Upon
British occupation of Chitral following the
Chitral Expedition of 1895, the British took a keen interest in reorganizing the state's military capabilities. In 1903 the
Chitral Scouts, a force under direct British command, was raised. The Mehtar (native ruler) was also entitled to a personal military bodyguard. The Mehtar's Bodyguard was raised by Mehtar
Shuja ul-Mulk in the early 1900s and consisted of a professional standing army which had been raised by his father
Aman ul-Mulk in the 1880s and by
conscripts from the Yuft
caste of Chitral, who were exempted from taxes but served the Mehtar in times of war. The officers were selected from amongst the
Katur and related clans. The Bodyguard first saw active combat during the
Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. The Bodyguard, under the command of
Nasir ul-Mulk, captured
Birkot in the
Kunar Province of
Afghanistan, carrying away much booty from Kunar as well as taking many prisoners. Another arm of the Bodyguard went north to defend the
Dorah and
Broghol passes with
Badakhshan. Yet another company of the Bodyguard, led by
Khan Bahadur Dilaram Khan, captured Barge Matal in
Nuristan after some light hearted resistance by Afghan troops. The locals supported Chitral and reaffirmed their age-old allegiance to the Mehtar's rule. The Chitral Bodyguards most noteworthy accomplishments were during the
Kashmir War of 1947-48. Under the terms of
instrument of accession, signed by Mehtar
Muzaffar ul-Mulk, Chitral State would continue to maintain an armed force, thus Chitral was in a position to take the
Gilgit Agency away from
Kashmir. Following the revolt of the
Gilgit Scouts, the Mehtar sent his Bodyguard, under the command of
Burhan-ud-Din, to secure
Gilgit town and reinforce the Gilgit Scouts in the
Astore Sector. In August 1948, the Gilgit Scouts had been conducting the
Siege of Skardu for several months but had been unable to take the
Dogra Garrison within the fortress of
Kharpoche (Skardu Fort), because they lacked
artillery. In August a 400 strong force of the Chitral Bodyguard, under Mata ul-Mulk, arrived in Skardu, backed by four light
Mountain Guns. The
Gilgit Scouts left Skardu and pushed on into
Ladakh, while the Bodyguard, with the help of artillery, took the
Kharpoche Fort within weeks. Following the death of Mehtar
Muzaffar ul-Mulk and the constitutional crisis which subsequently erupted in
Chitral State, the powers of the Bodyguard were curtailed. After 1954, the Bodyguard was reduced to a company of 100 men whose duty would be to serve as the Mehtar's personal security force. The Chitral Bodyguard was finally disbanded in 1969, when Chitral State was
annexed by the
Government of Pakistan. == Equipment and organization ==