History
Chiefs and notable families in Punjab declared Shamsheer Khan as the first settler of the village on the bank of Sindh River, though others claim that the village was established by Abdul Majeed (the head of the Malik family in the village) and his family. The exact cause of his migration to the area is not known. Later Awans, as a caste group, belonging to Ghaznavide armies, settled in Shamas Abad and the village became a small cantonment on the route used by the Ghaznavides from the north-west of India. Shamas Abad was a marshy land, which was locally called Chachh. There was an oral claim that Shames-u-din was the first settler of this village. However, this claim has not been proved by any textual history or genealogical table. These orally explained history agrees that the area was visibly populated by Mehmood Ghaznavi and his army. Mahar Majeed came to Shamas Abad during Akbar's reign. His descendants succeeded in achieving lands and confidence of the people of the area. They were settled near Attock Fort. After the downfall of the Mughals, Afghans made Shamas Abad the center of their Army with the support of a famous ethnic group Awan. Later, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh bought Attock soil from Jahan Dad Khan and defeated the Afghans. Most of the population of Shamasabad did not support the Sikh army in the battle because of the atrocities committed by the Sikh army against the Muslims in different parts of the Punjab. They were fearful about their life and wealth, which turned out to be well grounded as Shamasabad was plundered thrice by the Sikhs.
The forefather of the writer Malik Younis temporarily migrated to Afghanistan and returned on the condition of acceptance of their ownership of Shamas Abad's lands and obedience of its people. Thus, Malik Allah Yar Khan resettled in Shamas Abad. When Punjab was annexed to the British Empire, many people challenged the sole ownership of Malik Allah Yar khan. Eventually, the British court decided in favor of Malik Allah Yar khan. One of Malik Allah Yar’s descendent; Malik Feroz Khan earned fame in the vicinity for supporting the British.
Read more about this topic: Shamsabad, Pakistan
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