Indian History (Paper I and II): 1999

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History of Pakistan and India – Paper I

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS
IN BPS 17 UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 1999

1. “The Arab conquest of Sind was a triumph without results. It left scarcely a vestige save in the names of certain Arab families and the ruins of the edifices they built.” Give your comments to justify the statement.

2. Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish is considered as the real founder of the Delhi Sultanate. Give your views about the policies and achievements of Iltutmish.

3. Critically examine the motives and achievements of Shah Jehan’s policy towards Central Asia.

4. “Sultan Mahmud was strict in the administration of justice. He enforced respect for law by all the means at his disposal and within his empire nobody could plead rank of birth as an excuse for leniency or exceptional treatment.” Discuss and critically review his character.

5. “Whatever its faults, the Mansabdari System did enable the Mughals to give good government to the people.” Examine this statement to highlight the merits and demerits of Mansabdari System.

6. Give an account of the main causes of discontent in the reign of Sultan Alaluddin.

7. Write short notes on the following:
(a) Mongols.
(b) Razia Sultana.

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History of Pakistan and India – Paper II

FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS
IN BPS 17 UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 1999

Note: Attempt five questions in all, including Question No. 8, which is Compulsory. Select TWO questions from each part. All questions carry equal marks.

PART I

1. Discuss the socio-religious aspect of the Jehad Movement of Syed Ahmed Shaheed and highlight the role played by it in the regeneration of the Muslims.

2. Evaluate the importance of the Lucknow Pact of 1916 in the creation of Pakistan.

3. Give a brief account of the services rendered by Syed Ameer Ali for the welfare and uplift of the Muslims of the sub-continent.

4. Narrate the factors responsible for demand of a separate homeland by the Muslims of the subcontinent.

PART II

5. Describe the services of Liaqat Ali Khan as the first Prime Minister of Pakistan.

6. “Pakistan has always tried to foster good relations with the Muslims countries.” Explain.

7. Write short notes on the following:
(a) The Swadeshi Movement
(b) Wavell Plan 1945
(c) Role of politicians in the political dynamics of Pakistan.
(d) Importance of agriculture in the economy of Pakistan.

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History of Pakistan and India – Paper I – 1999

Q1. The Arab conquest of Sind was a triumph without results. It left scarcely a vestige save in the names of certain Arab families and the ruins of the edifices they built.” Give your comments to justify the statement.

Ans.
Muhammad bin Qasim Al-Thaqafi (c. 31 December 695–18 July 715) was an Umayyad general who conquered the Sindh and Punjab regions along the Indus river (now a part of Pakistan) at the age of seventeen. He was born in the city of Taif (in modern day Saudi Arabia). The conquest of Sindh and Punjab began the era of Islamic rule in South Asia. During the period of early Rajput supremacy in north India, during the 7th century, the first Muslim invasions were carried out simultaneously with the expansion towards Central Asia. In 664, forces led by Al Muhallab ibn Abi Suffrah began launching raids from Persia, striking Multan in the southern Punjab in what is today Pakistan.
In 711, an expedition led by Muhammad bin Qasim defeated Raja Dahir at what is now Hyderabad in Sindh and established Umayyad rule by 712.
The west of Indian sub-continent was then divided into many states. And their relation between each other were very weak. Al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf the ruler of Iraq knew this and waited for the best moment to strike.
During this period some rebels came to Sindh from Arab committing various crimes. But King Dahir gave them shelter in his kingdom. By this Hajjaj got extremely mad.
As Muslim Empire and Dahir's kingdom were contiguous to each other, frequent border clashes took place. As a result relation between the two got worse.
The King of Ceylon, the present Srilanka sent many 8 ships full of gifts for the Calipf Al-Walid and the ruler of present Iraq, Hajjaj. But the pirates plundered the ships at the Debal of Sindh, which is now known as "Karachi". Hajjaj demanded compensation from Dahir. But Dahir denied to take responsibility of the crimes committed by the pirates.
For all these reasons. Hajjaj sent soldiers against Dahir. But first two expeditions failed. Then in 712 C.E. Hajjaj sent the third expedition. The commander-in-chief of this expedition was Muhammad bin Qasim Al-Thaqafi the nephew and son-in-law of Hajjaj.
Qasim subdued the whole of what is modern Pakistan, from Karachi to Kashmir, reaching the borders of Kashmir within three years. After his recall, however, the region devolved into the semi-independent Arab ruled states of Mansura and Multan.

