Peasant Movement in Sindh: A Case Study of the Struggle of Shah Inayatullah

Abstract

During the reign of Mughal emperor Farukhsayar, socio-economic conditions of Sindh markedly deteriorated. Given the feudalistic social character, almost 90% of cultivated land of Sindh was in the control of landlords, whom these large landholdings had been granted through Arghun, Turkhan and Mughal subadars (governors of Sindh. Consequently, landlords and pseudo-religious scholars continued to exploit the masses especially farmers. Majority of the natives in Sindh were dependent on their landlords for their survival under the harsh terms. In these turbulent times, Shah Inayat began to work for the rights of peasantry. He divided his land among peasants, mobilized them and finally organized them against rulers, landlords and pseudoreligious scholars. Under the religious decree (fatwa), he exhorted his small army of farmers not to pay agriculture tax to the rulers and share to the landlords, thus ignited conflict in the rigidly stratified society of Sindh. The aim of this research paper is to analyse the role of Shah Inayat in organizing masses and his influence on people of Sindh who opted fighting for their rights under his leadership braving excesses of Nawab Azam Khan the then Governor of Sindh.