Role of Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal, Nawab of Jhamra, in the War of Independence (1857)

Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal, also known as the Nawab of Jhamra, was a Muslim ruler of the Kharal family who was born in Punjab and lived from around 1776 to 21 September 1857. He led an uprising against the British East India Company in the Punjabi district of Bar during the War of Independence of 1857. When he died on September 21, 1857, while fighting, he was 81 years old. He is now held in high regard as a folk hero in Punjab.

In the Sandal Bar region of Punjab, in the hamlet of Chak 434 Gb Jhamra, 23 kilometers from the Tandlianwala Faisalabad District and 57 kilometers from the city of Faisalabad, Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal was born into a wealthy landowning family of the Kharal Rajputs dynasty.

He was the de facto king of Jhamra and had extensive land and livestock holdings. All Kharals, as well as other tribes like Kathia, Wattoo, Fatayana, and others, respected him. Sandal Bar as a whole was under Rai Kharal's control.

Lord Berkley, or Berkeley in the regional tongue, was the additional Assistant Commissioner of Gogera who summoned all significant figures from the region. Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal also showed up, and Berkley asked that all the authorities provide soldiers and horses to put an end to the uprising. Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal responded, "Kharals do not share wives, horses, or land with anyone," and he then walked away.

After the Joiya tribe refused to pay the high taxes, the British detained numerous men, women, and children from the tribe on July 8. (Lagan). When Rai Kharal heard the news, he made plans to raid the Gogera jail and free the innocent inmates. On July 26, Wattoo and his Kathia pals Rai Ahmed invaded the Gogera Jail with the aid of his Fatayana. Records kept by the British government show that 17 inmates died, 33 were hurt, and 18 escaped. Native stories, however, claim that more than 100 EIC soldiers and 145 detainees also died. Due to pressure from other tribes and the lack of adequate evidence against him, the British freed Rai Ahmed after having detained him.

Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal persisted in his resistance against the British. Berkley attached Jhamra in an effort to capture Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal, but was unsuccessful despite Rai Kharal's imprisonment of 20 villagers and theft of a sizable quantity of cattle. Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal began a guerilla campaign against the British with the aid of the Kathia, Wattoo, Fatayana, and Joiya tribes.

According to records kept by the Punjab government, the rebels ranged in size from 20,000 to 30,000 men. In John Cave-book, Browne's the rebels claimed to have taken refuge in dense vegetation each time they attacked, sending out 300–5,000 guerillas. The connection between Jhang and Lahore was completely severed. The British were prepared for any attack, and when rebels struck they were repelled. Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal had planned a final attack on Gogera, but Sarfraz Kharal of Kamalia had leaked the information.

When the British learned that Rai Ahmed and his companions had fled to the Gashkori Jungles, they sent a force led by Captain Black to kill him. They were successful in doing so while he was reciting his afternoon prayers. Many of his close friends perished there as well, including Sarang Khan Kharal of the Begeke Kharals.

Murad Fatayana, a dependable associate of Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal, took revenge on him by assassinating Lord Berkley alongside 50 British and indigenous soldiers. He then succeeded Rai in leading the uprising until it came to an end in 1858 when the local tribes suffered defeat.

On September 21, Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal was assassinated by a group under the command of Captain Black as he was doing afternoon prayers. Sarang Khan Kharal, his assistant, also passed away with him.