Q2. Iltutmish was also called SHAMS-UD-DIN ILTUTMISH, Iltutmish also spelled ALTAMSH (d. April 29, 1236), third and greatest Delhi sultan of the so-called Slave dynasty.

Iltutmish was sold into slavery but married the daughter of his master Qutb-ud-Din Aybak , whom he succeeded in 1211. He strengthened and expanded the Muslim empire in northern India and moved the capital to Delhi, where he built the great victory tower, the Qutb Minar.
A wise and patient statesman who had been trained as a trusted administrator under his predecessors Muhammad of Ghur and Qutb-ud-Din, Iltutmish was faced upon his accession not only with the deterioration of Muslim rule but also with the claim of Taj-ud-Din Yildiz, the Ghazna ruler, to succession to all of Muhammad's conquests and with the attempts by the Hindus to recover portions of their lost territory. In 1215 he captured Yildiz, who died in prison. In 1225 he forced the unruly Bengali governor to acknowledge the authority of Delhi, and shortly thereafter he consolidated again the Muslim holdings. Iltutmish was able to preserve his kingdom against the ravages of the Mongol invasions that coincided with his reign, and he succeeded in building an administrative machinery for the empire. He sought out 11th-century Islamic classics on the art of government; and the Adab-ul-Muluk, the first Indo-Muslim classic on the art of government and warfare, was written for him.
He was tolerant of the Hindus despite the urgings of his advisers and built up the waterworks, mosques, and amenities at Delhi to make it for the first time a fitting seat of government. His reign and his advisers, especially the Wazir Junaydi, were praised by contemporaries.
Iltutmish's eldest son had died before him, and his other sons were incompetent. He gave an excellent education to his daughter Raziyya (Raziyyat-ud-Din) and desired that she should succeed him. His wishes were offensive to the administrative Council of Forty, Iltutmish's personal slaves who had served as his advisers. Raziyya did succeed briefly to the throne, but her appointment of an African to an important position was considered insulting to the council, which shortly brought about her downfall. This marked the beginning of the decline of the line of Iltutmish.

Q3. Critically examine the motives and achievements of Shah Jehan’s policy towards Central Asia.

Shah Jahan was born as Prince Khurram on 5th January 1592, to Emperor Jahangir and his second wife, Jagat Gosini (a Rajput Princess). In 1611, his father married Nur Jehan, the widowed daughter of a Persian immigrant and the aunt of Arjumand Banu Begum. Prince Khurram married Arjumand Banu Begum in May 1612. She was given the name of Mumtaz Mahal (Ornament of the Palace) when Prince Khurram acceded the throne and became Shah Jahan. However, the succession was not simple and easy. Infact, a bloody fight with his father ensued before the accession.

In 1627, when Jahangir died, Prince Khurram succeeded the Mughal throne as Shah Jahan (meaning the King of the World). He was also given the title of the 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunctions', in reference to his pride in his Timurid roots. Throughout the earlier military campaigns of Shah Jahan as well as his rebellion against Jahangir, Mumtaz accompanied him everywhere with his entourage.

Shah Jahan's thirty years of reign(1628-1658), is often referred to as the golden period of the Mughal dynasty. Akbar established the territory, which was extended, protected and efficiently ruled by Shah Jahan. His reign was comparatively peaceful and prosperous one. There were less battles, the state fund was full and the people were happy and contented. Following on the footsteps of his father he established an image for being a king who offered justice without any discrimination. There was interaction with the various foreign countries like Persia, France, Italy, Portugal and England . He was undoubtedly a great king with excellent military and administrative skills. Within a year of being crowned the king, the revenue of the state rose up rapidly.

Q4.“Sultan Mahmud was strict in the administration of justice. He enforced respect for law by all the means at his disposal and within his empire nobody could plead rank of birth as an excuse for leniency or exceptional treatment.” Discuss and critically review his character.

