Umra Khan

Who was Umra Khan?

Khan Umra Khan Mast Khel of Jandul name,"Napoleon of Pathans", was a Pashtun chief on the north-western frontier of British India, who was chiefly responsible for the Chitral Expedition of 1895. He was the younger son of the khan of Jandul; but he killed his elder brother, seized the throne, and made himself a power on the frontier.

In 1894 he held undisputed sway over almost the whole of Bajour, when his restless ambition caused him to interfere in the internal affairs of Chitral. He instigated Afzal-ul-Mulk, a half-witted brother of the Chitral chief, to murder his brother Nizam-ul-Mulk, and then threw over the fratricide and supported the claims of his uncle Sher Afzul to the throne. The government of British India intervened and ordered Umra Khan to leave Chitral. When he refused, the Chitral Expedition was despatched; Umra Khan was driven into exile in Afghanistan, and died there in 1903.