SOOMRA DYNASTY (1011- 1351 AD)

The Soomras originally were a local Hindu tribe. Some influential members of it had accepted Islam soon after the Arab conquest of Sindh. Even after conversion they retained their old Hindu names and customs. They had intermarried with local Arab landowners and thus had acquired great influence and power.

They were not Qarmatis. Muqtana of Syria had been inviting Shaikh Ibn Soomar Raja Bal of Multan to accept Druzism. It is, therefore, apparent that they belonged to the Ismaili sect organised by the Fatmid Khalifas of Egypt, Imam Zahir and Mustansir. The Qarmati descendent movement or the early Ismaili sect had never gained ground in Sindh, but somehow most of the early Sunni writers considered Ismailis as Qarmatis. The Soomras practised a lot of Hindu customs even until 1471 AD when Mahmud Begra tried to suppress them and convert them to his sect of Islam i.e., Sunnism. Raja Bal or Rajpal could have been son of Soomar Soomro who ruled Sindh at that time. (A very common Sindhi surname)

 

The early Soomra rulers were ‘Fatmid’ Ismailis, owed allegiance to Fatmid Khalifas of Cairo, sent them presents and read their names in the Friday Khutba. On the death of Imam Mustansir at Cairo in 487 AH (1094 AD), the Fatmid Dawa had been divided in two sections. The first one Mustalian Dawa with headquarters at Yemen in the beginning and later on in Gujarat; the other one called Nizari Ismaili Dawa with headquarters at Almut in Persia under Hasan bin Sabbah and supported the cause of Imam Nizar bin Mustansir and his descendants. The Soomras drifted away from these two rival Dawas. Ismailis got great setback between 1171-1187 AD starting with the fall of their Khilafat in Cairo at the hands of Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi, then in Iraq at the hands of Seljuki Turks and in Multan by Muhammad Ghori’s campaigns.

Pir Sibghatullah Pagaro: led the revolt against British Rule until his hanging and abolition of his 'gaddi'

Yemeni or Gujarati Dawa exercised heavy Arab influence, which is apparent in the names of people as well as Arabic literature. The Soomras in general had local Sindhi names and therefore they could not have originally belonged to this sect of Ismailis. The Ismailis of Gujarat, who attached themselves to Yemeni or Gujarati Dawa, are known as Bohris.

 

Unlike popular belief Pagaro is not the name of a place but literally means the tribal chieftain's turban. Sibghatullah Shah was arrested on the orders of Sir Hugh Dow the Governor of Sind in 1941 who had told him to remain in Karachi. His leaving Karachi infuriated the Governor who ordered Police Superintendent Ridley to arrest him from Khairpur. He was taken for lunch to the Regent Khan Bahadur Syed Aijaz Ali OBE (father-in-law of Mr A G N Kazi) and later transferred to Karachi. He was later hanged after a summary trial and his 'gaddi' or seat was abolished. His son was sent ot England for education. Mr Allah Bux Soomro was the Chief Minister of Sindh at the time of the arrest and was assassinated