CHITRAL: The royal fort of Chitral has started attracting visitors since the election of the ceremonial mehtar (ruler of the formerly Chitral state) Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir as a local member of the provincial assembly in the Feb 8 general elections.

The residents told Dawn the 18th century fort was rebuilt by the longest serving mehtar, Sir Shujaul Mulk (1895-1936) of Katoor Dynasty, after it lost attraction for the people after the state’s merger with Pakistan in 1969.

Cultural expert Farooq Alam Jan said the fort was an historical place as the chronology of the local history revolved around it, while it also served as the centre of cultural, social, and religious activities as the monarchs kept no distance with the residents unlike other rulers of the days.

He said after the merger, the incumbent mehtar, Saiful Mulk Nasir, was inducted into the Civil Service of Pakistan and became the first ceremonial mehtar of Katoor Dynasty, who was still held in high esteem by the people.

The expert, however, said things gradually changed due to the mehtar’s postings out of the country as an officer of the Foreign Service.

He said the coronation ceremony for the current mehtar took place in October 2011, after the death of his father.

Mr Jan said the mehtar, who was 18 at that time, went to England for studies, where he first got the LLB degree from the University of Buckingham. He later received an LLM’s degree from the University of Miami.

“He came back in 2020 and started contacting people in 2022 after joining the PTI, and announced he would contest the provincial assembly election. His electoral victory has revived relations between the royal family and the common man,” he said.

Shah Murad Baig, a local intellectual with vast knowledge of history, said the fort seemed to be returning to the era of the 1930s, when the dynasty was at the peak of its strength, splendor, and magnificence.

He said the royal fort was slowly growing to be the hub where people from all nooks and corners of the district showed up to meet the MPA and the ceremonial Mehtar regarding their issues and therefore, their arrivals had increased.

“The pomp and show of the fort will reach its zenith if the ceremonial mehtar is inducted into the provincial cabinet. It will bring the maximum number of people into contact with the royal fort due to the official protocol and strength of a provincial minister,” he insisted.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2024