HUSSAIN SHAH

Bestowed with qualities of head and heart, Hussain Shah took necessary steps to promote the welfare of strife trodden people. Law and other machinery was geared up to restore peace and tranquility. He is remembered in history for his secular outlook as he granted complete freedom of worship to his subjects particularly Hindus and even participated in their religious festivals. He regulated his time according to the priorities and paid due attention towards the development of social and cultural activities in the country. He would always find time to sit with scholars of different religious groups and discussed with them the ecclesiastical matter of his kingdom.

As in the past, the family feud, within the Chak dynasty, disturbed the peace in the country when the king’s own kinsmen rose in the revolt but were suppressed.

During the closing year of his reign, the peace and tranquility in the country was disturbed by a sectarian clash which occurred due to the execution of Yousuf Inder ( a shia) at the instance of two Qazis who were sunnies. The king could not tolerate all this and abducted the throne in favour of his brother Ali Khan. But these developments in the country affairs should not be studied in isolation of the political developments in the sub-continent. At Delhi, the rising power of Mughals was gaining stridies and their ruler (Akbar) had maintained close liason and watch on the political developments through the emissaries sent to Kashmir from time to time.