Asalat Khan

Mir Abdul Hadi (died 1647), known by the title Asalat Khan, was a noble and general of the Mughal Empire during the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. He briefly served as the empire's mir bakhshi (paymaster-general), one of the highest positions in the empire's administration. He played key roles in leading Shah Jahan's Central Asian campaign.

Origins Mir Abdul Hadi was the son of Mir Miran Yazdi, a Persian nobleman with origins in Yazd. Mir Abdul had a younger brother named Khalilullah Khan. Mir Miran fled Persia in 1607 for fear of persecution, finding refuge in Mughal India, but left his son behind. In 1612, a Mughal nobleman named Khan Alam travelled to Persia as an ambassador on behalf of emperor Jahangir; the emperor requested Persia's ruler Shah Abbas I that the ambassador bring Mir Abdul Hadi and his brother back to India.

Career Mir Abdul Hadi entered Mughal service towards the end of Jahangir's reign. He received the title of "Asalat Khan" from the next Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in 1630. In 1632 he was made the bakhshi (administrator) of the ahadis (royal guard). He served in the Deccan, playing a key role in capturing Bhalki Fort. He then participated in the Mughal siege of Parenda around 1633, for which he was rewarded by being appointed subahdar (governor) of Delhi and Jaunpur. Asalat Khan was raised to the position of second bakhshi (assistant to the mir bakhshi) in 1639. Between 1641 and 1642, Asalat Khan combated Raja Jagat Singh, as one of the Mughals' three commanders in a campaign against the kingdom of Nurpur; the rebellion was subdued. In 1644, he was promoted to the post of mir bakhshi, making him the chief of military administration in the Mughal Empire; By July the Mughal army had reached Balkh and captured it with minimal resistance; however, its ruler Nazr Muhammad attempted to escape with his treasure. Asalat Khan pursued and intercepted him at the vicious Battle of Shibarghan (1646), which resulted in Mughal victory in July. Shah Jahan subsequently ordered festivities for eight days, and Asalat Khan's rank was raised to 5000. However, Nazr Muhammad was not captured, and he later escaped to Isfahan.

Asalat Khan died prematurely in the winter of 1647, while still stationed in Balkh for the ongoing Central Asian campaign, from exposure to cold conditions. Asalat Khan had a son named Iftikhar Khan, a Mughal noble who served the position of akhtah begi (imperial stablemaster) during the reign of Aurangzeb. He also had a son named Multafat Khan.