History of Faqeer Eppi Haji Mirzali Khan

Faqir Epi Haji Mirza Ali Khan was a tribal chief and adversary to the British Raj from North Waziristan in what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He was born around 1897 at Shankai Kirta, a village near Khajuri in the Tochi Valley of North Waziristan, present day Pakistan, to Sheikh Arsala Khan Wazir. He was a Pashtun from the Torikhel branch of the Utmanzai Wazir tribe. His father died when he was twelve. He studied until fourth grade at a government school and later pursued religious studies at Bannu. He built a mosque and a house at Spalga, further south in North Waziristan agency in 1922. He went to perform Hajj at Mecca and later moved to Ipi in mid 1920s.

After performing his Hajj pilgrimage in 1923, Mirzali Khan settled in Ipi, a village located near Mirali in north Waziristan, from where he started a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the British Empire. He led a series of attacks on British troops and installations, and he also inspired other tribes in the region to join the fight against the British.

The British responded with a series of punitive expeditions against the tribes of North Waziristan. In 1925, the British launched a major offensive against Ipi, but they were unable to capture Mirzali Khan. The British eventually withdrew from Ipi, and Mirzali Khan remained in control of the region.

Mirzali Khan's campaign against the British continued until the end of British rule in India in 1947. He was a popular figure among the Pashtuns, and he is remembered as a hero of the Pashtun resistance against British rule.

Mirzali Khan's legacy is complex and controversial. He is seen by some as a freedom fighter who stood up to British imperialism. Others see him as a warlord who caused instability and violence in the region.

However, there is no doubt that Mirzali Khan was a significant figure in the history of Waziristan and Pakistan. He was a charismatic leader who inspired the Pashtuns to resist British rule, and he played a role in shaping the course of history in the region.