Of all the people who have time and again – over the centuries - attacked and wished to rule Lahore, no other people can outdo what the Gakhars of the Potohar Plateau did. They took over Lahore an amazing 24 times. Unbelievable as this may sound, the fact is that history researchers and scholars tend to concentrate on the big name, the major Empire houses – the Ghazni, the Mamluks, the Tughluqs, the Mughals, the Sikhs and the British.

There is even mention of those who ruled for a few months, like the Marathas. But we all seem to ignore the amazing fighting ability of the Gakhars. As one goes through different historical discourses of Lahore, or the Punjab or the western sub-continent, we see minor mention of the Gakhars. But a broader detailed view of these amazing warriors brings forth the question: Were the Gakhars a patriotic tribe opposed to foreign invaders or were they merely a fighting opportunistic tribe looking for a chance to rule. We will first go through some of their important events.

The first major mention of the Gakhars of the Potohar is when 30,000 horsemen supported the Hindu Shahi rulers of Lahore against the Turko-Afghan invader Mahmud. For them it was an act of patriotism against foreign invaders. At Chhach near Hazro in 1008 AD the invaders faced the Gakhars. The Turko-Afghan invaders faced these warriors who formed smaller groups with long-range bows and arrows, and once the enemy began to fall back these horsemen would fiercely attack. Mahmud decided to hold his ground, and at one point, for the very first time, even pondered to withdraw. The Gakhars attacked and killed thousands of invaders. But then a rare event happened in which the lead elephant of the Lahore ruler Anandpal panicked and created confusion. Muhmad attacked and took advantage. In this battle over 3,000 Gakhars were killed. After fighting on different fronts ultimately Mahmud reached Lahore in 1021 AD and decided to decimate it completely. The Hindu Shahi empire ceased to exist from this point onward. By this time the Gakhars withdrew to their Potohar homeland.

In 1182, Mohammad Ghori after plundering Lahore moved towards Ghazni and three years later attacked and plundered Sialkot. He then moved to decimate Lahore. The ruler Khusrau Malik immediately sought the assistance of the Gakhars, and they managed to ward off the threat. Once the Gakhars returned to their Potohar homes the forces of Ghori returned and in 1186 AD took over Lahore.

The Afghans then set about trying to eliminate the Gakhars. In 1205 AD, the Gakhars rebelled and in return Ghori’s general Qutbuddin Aibak decided to raise a massive force. He surrounded the Gakhars, and a massive killing spree took place. In the markets of Lahore, ‘Ghakkar slaves’ were being sold for “five Gakhars for one dinar”. Not one to give in so easily a few Gakhars swam in the river Jhelum near Bhera, and as Ghori was praying in his tent, they assassinated him. After this event the Gakhars all returned to their remote homes and kept a low profile. But this was not for long. By this time the Gakhars set off on a long campaign to become the rulers of Lahore. In 1342 AD, they made a massive kill by murdering the Lahore Governor, Tatar Khan. So it was that Sheikha Ghakkar captured Lahore and became its ruler. But then he fought a continuous battle with Sarang Khan. In the battle at Samuthla the Gakhars were defeated, and Adil Khan became the ruler of Lahore.

In 1398, Amir Taimur, better known as Taimurlane the Turco-Mongol, invaded India and as he headed to Delhi he decided to first capture Lahore. The forces of Jasrat Ghakkar confronted him but were decimated. Jasrat decided that it was wiser to head back home to join his father, Sheikha. As Taimur headed towards Delhi, he left a trail of killings. Lahore was completely decimated with corpses lying in the streets. The Mongol had ordered that all living beings be killed and the entire Punjab countryside lay barren. The famous saying about Lahore of that era is that “nothing but owls remained”.

At this point Sheikha Ghakkar and his son Jasrat decided to return to take over an empty Lahore. For three years they tried to rehabilitate the city, only for Taimur to suddenly appear with a huge army surrounding the city. Both father and son were captured. The Mongol beheaded Sheikha on the banks of the Ravi outside Mori Gate but decided to take Jasrat back to Samarkand as a prisoner. Once in Samarkand the clever Potohar warrior managed to escape and returned home. There he collected an army of 14,000 horsemen, whom he trained in the Mongol strategy of rapid movement along with beheading all opposition. He quickly took Sialkot and joining hands with Khizr Khan recaptured Lahore. The Sayyed rulers of Delhi came to dislodge him and then a series of battles followed. With the forces of Mubarak Shah at least 20 battles took place and Jasrat captured and lost Lahore nine times. In total, the Ghakkar father and son combine captured and lost Lahore 24 times, with over half the times the city was completely emptied.

Once Jasrat Ghakkar decided that his horsemen with their rapid speed could not overcome the huge royal forces, he returned to his Potohar hills. There is no evidence about what happened to this Ghakkar family afterwards.

Once the Mughal rule began to fade, we know that in 1740 the Ghakkar chief Muqarrab Khan conquered the cities of Gujrat and Jhelum. As Sikh power increased, the Bhangi chief Milka Singh in 1765 forced him to give up Gujrat. By 1818 the forces of Ranjit Singh took over all his towns and left them alone in their Potohar dwellings. But just how should one judge the Gakhars, a tribe with an urge to rule Lahore, a people who have always been a free people.

History books written by people who essentially represent the interests of foreign invaders depict them as an opportunistic tribe. Some even depict them as ‘looters.’ The point is that all foreign invaders were looters. We know that the Sikhs Misls all thrived by looting the looters. The Sikh tactics were learnt from the Gakhars, who in turn picked up their ‘speed and kill’ tactics from the Mongols.

We know that when the Lahore Hindu Shahi rulers tried to halt the looting Afghans, it was the Gakhars who assisted in no small measure. All through times that followed they opposed foreign invaders. That they finally wanted to rule Lahore makes sense, for in their place were foreign invaders who did so.

One of the most amazing aspect of the Gakhars is that all rulers, even Mahmud the invaders and later Babar the Mughal and even the Sikhs allowed these people relative freedom within their own territory. Today they are part of the larger Punjab of Pakistan. But certainly, more research into their history is called for.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2024