Nawa’i Mu’arek: New Songs from the Battlefield — Sindh Afghan Conflicts (1747-1855 AD). Written by Munshi Atta Muhammad Shikarpuri and translated by Suroosh Irfani and the late Dr Nabi Bakhsh Qazi, this is a first-hand account of the ensuing political situation in the regions of Sindh and Afghanistan, with Herat, Qandahar, Kabul, Khairpur and Hyderabad being the main cities where the battles unfold.

As the title indicates, the account is of battles, minor and major, that took place as the British attempted to put Shah Shuja Durrani back on the throne of the Afghan region. The account majorly revolves around the main protagonist Shah Shuja Durrani and his political struggles till he passed away in the year 1842 — in Chapter 75 of the book, having 100 chapters in total.

Therefore, three quarters of the book is about Afghanistan. Sindh stays in the backdrop though, as Shah Shuja was exiled and roamed the landscape of Hind and Sindh, mostly in British controlled territories, on their payroll and under their protection, while having his base in Ludhiana in the region of Punjab and longing for Kabul and Qandahar.

A new translation provides insights for history lovers and academics into 18th and 19th century wars in Sindh, Hind and Afghanistan

The author, Shikarpuri, agreed to the taxing task of writing the book at the behest of English “Alijahs” [overlords]. The Persian text was completed in 1855; the volume under review here has been published by the Endowment Fund Trust for Preservation of the Heritage of Sindh and its efforts to get the book translated into English are mentioned in the publisher’s note.

The Trust must be commended for digging out past gems and having them edited, translated and published for modern scholars and audiences. For this text, Irfani is the primary translator as Dr Qazi — who was approached first and agreed to translate the work — departed for his final abode before he could finish the project.

Irfani provides us with an apt introduction that sets the context, both temporal and geographic, for what is to be expected from this book. The introduction gives detailed information about the author and the role of the munshi, or scribe, and how privileged the position of a man of letters was in that era.

Men of letters and of skill have enjoyed this privilege for quite a long time, as this resonates with the Arab occupation of Sindh in AD 711. Under Umayyad governance, artisans and men of letters were not only spared, but — as narrated in the Chachnama, regarding the policies of Arabs in Sindh — quickly got on the payroll of the new masters.

Written a thousand years after the Arabic manuscript — of which the Chachnama was a Persian translation — in Taza Nawa’i Mu’arek, the stakeholders and major players have changed and the battles now have cannons and gunpowder. War technology has improved and those fighting with swords mostly became the losing side. The British, having the latest technology at their disposal, surely had an upper hand in battles. Many times though, as per the narrator, the sheer valour, courage and the motivation for shahadat [martyrdom] gave the Muslims the upper hand and they won the battles.

The conundrum for the reader/ reviewer, however, is how to un-puzzle things when Muslims were fighting Muslims and how to sift the righteous from the treacherous. Shikarpuri is clear about which side he is on, holding Shah Shuja in the utmost respect and rather vacillating on the Mirs of Khairpur and Hyderabad.

At regular intervals in the book, the British receive criticism for their non-Muslim religious affiliations. The religious morality, duty, importance of valour and courage, etc are invoked throughout and excerpts from the Shahnameh — the Persian epic of Ferdowsi — or the Masnavi of Jalaluddin Rumi aid these sentiments.

There are two main points here; one, on the battles the book must evoke these sentiments and use all the tools at its disposal, may it be verses from the Holy Quran or the epics that talk of valour of the heroes celebrated and long gone.

Second, it points to the literary grasp and erudition of the author. Taza Nawa’i Mu’arek provides a glimpse of a past that was multilingual, multi-ethnic and multi-religious. One comes across mention of Uzbeks and Tajiks, Afghans, Baloch and Sindhis, the Rohillas and the Sikhs all co-existing, albeit waging territorial wars.

The exploits of the wars narrated throughout speak of material possessions in gold and silver, gems — Shah Shuja had to let go of the (in)famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, giving it to Ranjit Singh in order to buy his safe exit to Ludhiana — and daggers of supreme quality, of ivory and silk and of lavish feasts where an array of delicacies were served.

What it does for the reader is paint a picture of a bountiful landscape that did not lack in material possessions, but perhaps lacked in vision: the tribal infighting and insurgencies may have led the British to gain control over the region of the Subcontinent.

The British played their part as apparent benefactors, striking deals and alliances as, by the 18th century, they were already deeply rooted in mainland Hind and wanted to spread their influence westward. They had to exit Afghanistan as even keeping Shah Shuja as their ally did not favour them and their (not so) triumphal exit from Afghanistan was turned into an episode of legitimation, by bringing the so-called gates of the Somnath Temple back to India. Any serious scholar today knows that this act of restoration was for the pomp and reassertion of British might rather than salvaging the temple gates that, to begin with, weren’t even the original gates that Mahmud Ghazni took. Shikarpuri is fairly critical of the episode and rightly so.

Coming to the land of Sindh after the demise of Shah Shuja Durrani, Shikarpuri laments the loss of the (rightful) king. In one chapter towards the end of the book, the author compares Afghanistan with the falcon and Sindh with the crow — a telling comparison to understand the allegiances of the author. But since all writings are subjective, one must read this text in the same vein and not look for objectivity on the grounds that the author has the right to his opinion.

The Mirs of Sindh were changing their allegiances — unlike Shikarpuri — as per the changing political climate of the region. This shift in alliances was bothersome for the author and he spells it out unequivocally in his book. It also becomes apparent that the loss of Afghanistan may have prompted the British to hold steadfast the territories of Sindh.

The book makes note of many names and titles and, of course, numerous battles. Those not interested in the subject will find the writing dry, yet the text also appears to be quite open-minded: war requires money, a lot was spent and it appears that plenty was spent also on indulgences of various kinds, such as wine.

Amorous acts with subsequent moral awakenings are quite widespread in the book. It is quite startling, considering the kind of censoring books undergo today. There is, hence, a lot to gain from the book if read as a first-hand historic account that, although revolving around them, does go beyond battles.

The translator provides footnotes wherever necessary, but it would have aided the reader further if the footnotes also provided a bit more detail of the many characters that enter and exit the plot, because it becomes confusing. This book is for history lovers and serious academics interested in the 18th and 19th century war history of Sindh, Hind and Afghanistan.

The reviewer holds a doctorate in the history of architecture from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, and is assistant professor at the Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi

Taza Nawa’i Mu’arek: New Songs From the
Battlefields — Sindh Afghan Conflicts (1747-1855 AD)
By Munshi Atta Muhammad Shikarpuri
Translated by Suroosh Irfani and Dr Nabi Baksh Qazi
Endowment Fund Trust for Preservation
of the Heritage of Sindh, Karachi
ISBN: 978-9699860294
316pp.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, October 31st, 2021