Sultan Ajmair Khan Gakhar

SULTAN RAJA AJMER KHAN AND SULTAN HIMET KHAN GAKHAR UNTOLD LEADERS OF GAKHAR OF DOMELI Ajmair Khan of Domeli was a local chieftain or prominent figure belonging to the Gakhhar or local land-owning nobility of the Domeli area in the Jhelum district during the late Sikh rule and transition into the early British colonial era. The historical records for the chieftains of Domeli are found within colonial archives like Lepel Griffin’s historical chronicle, The Punjab Chiefs, and the Government of the Punjab District Gazetteer for Jhelum. 1. The Separation of the Domeli Jagir During the Sikh rule under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Gakhars of Domeli held a vast estate (jagir). However, internal family rivalries split the estate: The Division: The estate was partitioned into two distinct halves between competing factions of the family. Ajmair Khan's Portion: Ajmair Khan assumed control of one half of the family's traditional lands, while his kinsman, Himet Khan, controlled the other. 2. Post-Annexation Financial Settlement (1849) When the British Empire officially annexed the Punjab in 1849, they reviewed all existing sovereign land grants (jagirs) to determine which local rulers would retain their privileges based on their loyalty: The Assessment: The British colonial authorities evaluated both halves of the Domeli estate. The Ruling: The colonial government allowed Ajmair Khan and his immediate heirs to retain their specific share of the revenues and land rights, listing them as recognized "Chiefs of Note" in the Jhelum district. 3. Transition of Power to Successors Following Ajmair Khan's era, his specific branch of the family passed leadership down to his prominent descendants who continued to act as the interface between the local population and the British Raj: Ghulame Khan: Acted as a primary successor handling family land affairs. Akbar Ali Khan: Maintained regional prominence and revenue. Historical Context Family Lineage: He is recorded in regional family and tribal histories alongside figures like Himet Khan, sharing lineage ties among the traditional chieftains of Domeli in the Pothohar region. Sikh-British Transition: His active period (flourishing around the 1830s–1840s) immediately preceded and spanned the British annexation of the Punjab in 1849, a time when local elites navigated the shift from Sikh Khalsa rule to the consolidation of the British Raj. Sultan Ajmair Khan Gakhar was a direct royal descendant from the core Domeli line, making him a close relative and successor within the immediate family of Raja Himmat (Himet) Khan Gakhar of Domeli. While Himmat Khan led the Domeli Gakhars during the turbulent late 18th century—acting as a fierce rival to the collapsing main Rawalpindi/Pharwala Gakhar branch—Sultan Ajmair Khan is recorded as a senior family chief who helped carry forward the lineage in the early 18th century. Raja Himmat Khan Gakhar and Sultan Ajmair Khan Gakhar were prominent figures and rival or collateral leaders belonging to the aristocratic Gakhar dynasty of the Pothohar region in northern Punjab. Their relationship is framed within the complex lineage and tribal politics of the Gakhar chieftains during the 18th century as Mughal power waned and the Sikh Misl expansion altered local rule. Khudadad Khan Domeli represents another key historical pillar in the Gakhar (Kayani) tribal ancestry of the Domeli region, tightly connected to the lineage of Ajmer Khan and Ghulam Khan. Geopolitical Role During this era, the Domeli branch under Himmat Khan and Ajmair Khan maintained an independent stance from the Khanpur Gakhars. When the central Gakhar power base at Pharwala disintegrated under Sikh military pressure, the Domeli chiefs strategically negotiated local alliances to safeguard their ancestral estates near Jhelum. The Ancestral Connection: Raja Pehlwan Khan belongs to the elder generations that bridge the late-medieval warrior chiefs of Pothohar (like Himmat Khan Gakhar, who fought Sultan Muqarrab Khan in 1767) to the late colonial-era administrative landowners (Rajgan) of Domeli. Raja Pehlwan Khan Gakhar of Domeli (historically documented as Raja Pehlwan Khan) is a prominent ancestral figure in the Shajra (family tree) of the Bugial Gakhar clan. He holds a specific position of prominence in the lineage that established the historic town of Domeli in Jhelum. In the localized Pothohari lineage of the Domeli Rajgan, Ismail Khan is also a recurring family name among the descendants of Sultan Ajmer Khan Gakhar. Modern Descendants of Ajmer khan are in Domeli jhelum like: Raja ilyas kayani Raja Zubair kayani Raja Zafran kayani Raja Zohaib kayani