Salemai
Salemai | |
---|---|
Mohammed Zahir Shah | |
Personal details | |
Tribe | Safi |
Military service | |
Battles/wars | Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947 |
Salemai[1] or Salimai[2] (fl. 1940s) was an Afghan rebel king who ruled only in the Eastern Province
Background
In either 1944 or 1945, the
King
Religious scholars among the Safi ruled that anyone who rebelled against their King and died should be excluded from being counted as martyrs.[1] Therefore, they were required to select one of their own as king.[1] According to Whit Mason's version of events in The Rule of Law in Afghanistan (2011), in either 1944 or 1945, the Safi selected Shahswar as king, Salemai as prime minister and Amanul Mulk as minister of defence.[1] However, Mason appears to mix up several roles. David B. Edwards, a veteran scholar of Afghan history, gives the following quote from Amanul Mulk (whom Edwards interviewed personally) in Caravan of Martyrs (2017), which appears to confirm that Salemai was King and not Prime Minister:[2]
We called Amanat Lewana ["mad," parroting the popular epithet for the unpopular Daud Khan]. He was our prime minister. Shasawar was minister. Salimai was king, and i was minister of defense. We used these titles because we were fighting against an Islamic king.... The mullahs told us to select one elder and call him king, and if the government attacks beyond the road, then you should also attack them. In that case, your death does not become kharob. This king should order the people to accept his order, and your death would not become wrong. This order to fight was given to us by mullahs. The elders told us to accept these orders.
— Amanul Mulk, 1983 interview
By the end of October 1945, most of the Safis, except for a few die-hards had come to terms with the Afghan government.[4] This peace agreement included among other things the abandonment or postponement of Safi conscription.[4]
On 23 November 1946,
Later life
In 1947, Salemai had a reunion in Shulgara with Shahswar and Amanul Mulk.[1] Afterwards, Salemai fades out of the historical record.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-139-49552-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-520-29479-0.
- ISBN 978-0-7007-0299-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-55655-765-1.
- ISBN 978-1-55655-765-1.
- ^ See Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947#Duration