Bajaur massacre

Overview

The Bajaur massacre, also called the Battle of Bajaur, was a military assault carried out by Babur — a Timurid ruler from Fergana who had captured Kabul in 1504 and later founded the Mughal Empire — against the Gabari Swati tribe inhabiting the Bajaur region on 6–7 January 1519. The area lies in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. Babur's stated purpose was to solidify his authority over Kabulistan.

Background

Between 1515 and 1519, Babur had experienced a relatively calm period after returning to Kabul following his defeat at the Battle of Ghazdewan and the loss of Transoxiana to the Khanate of Bukhara. This calm ended as he advanced to the eastern end of the Kabulistan region, where he was compelled to conciliate and grant autonomy to the Yusufzai tribe to preserve peace. According to Babur's own memoir, the Baburnama, he characterized the peoples of Bajaur, Kunar, Nur Gal, and Swat as nominally Muslim but following what he described as pagan customs, including beliefs about corpses moving on funeral biers depending on the deceased's conduct in life. Babur specifically recounted an anecdote involving Haidar Ali Gaberi, described as the Swati Jahangiri Sultan of Bajaur, regarding his mother's death and burial customs.

The Massacre

According to Babur's own account, after Bajauris were characterized as "rebels and at enmity with the people of Islam" and accused of having rooted out "the very name of Islam" through their customs, Babur ordered a "general massacre," with more than 3,000 men reportedly killed and wives and children taken captive. Following the fall of the fort, Babur wrote that the dead lay throughout the walls, houses, streets, and alleys, with passersby crossing over the bodies. He then bestowed the country of Bajaur upon Khwaja Kalan. On 8 January, remaining prisoners were pardoned at Khwaja Kalan's request, though several sultans deemed "most stubborn" were killed. Heads of sultans and others were sent to Kabul, Badakhshan, Kunduz, and Balkh as proof of victory. Shah Mansur Yusufzai, present as a tribal envoy, witnessed the massacre. On 11 January, Babur ordered a tower of heads to be constructed on rising ground in the Bajaur valley.

Aftermath

Babur recognized he could not safely advance into India without reconciling with the neighboring Yusufzai tribe, which controlled strategically important hills. As part of a peace treaty, Babur married Bibi Mubarika, daughter of Yusufzai chief Shah Mansur, on 30 January 1519. This marriage contributed to establishing friendly relations between Yusufzai Pashtun chiefs and Babur, who went on to found the Mughal Empire after defeating Sultan Ibrahim Lodi at the Battle of Panipat in 1526.