History of Bahawalpur

Bahawalpur was an independent state until the creation of Pakistan 1947. The town of Bwp wasbuilt in about 1780 on an old site. It was Nawab Bahawal khan I (1746 to 1749) who laid the foundation of Baghdad-ul-jadidin 1748 and made it as his capital. His ruling period was nearly 3 years and was entombed in the graveyard of Malook Shah. Historical record shows that before the Sikh rule in Punjab the area of Bwp was much greater. Apart from the entireDera Ghazi khan district. some parts of Sukkur, Multan, Sahiwal and Muzzafargarhdistricts were also included in it.


During its heydays Bwp was patronizing all notable Islamicinstitutions of the subcontinent including Aligarh Muslim University and Dar-ul-Ulms at nadva and deoband. The contribution of the State was not confined to the field of learning alone.During the decline of Mughal rule the state also served as abulwark against the inroads of Sikhs and Rajputs. It was Bwp which became anabode of peace for muslims.


The area that is now Cholistan was snatched along with its desert strongholds from Rajputs by the Abbasids rulers of the State.Had this not been done the history of the subcontinent would have been different.The present main Railway line connecting Karachi and Peshawar passed through this sensitive area called Bahawalpur. Bwp also did not allow Sikhs to cross the Sutlej river. On the birth of Pk the Princely State was the first state to join itand worked as an independent state till 1970. After that Bwp was included as a division in the province of Punjab.


Baghdad to Bahawalpur is the life story of people who have for thepast many centuries have been serving Islam and the Islamic values in thesubcontinent. Credit goes to our team for highlighting the achievements of these people. The web also contains some rare pictures whichhave important bearing on the history and culture of lower Punjab Pakistan.

Various documents given in the web site (www.mybahawalpur.com) brought to you by (Team Bwp) are of great value. Especially the letters of M.A Jinah, Allama Iqbal, Sir Agha khan, Mulana Shibli Naumani,Khawaja Ghulam Farid and others.


The Ruling Family

Bahawalpur state belongs to the ruling family of the Abbaside clan and has directly descended from Hazrat-i-Abbas, the uncle of Holy Prophet (May Peace Of Allah Be Upon Him). Amir of Bwp, Lt. General, His Highness, AlhajSir Sadiq Mohammad Khan V, was the sixtieth in descent from Hazrat-i-Abbas Alamdar.


In 655 A.H. the Abbaside Caliphate at Baghdad was dismembered as result of the invasion of Baghdad by Halaku Khan who ruthlessly ravaged the sanctity of the holy city and mercilessly butchered all the members of the ruling family except one Abbaside prince who could escape the terrible fate only because he was out of the capital at the time of great massacre. He was prince Abdul Qasim Ahmed who fled to Egypt accompanied by about ten of his faithful nobles. At that time the ruler ofegypt was Malik Zahir Rukun-ud-Din who welcomed the fugitive prince and settled him down respectably in Cairo.


In an attempt to reconquer Baghdad in 660 A. H. Prince Abdul Qasim suffered a heavy defeat and was lost in the war. Few of those who returned alive form the battlefield included one Abbaside prince Abul Abbas Al-Hakim, who was direct descendant of the twenty fifth Abbaside Caliph, Al-Mansor-al-fazlal Abbasi and was later installed as the second Abbaside caliph in Egypt.He was followed by fourteen more Abbaside princes and thus the Khilafat continued for another 255 years when, in 945 A. H., the last Caliph of this dynasty, Al-Mutawakkil, died and the Caliphate was diverted to Benu Usman.
Destiny and History of Bahawalpur Pakistan Starts Here


The exodus of the Abbaside nobles of Egypt to India had already started in about 725 A. H., in the reign of Mohammad Tughlak-ben-Ghias-ud-dinIn 767 A. H. (1366 A. D.) Amir Sultan Ahmed II Abbasi fifth in direct direct descent from Abdul Qasim Ahmed (The First Abbaside Caliph Installed in Egypt)migrated to india with his family members and a few hundred followers and entered into sindh through Balochistan.
His entry was challenged by the then ruler of Sindh, Rao Dhorang, who threatened war, but yielded to the Amir. In course of time the Amir's family gradually moved northward, loosing much of the Sindh territory, but finally settled down at Derawar and in the vicinity of the present city of Bahawalpur.

The rulers first owed allegiance to Afghanistan but on the fall of the durani empire which was followed by the expulsion of Shah Shuja from Kabul they assumed independence.The rulers of the State faithfully implemented the terms of the treaty signed in 1838 between the East India Company and NawabBahawal Khan III.