Jam Bijar Jokhio

Jam Bijar Jokhio was the Jam of the Jokhias and a tribal leader in 18th-century Sindh who led the Jokhias in a series of conflicts against the Burfats, Kalmatis, Lasharis and the Rana of Dharaja.

In this first battle, Jam Bijar Jokhio led the Jokhio forces, while young Mir Mazar Khan commanded the Kalmat Baloch. Though Mir Mazar Khan was injured during the fighting, the Kalmat Baloch emerged victorious, defeating the Jokhio tribe.

After the First Battle of Makli, enmity arose between the tribes.

Following the death of Malik Pahar Khan Burfat, Jam Bijar expanded Jokhia influence in the Hub and Malir regions. After an earlier setback against the Burfats, he regrouped and later advanced into Burfat territory, attempting to seize the Siri jagir of Ghaghi.

The Burfat chiefs opposed the advance, prompting Jam Bijar to seek military assistance from Jam Ali of Lasbela, who joined the campaign. The allied Jokhia and Lasbela forces met the Burfats at Aungar, where the Burfats were defeated and their commander Darya Khan Burfat killed was killed.

After some time, in the year , they raised an army of 10,000-12,000 man. They launched a counter-offensive, evicting the Jokhias and recaptured their occupied lands spanning from the Baran riverbed all the way to the Black Mountain (Kari Jabal). Following this, they advanced toward Jam Bijar's position. Jam Bijar convinced Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro that this attack on Jam Bijar posed threat to the Kalhora representative at Thatta, Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro dispatched 8,000 soldiers and assured them that their jagirs would remain intact. At the same time, the Jam Bijar sent a peace emissary to the Maliks, offering a compromise: if they halted their advance, Jam Bijar would not carry out any future incursions against them, and their Jagirs would be fully restored and respected. Through this strategy, a decisive battle was avoided.

Expansion of Jokhia tribal territory Following the settlement with the Burfats, Jam Bijar turned his attention to expanding his territory and waged wars against the Lasharis and Kalmatis. By this time, his former mentor, Chief Bangi Khan Lashari, had passed away, and the remaining Lashari factions occupying the Hub and Gadap areas lacked unified leadership. Taking advantage of this, Bijar evicted most of them and seized control over their territories.

In a similar way, he launched an offensive against the Kalmati, driving them entirely out of the Malir region and expanding his territory across the entire landscape stretching from Malir all the way to Gharo. However, further south past Gharo, toward the coastal region of Sakro, the Kalmati tribes remained fortified and powerful, making them nearly impossible to subdue. By this stage in his life, Jam Bijar was approaching 60 years of age. On a winter morning, 6 Jumada al-Awwal 1203 AH, corresponding to 2 February 1789, the battle was fought between the Jokhias and the Kalmats. Similar to the first battle, Jam Bijar led the Jokhia forces, while Mir Mazar Khan commanded the Kalmat forces. The battle concluded with a Jokhia victory. The Kalmat tribe's commander, Mir Mazar Khan, was killed in the battle and buried in the Makli Necropolis.

Death and legacy

Jam Bijar passed away in the year 1211 AH (1796) at the age of about 85 or 86. According to Nabi Bux Baloch Jam was buried in the Chaukhandi tombs.(located near the riverbed on the right side of the main highway leading from Dhabeji). according to Kaleemuallah lashari he was buried in Jam of Lasbela graveyard. The famous poet Mir Ghulam Ali of Thatta composed his chronogram of death in Persian prose:"A voice from the unseen told me: They handed the cup of Paradise's keeper to the Jam. 1211 (AH).Historian Dr Nabi Bux Baloch says For nearly half a century, Jam Bijar remained a dominant, overshadowing figure over the tribal relationships and politics of the southwestern borders of Sindh. He was a massive whirlwind of his era, one that violently shook even the tallest and deepest-rooted trees. Only when he finally departed did the dust and storms of the region settle. Had he chosen a path of reconciliation, harmony, and diplomatic peace with the neighboring tribes, his legacy would have been remembered with immense goodwill and untarnished honor Along with his flaws, he possessed great virtues: he was an exceptional administrator, highly tactful in evaluating situations, wise, discerning of the truth, and a speaker of the truth. In addition to these traits, he was also a remarkably skilled folk poet.