One of the most controversial personalities in the history of South Asia, Mahmud Ghaznavi is known as one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever seen. He was one of the very few leaders who were never defeated in a battlefield. Born in 979, Mahmud became the Sultan of Ghazni in 998. He inherited the small state of Ghazni from his father Subuktigin, and turned it into an empire that lasted for about a century. He was a brave man and use to take part in all the battles his forces fought. Though he was interested in extending his empire toward Central Asia, the maneuverings of the Hindu rulers of Punjab forced him to invade South Asia. He came to South Asia seventeen times and went back to Ghazni every time with a great victory. He fought against the strong forces of Jaipal, Annadpal, Tarnochalpal, Kramta and the joint forces of Hindu Rajas and Maharajas but all of them were forced to flee away from the battlefield due to Mahmud's war strategy as a general. After the conquest of Multan and Lahore, Mahmud made Punjab a part of his empire in 1021.
Unlike other great conquerors like Alexander and Chengez Khan, Mahmud did not leave the areas conquered to the mercy of his soldiers. After becoming the first Muslim ruler to conquer Northern Punjab, he consolidated his rule in the area and established his provincial headquarters at Lahore. He established law and order in the areas that he ruled, giving special attention to the people he ruled. The department of police and post were efficient. His judicial system was very good as everybody was equal before the law and justice was the order of the day.
Mahmud was also a great patron of learning. His court was full of scholars including giants like Firdosi the poet, Behqi the historian and Al-Biruni the versatile scholar. It is said that he used to spend four hundred thousand golden Dinars on scholars. He invited the scholars from all over the world and was thus known as an abductor of scholars. Under Mahmud, Ghazni became one of the most important and beautiful cities of the Islamic world. It was the city of mosques, madrasas and libraries. He also established a Museum in Ghazni. During his rule, Lahore also became a great center of learning and culture. Lahore was called 'Small Ghazni'. Saad Salman, a poet of those times, has written about the academic and cultural life of Lahore.
Mahmud was also a deeply religious man. He himself wrote a book on Fiqh. He had respect for other religions. A large number of Hindus lived in Ghazni, and they enjoyed religious freedom. One of his commanders named Tilak was a Hindu. A number of soldiers in his army were also Hindus. Mahmud attacked the Hindu Temples in India because of political and not religious reasons.
Mahmud Ghaznavi died on April 30 1030

Q5. “Whatever its faults, the Mansabdari System did enable the Mughals to give good government to the people.” Examine this statement to highlight the merits and demerits of Mansabdari System.

Ans. Akbar organized the nobility and his army by means of the Mansabdari system. Every officer was assigned a rank valued in terms of a certain number of mounted soldiers. The ranks normally given to top officers and nobles were valued from 10 to 5000 later raised to 7000.The ranks were divided into two: zat and sawar.Zat means personal where by the status and salary of the individual was fixed. Out of this salary in addition to meeting his own personal expenses, he had to maintain a stipulated quota of horses, elephants, camels, mules and carts.

The other rank indicated the number of cavalrymen (sawar) a mansabdar was required to maintain. For every sawar, a mansabdar was paid at a rate of Rs 240 per annum over and above his salary. A person was required to maintain as many sawars as his zat rank was placed in the first category of that rank; if he maintained less than half then in the third category. Thus there were three categories in every rank.No one could have a higher quota of sawars than his zat rank.The mansab was not hereditary.

The sawar rank was distinguished by two special features: For every 10 cavalrymen the mansabdar had to maintain 20 horses and a provision was made that the contingents of the nobles should be mixed ones that is drawn from all the groups- Mughal, Pathan, Hindustani and Rajput.This was intended to weaken the spirit of tribal and ethnic exclusiveness. The mansabdars were assigned a jagir in lieu of cash payment. Although modifications in the system were made from time to time this remained the basic structure as long as the Empire held together. The number of mansabdars rose from 2069 at the time of Jahangir’s accession in 1605 to 8000 in 1637 during Shah Jahan’s reign and to 11,546 during the latter half of the Aurangzeb’s reign.

Q6. Give an account of the main causes of discontent in the reign of Sultan Alaluddin.

Ans. In the initial years of Sultans reign, there were frequent mongol incursions. The one in year 1299 was most dreadful. Under the leadership of Kutbugh Khwaja, mongols were very strong and keen to conquer Delhi. Alaluddins successful warrior in previous raids, Zafar Khan was killed in his desperate actions against mongol. The courageous Alaluddin gathered his army and proceeded with the attack. It was to a great surprise that Sultan defeated mongol. In spite of the defeat the mongols continued with their raids for some years. But they were held off by various measures. All the forts on their route were repaired and made stronger. Best of the generals were placed at the frontier provinces. Those mongols who accepted Islam, fought in the army and settled near Delhi at the time of Jalaluddin were mercilessly massacred. Alaluddin suspecting a possible rebellion demanded that in one night all should be rounded and killed. Despite the fact that they were 20,000 to 30,000 in number.

