1863 Yasin massacre
| 1863 Yasin massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Yasin Valley (present-day Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan) |
| Date | Spring 1863 |
| Target | Yasini Yashkuns |
Attack type | mass murder, mass rape, immolation, plundering |
| Deaths | 1,200–2,000 (in initial massacre)[1][2] |
| Perpetrators | |
The Yasin massacre occurred in 1863 at the Yasin Valley (present-day Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan).[3] The invading Dogra army of princely state of Jammu and Kashmir killed over two thousand Yashkuns and enslaved several thousands others, many of whom died en route to Kashmir.[4][1][2]
Background
Yasin Valley, located in the northern fringes of present-day Gilgit-Baltistan, is chiefly populated by Burushaski and Khowar speaking Yashkuns. It was a stronghold of Khushwaqt dyansty. The Khushwaqt ruler Gohar Aman had expelled Dogras from Gilgit in 1852 by inflicting a defeat over Dogra commander Bhup Singh who was killed along with 1,200 of his troops. After his death in 1860, maharaja of Kashmir Ranbir Singh sent an army consisting of 9,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry under Zoraweru Singh, Hoshiara Singh, Jawahar Singh and Pashtun mercenaries under Samad Khan Khyberi to avenge the defeat. They were joined by local chiefs, Asmat Khan of Yasin and Isa Bahadur of Punial, who had been resentful of Gohar Aman confiscating their estates.[1][2][5]
Massacre
The Dogra troops reached Yasin in the spring of 1863. Yasinis were taken by surprise and took refuge in Madoori fort in the valley. According to George W. Hayward, who visited the valley in 1870, the Kashmir forces ensured Yasinis of their safety once they had laid down their weapons. But after the capitulation of the fort, the inhabitants were massacred. According to Hayward, 1,200 to 1,400 men, women and children were killed, with another 2,000 being enslaved and taken away to Srinagar and Jammu, several hundreds of whom died of starvation on the way. According to Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner who met the eyewitnesses of the massacre in 1866, over 2,000 people were killed and 3,000 (mostly women) were enslaved and sold in Kashmir. After the massacre villages in Yasin were burnt and laid to waste. Both also narrate incidents of mass rapes.[1][2][6][5] Hayward published an article in The Pioneer on 9 May 1870, in which he claimed that he saw charcoal turned bones where about forty women were burnt alive by Dogra soldiers. He also reported counting skulls of 147 children, in addition to finding 400 sets of skeletal remains at another place, as well as conversing with survivors who lost their relatives. According to Hayward, a number of Yasini women were still concubines of their captors in Srinagar and Jammu. These disclosures reportedly caused embarrassment for Lord Mayo, the then Viceroy of India, who called Hayward's actions as "irresponsible", and a great deal of anger among the Kashmir state officials.[7][6]
References
- ^ a b c d e Dani, Ahmad Hasan (1991) [1989]. "Modern History". History of Northern Areas of Pakistan (2nd ed.). Islamabad: National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Quaid-i-Azam University. pp. 256–258. ISBN 978-969-415-016-1.
- ^ a b c d e f Chohan, Amar Singh (1997). "Geography and History of Gilgit". The Gilgit Agency: 1877–1935. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. pp. 14–16. ISBN 978-81-7156-146-9.
- ^ Hassnain, Fida Muhammad (1974). British Policy Towards Kashmir, 1846–1921: Kashmir in Anglo-Russian Politics. Sterling Publishers. p. 63. OCLC 89978449.
They inflicted losses on the Dogras in Yasin, who had carried a general massacre of men, women and children in the fort of Yasin.
- ^ Saraf, M. Yusuf (1977). "VI. Liberation of Gilgit". Kashmiris Fight For Freedom (1819–1946). Vol. I. Lahore: Ferozsons. p. 252. OCLC 4646571.
This time, the Dogras went in their pursuit and defeated them. Raja Mulk Aman fled to the hills. Women and children remained locked up in the fort and after over-coming the resistance that remained, the Dogras entered the fort and did as they pleased. Many a women were taken prisoners and carried away to Gilgit.
- ^ a b Khan, Masud Ahmad (11 April 2021). "The great massacre at Yasin-1863". The Nation. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
One of the worst massacres in the history of Gilgit-Baltistan took place in Yasin during the attack on the fort as the Sikhs were taking their revenge. A total of 2000 people, including women and children, were slaughtered. Yasin was plundered and burnt and all the cattle were carried off together with some 2000 men and women.
- ^ a b Keay, John (1979). The Gilgit Game: The Explorers of the Western Himalayas, 1865–95. London: Murray. pp. 62–66. ISBN 978-0-7195-3569-7.
After plundering the place Yasin was burnt and all the cattle carried off, together with some 2,000 women and men... most of the women are still in the zenanas of the Dogra leaders and sepoys.
- ^ Hutchison, Robert (2020). The Raja of Harsil: The Legend of Frederick 'Pahari' Wilson. Roli Books Private Limited. p. 377. ISBN 978-93-5194-092-0.
Lord Mayo was sorely embarrassed by these disclosures. He qualified Hayward's action 'irresponsible' and demanded that Rawlinson rein in his protégé.
Further reading
- Leitner, Gottlieb William (1996). "III — War on Yasin and the Massacre of its Inhabitants [1860]". Dardistan in 1866, 1886, and 1893. Asian Educational Services. pp. 95–98. ISBN 978-81-206-1217-4.