# Inayatullah Khan Sial

Inayatullah Khan Sial (Punjabi: عنایت اللہ خان سیال) was an 18th-century Punjabi Muslim general and chieftain who served as the 14th Nawab of Jhang. He succeeded his uncle Walidad Khan, who died heirless in 1747 and ruled until his own death in 1787. He was succeeded by his son Sultan Mahmud.
The Jhang State reached its zenith under Inayatullah Khan, who won 22 battles against the Bhangi Misl and the Nawabs of Multan. He also retook Chiniot from the Bhangis, which was lost to them early in his reign.

## Early life

Little is known about the early life of Inayatullah Khan. He accompanied his uncle Walidad Khan to his expeditions against the chiefs of Kheiwa, Sandal Bar, Shorkot, Chiniot, Kamalia, Sahiwal and Mari Shah Sakhira. He married Walidad's daughter and his only child, Fateh Bibi, and from whom he had a son named Sultan Mahmud. He had another son, Sahib Khan, through one of his concubines. He succeeded Walidad Khan after his death in Sodhra in 1747.

## Reign

At the beginning of his rule, he came into conflict with his cousin and brother-in-law Shahadat Khan who was a contender to the throne, but both came to terms, and Shahadat Khan was appointed his Wazir. Differences rose between both of them, and in 1751, Shahadat Khan took up arms against him but was defeated at Trimmu Ghat. Inayatullah again confronted Shahadat Khan in Sultanpur where he was defeated again and subsequently succumbed to his injuries on 26 July 1751.

### Allegiance to Ahmad Shah Durrani

After his conquests of Lahore and Multan, Ahmad Shah Durrani camped at Chiniot for a few days. After getting to know about his visit, Inayatullah Khan immediately set off for Chiniot and offered Ahmad Shah a tribute of 10,000 rupees along with various presents and a supply of 2,000 men as a form of Feudal levy who were put under the command of Zareef Khan.

### Offensive against Sials of Rashidpur

The town of Rashidpur was a Jagir granted to the Sials who shared a common ancestry with Inayatullah through Jalal Khan, the 4th chief of Jhang in the early 17th-century. After the incident of Shahadat Khan, Ahmad Yar Khan of Rashidpur asserted autonomy and tried to break away from the state. Inayatullah Khan, along with Zareef Khan, waged war against Ahmad Yar Khan. Ahmad Yar Khan met Zareef Khan at the gates of Rashidpur. After heavy fighting and the loss of a total 800 men from both sides, a wounded Ahmad Yar Khan surrendered, and Rashidpur was conquered.
Ahmad Yar Khan fled to Multan, where he accepted the suzerainty of Ahmad Shah while a Bakshi was appointed in Rashidpur. Ahmad Yar Khan, seeking revenge, gathered his kinsmen and secretly came to Rashidpur, where he deceived its Bakshi by hiding the ammunition and canons and forced him to resign. Thus, on 25 July 1754, Ahmad Yar Khan became the first independent Sardar of Rashidpur. To certify his claim, he formed an alliance with the Durrani governor of Derajat Mahmud Khan Gujjar against Inayatullah Khan.
Ahmad Yar Khan, who couldn't intervene in the internal matters of Jhang, sent a delegation to Inayatullah demanding peace and reconciliation between the two Sial factions. Inayatullah thus allowed Ahmad Yar Khan and his men to meet him at Jhang, but just when he was about to welcome them unarmed, Ahmad Yar Khan, along with his men subdued him in his own palace and took him as a prisoner to Rashidpur. He stayed there for 4 months while the administration of Jhang was held by his prime minister, Diwan Bhawani Das. Bhawani Das urged Mahmud Khan Gujjar to intervene in this matter and free Inayatullah Khan. An agreement was made in which Jhang accepted the independence of Rashidpur for the freedom of Inayatullah Khan.

### Confrontation with Khakwani of Multan and Alliance with the Tiwanas

Just after gaining his freedom, Inayatullah was taken aback as Ali Mohammad Khakwani of Multan forcibly took Mari Shah Sakhira and placed Deen Mohammad Khan as its hakim. Inayatullah Khan at once set forth for Mari and fought off Deen Mohammad, who was killed in the ensuing battle. In 1757, Mari was given to Sher Khan Tiwana, the Sardar of Shahpur as a requital for annual tribute and as a form of alliance between the Tiwana and Sial families.
Khakwani, who had foreseen these events, didn't sit quiet and to weaken Inayatullah's dominion won over the Sials of Shorkot by giving them Jagirs in Multan. As this challenged the local traditions of the Sial tribe, Inayatullah raised an army and left for Shorkot to settle the dispute. Khakwani interpreted this as an invasion and readied his men for an attack. Inayatullah gathered his nearby tribesmen and met Khakwani's forces near Kotla Muhammad Zarif Khan. The fighting pursued for 3 days but at last went in the favour of Inayatullah. Inayatullah then captured Shorkot, Kotla Zarif, Sarai Sidhu, and Garh Maharaja and gave the won over Jagirs to his loyal tribesmen.