The strict measures enabled sultan to build a large great army to rebel back mangols. In the last mongol raid they were badly defeated on the banks of River Ravi.

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History of Pakistan and India – Paper II

Q1 Discuss the socio-religious aspect of the Jehad Movement of Syed Ahmed Shaheed and highlight the role played by it in the regeneration of the Muslims.

Ans. Syed Ahmed visited towns around the Punjab and the United Provinces to whip up support and was joined by notable Muslim leaders. The initial force of a few hundred men led by Syed Ahmed could not reach the area directly from Delhi for obvious reasons and so had to proceed through the long and difficult route through Rajasthan, Sindh and Balochistan until they reached Kabul. Apart from the obvious need to avoid the Sikh forces at this stage, Syed Ahmed also collected support and troops along the way. In many areas the population was more enthusiastic than their rulers: the Mirs of Sindh were reluctant to fight with the Sikhs as was Bahawalpur, while Afghanistan was torn by internal differences. In spite of this, many men from these areas joined Syed Ahmed's forces.
The defeat of the mujahideen in the Battle of Balakot, ‘was a serious setback for the Jihad Movement and it struggled to survive in the following years. The movement continued on in the hills of the North West Frontier until 1863 when the British sent a large army to deal with the mujahideen threat. Even then the movement survived through the determination of its followers. The work of Sved Ahmad had been very important because:
It was the first example in Indian history of a movement formed to free the Muslims from the tyranny of non-Muslim or foreign rulers. It was not a movement in order to place a particular leader in power but, instead, to achieve religious and spiritual freedom.
The Jihad Movement was a uniting force for Muslims, Many of Syed Ahmad’s soldiers had been spiritual leaders or teachers. The fact that they were prepared to die for their cause was an inspiration to all Muslims.

The Jihad Movement is regarded by many historians as the fore-runner of the Pakistan Movement in India. Syed Ahmad’s efforts were an inspiration to all Muslims in defending their religion, their culture and their freedoms. Those Muslims who later campaigned for their own homeland saw Syed Ahmad as an example of a Muslim fighting for the Muslim cause in much the same way, since he too wanted to see a state which was based on the principles of Islam.

Q2. Evaluate the importance of the Lucknow Pact of 1916 in the creation of Pakistan.

Ans. When All India Muslim League came into existence, it was a moderate organization with its basic aim to establish friendly relations with the Crown. However, due to the decision of the British Government to annul the partition of Bengal, the Muslim leadership decided to change its stance. In 1913, a new group of Muslim leaders entered the folds of the Muslim League with the aim of bridging the gulf between the Muslims and the Hindus. The most prominent amongst them was Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was already a member of Indian National Congress. The Muslim League changed its major objective and decided to join hands with the Congress in order to put pressure on the British government. Lord Chelmsford's invitation for suggestions from the Indian politicians for the post World War I reforms further helped in the development of the situation.
As a result of the hard work of Mr. Jinnah, both the Muslim League and the Congress met for their annual sessions at Bombay in December 1915. The principal leaders of the two political parties assembled at one place for the first time in the history of these organizations. The speeches made from the platform of the two groups were similar in tone and theme. Within a few months of the Bombay moot, 19 Muslim and Hindu elected members of the Imperial Legislative Council addressed a memorandum to the Viceroy on the subject of reforms in October 1916. Their suggestions did not become news in the British circle, but were discussed, amended and accepted at a subsequent meeting of the Congress and Muslim League leaders at Calcutta in November 1916. This meeting settled the details of an agreement about the composition of the legislatures and the quantum of representation to be allowed to the two communities. The agreement was confirmed by the annual sessions of the Congress and the League in their annual session held at Lucknow on December 29 and December 31, 1916 respectively. Sarojini Naidu gave Jinnah, the chief architect of the Lucknow Pact, the title of "the Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity".
Although this Hindu Muslim Unity was not able to live for more than eight years, and collapsed after the development of differences between the two communities after the Khilafat Movement, yet it was an important event in the history of the Muslims of South Asia. It was the first time when Congress recognized the Muslim League as the political party representing the Muslims of the region. As Congress agreed to separate electorates, it in fact agreed to consider the Muslims as a separate nation. They thus accepted the concept of the Two-Nation Theory.