Mohammad Azim Beg (Persian/Hazaragi: محمدعظیم‌ بیگ, died 1893) was a prominent Hazara leader and chieftain (Mir) of the Daizangi who united major Hazara tribes and leaders under a military confederacy to resist the aggressive expansion and centralization of the Emirate of Afghanistan under Emir Abdur Rahman Khan.https://archive.org/details/azu_acku_ds365_ain24_1375

Initially persuaded by the Emir, Mir Azim Beg allied with him and received a title and a regular salary. He helped them extend government rule and influence over much of the Hazarajat and its inhabitants. But as the Afghan soldiers and tax-collectors began to commit atrocities inside these territories, particularly in Uruzgan, the discontented people rebelled against the government in what came to be known as the Hazara uprisings.

In the spring of 1309 Hijri/ 1892 AD, Mir Azim Beg broke away from the government and joined the rebels. Shortly after, convening in the Jirga e Awqol, he was chosen as leader and received the pledge of allegiance from major Hazara Mirs and leaders.

He led and directed the armed resistance across Hazarajat until his capture and execution in 1893.The Hazaras of Afghanistan

Biography Mohammad Azim Beg was born some time in the early 19th century into a Hazara family. His father, Ali Zahed Beg, was a Mir (chieftain) of the Sehpāy Daizangi Hazaras. (present-day Shahristan district, Daikundi province, Afghanistan).

In 1887, he was among the first Hazara leaders to recognize the authority of the Kabul government under Emir Abdur Rahman Khan. In return, he received the title of Sardar and was granted a regular salary of 1666 Kabuli rupees, cooperating with the government through a policy of compromise. He helped bring many independent Hazara Mirs and tribes under government influence, particularly in his own region, Daizangi and notably Uruzgan.

The abuse of the Afghan soldiers and tax-collectors inside Hazarajat, with their repressive policies and heavy taxation fueled great unrest and discontent among the Hazara tribes, particularly among the Uruzgani Hazaras, whom had been independent prior. This discontent exploded into a violent uprising after a woman from the Pahlawan Hazara was assaulted by Afghan soldiers. The families of the assaulted woman killed the offenders and attacked the nearby Afghan garrisons. Soon the uprising spread among the Uruzgani Hazaras which led to the complete annihilation of the stationed Afghan forces inside Uruzgan. The Emir sent tens of thousands of troops to suppress the Hazaras, and as they began to commit even more atrocities, the rebellion spread further.

Seeing this, Mohammad Azim Beg came to oppose the policies of Abdur Rahman Khan, and in the spring of 1309 Hijri / 1892 AD, he broke away from the government and joined the rebels.http://afghandata.org:8080/xmlui/handle/azu/20975

Jirga e Awqol Mir Azim Beg sought to spread the rebellion across all Hazarajat. At his invitation, a Jirga (assembly) of Hazara Mirs was held in Awqol. The assebly decided to formally declare war against Emir Abdur Rahman. Mir Mohammad Azim Beg was proclaimed leader and the other Mirs most notably pledged their allegiance to him and signed their oath on the back of a Quran. Most notable among the participents were Qazi Mohammad Askar the chief of Daya and Folad (Ajristan) and Mohammad Amir Beg Ilkhani the Mir of Yakawlang.Hazara People and Greater Khorasan

War against the Emirate of Afghanistan

Mir Mohmammd Azim Beg directed the resistance against the armies of Abdur Rahman Khan along with the Mirs and people allied to him. He defeated them in several battles and inflicted heavy casulties on the Afghan troops during the battles of Uruzgan in 1892-1893.

Death Mir Azim Khan engaged the main Afghan force at Gul Badam. A fierce battle followed, in which large numbers of Afghans were killed. A few days later, another battle took place at Tangi Chakhmaq, Mir Azim Beg fought with great bravery and succeeded in capturing a number of spoils from the battlefield. During the fighting, news arrived that Amir Beg Ilkhani had been defeated. This news spread through the Hazara ranks and caused the rebels to withdraw. As newly arrived Afghan reinforcements joined the besieging army, together with the army of the governor of Afghan Turkestan, their position was greatly strengthened.

The two armies met again at Qushnik, where the battle continued for seven hours and inflicted heavy losses on both sides. Afghan forces advanced from several directions, causing the Hazaras to become scattered and lose all knowledge of one another's situation. The main Afghan force then attacked the small group led by Mir Azim Beg, overwhelmed and defeated them.

That night, Mohammad Azim Beg gathered his family and, accompanied by 11 mounted followers, set out for Herat with the intention of reaching Iran. An Afghan cavalry force pursued him, but when they caught up, he fought another fierce battle, reportedly killing 32 Afghan soldiers before continuing his escape, although two of his companions were also killed. During the retreat, the horse carrying his eight-year-old son was struck by a bullet, throwing the child to the ground, where he was killed. After driving back the pursuing cavalry, Muhammad Azim Khan found his son's body, wrapped it in his waist sash as a shroud, dug a shallow grave, buried him and continued his escape to Dawlat Yar.

At Dawlat Yar, Mohammad Khan Taymani welcomed Mir Azim Beg, swore on the Qur’an that he would not betray him, and offered him shelter. Trusting his oath, Mohammad Azim Beg accepted. After he and his exhausted companions fell asleep, Mohammad Khan Taymani seized their weapons, bound them, and handed them over to the authorities in Herat.

Mir Azim Beg was publicly insulted by Saad al-Din Khan, the deputy governor of Herat. Azim Beg replied, “I was captured through treachery, not on the battlefield. Now my hands are bound and I am in your mercy that you insult me. While my hands were free, I never heard such words. It is more fitting to kill a defeated man than to insult him.”

Mir Mohammd Azim Beg was excuted after his capture.http://afghandata.org:8080/xmlui/handle/azu/20975

See also Mir Yazdanbakhsh

References