### Campaigns against the Sikhs

These changes of events did not sit well with Ali Mohammad Khakwani. Khakwani, who wanted to annoy Inayatullah, gave Sikh mercenaries Surat Singh and Ajab Singh a contingent of the Multani army and the administration of Nekokara, a village at the border of Jhang state. Both commanders barged into Sial territories and looted various towns and villages. To deal with the saboteurs, Inayatullah camped at Jabboana without any supply of men. Surat Singh and Ajab Singh quickly responded by attacking Jabboana, but Inayatullah, with the help from the local populace, defeated the Sikhs. With Ajab Singh killed, Surat Singh fled the battlefield, leaving Nekokara in the hands of the Sials.
On the other hand, Sher Khan Tiwana rebelled against Inayatullah Khan and contacted Maha Singh Sandhawalia of Sukerchakia Misl. Both of them raised an army of 3,000 men against Inayatullah Khan, who had now allied himself with Jhanda Singh Dhillon and Ganda Singh Dhillon of Bhangi Misl. In the initial skirmishes, Sher Khan routed Inayatullah's forces, but after assembling his forces, Inayatullah defeated Sher Khan and expelled him from Mari Shah Sakhira which was instead given to Muhammad Khan, the Sardar of Sahiwal.
In 1782, Desu Singh Dhillon, the successor of Ganda Singh, had vowed to capture Chiniot after Inayatullah refused to pay him the agreed tribute in 1778 which was in effect since 1765 when Desu Singh's father Hari Singh Dhillon captured and plundered Chiniot. Inayatullah called upon Anup Singh and Balni Singh, the Qiladars of Chiniot, and sent a message to Nawab Muzaffar Khan of Multan for military assistance. Muzaffar Khan, at once, despatched a force under Diwan Singh to Jhang. The combined army then went straight for Chiniot, which was already at that time under the authority of Desu Singh. A fierce battle broke out, but Desu Singh was outclassed and was shot and killed while his forces dispersed and retreated. Inayatullah, victorious, stayed in Chiniot for some time to restore order and then went back to Jhang.

### Later campaigns

The Kathia sardars of Shorkot on behalf of the Kharals, asked Inayatullah Khan to give the region around Kamalia to the Kharals. As a matter of goodwill, he granted this land for an annual 1,000 rupees tribute and a gift of 5 horses.
After the death of Noorang Khan Jaskani, the chief of Hyderabad Thall and an officer of the Nawab of Mankera Hayat Khan Jaskani, his three sons; Noor Khan, Sarang Khan and Khushhal Khan, wanted the chieftaincy for themselves. Khushhal Khan went to Jhang for assistance as his brothers expelled him from Hyderabad Thall. Inayatullah Khan himself went to resolve the dispute, and after seeing the vast Jhang army, both the brothers absconded, leaving behind Hyderabad Thall to Inayatullah, who appointed Khushhal Khan as its chief.
The Qiladar of Hadali, Mabara Khan, who was a subordinate of Sher Khan Tiwana, defied his orders and asserted independence. Sher Khan Tiwana asked Inayatullah, who had just reached Jhang from Hyderabad Thall for military backing. Inayatullah cooperated with Sher Khan Tiwana, but Mabara Khan had foreseen these events and presented the keys of Hadali to Inayatullah, who in return gave them to Sher Khan Tiwana for an annual tribute of 2 horses.
Ahmadpur Sial, a Jagir of Ahmad Sial Rajbana, was under the governance of Multan. The Rajbanas raided Garh Maharaja, which was under the authority of Jhang. Inayatullah first initiated peace talks, but after its failure, camped at Garh Maharaja and then took Ahmadpur Sial without any resistance. He pardoned the Rajbanas but ordered them to give him the same annual tribute which they provided to Multan.
In 1787, Jahan Khan Barakzai, a commander of Emir Timur Shah Durrani, came to Punjab for an inspection of an invasion and was welcomed by Inayatullah to Jhang. He stayed there for a while and then left for Lahore. At the end of his career, Inayatullah gave the Jagir of Uch Gul Imam and an annual pension to a Sufi Saint, Syed Zulf Ali, also known as Shah Gul Muhammad.

## Death

Inayatullah Khan died on 26 November 1787 (15 Safar 1202 AH) in his residence in Jhang and was succeeded by his elder son Sultan Mahmud.

## Legacy

Inayatullah Khan proved to be one of the last effective Muslim chieftains of Punjab as other regional rulers like Muqarrab Khan of Pothohar, Fateh Khan of Sahiwal and Muzaffar Khan of Multan were defeated by the Sikhs in late 18th or early 19th-century.