Sultan Mehmud Khurd

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The last ruler of Pakhli Sarkar (Hazara) was Sultan Mehmud Khurd. One of his brothers, Sultan Qiassuddin, was Wali-e-Tanawal(Lower), and the Wali-e-Upper Tanawal was Sultan Sahwaj. His brother Sultan Muqarrab was Wali-e-Dhamtor,ie Rush areas of present Abbottabad.

Sultan Maqarrab revolted against his own brother Sultan Mehmud Khud, but was defeated by the Sultan due to intervention from the Delhi Sultanate. But this incident weakened the Turks permanently and they could never restore their previous strength.Karlal gained strength and Jadun came from across the river Indus and overthrew the Turks. Pakhli Sarkar had two other very important Governorships. One in the areas between Battagram and Thakot ruled by Shamsher Khan and other of Kashmir governed by Sultan Kamal,both of them were close relatives of Turk rulers of Pakhli Sarkar.At that time Kashmir was part of Hazara (Pakhli Sarkar) and not vice versa as generally perceived.

Around 1713 Sultan Mehmud Khurd went to Delhi but did not come back and nothing is known about him since then. His sons were too young to run the affairs of the kingdom. One of the Sultan's daughters was married to Syed Jalal Baba, who took advantage of his father-in-law's absence to invite the Swatis to invade Pakhli Sarkar of Hazara. The conspiracy was destined to succeed as, an insider, Jalal Baba, was with them. Shamsher Khan, a loyal general of Sultan Mehmud Khurd, fought with great valour and put up a very strong resistance at Jhanjal fort of Thakot. After a siege of several months they finally defeated Shamsher Khan, who was martyred in battle. However, after the fall of Fort of Jhanjer there was no one to put up resistance in Rush Areas. Syed Jalal Baba was supposed to resist in the absence of the Sultan, but he was already hand in gloves with the invaders. Due to the tender age of the Sultan's sons and the conspiracy of Jalal Baba, Turks could not offer resistance. Swatis entered the Rush area of Hazara without any notable resistance. Turks had to settle in various parts of Hazara and Kashmir. Ironically,these Turks retained small jageers everywhere, like Manakrai (Haripur), Mohar (Mansehra), Bahali (Mansehra), Geerwal (Mansehra), Bayan (Abbottabad) Richbehn (Abbottabad) and some other villages. They have never been fully eliminated. They always remained independent even during highly turbulent times and never accepted anyone's authority. Right from the Moghal era (Pakhli Sarkar of Hazara was the only state in India which was free from any kind of taxation), up to Durranis, Sikhs and British rule, they did not lose their independent status. Minor or major scale,they held sway over their own affairs.