Khari Sharif is a famous place in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir. It exists between Mirpur and river Jhelum and an agricultural land. Khari Sharif consists of about 80 villages. Its distance from Mirpur city is 8 kilometres and it is famous for the Shrines of two renowned Sufi Saints; Peer-e-Shah Ghazi (Qalandar Dumriyan Wali Sarkar) and Mian Muhammad Bux. Mian Muhammad Bux was not only a Sufi Saint of Qadri descendant but also a prominent poet of Punjabi and Pahari Languages, particularly he is an acclaimed poet of the legendry folklore “Saif-ul-Malook”. Din Muhammad was Khalifa of Dumriyan Wali Sarkar and in the downstream his Khalifa was Mian Shams-Ud-Din, who had three sons, namely Mian Bahaval Bux, Mian Muhammad Bux and Mian Ali Bux. The ancestors of Mian Muhammad Bux migrated from Gujarat, Pakistan to Mirpur, Azad Kashmir and got settled there. He belongs to the Gujjar Tribe and his sub-cast was Poswal. “Poswal” is the origin of the Arabic word “Boswal”, which means “one who asks questions”.
Mian Muhammad Bux, who wrote the famous folklore Saif-ul-Malook, is buried there in Khari Sharif. Saif-ul-Malook is a tale of a Prince who fell in love with a fairy called Badi-U-Jamal whom he saw in a dream. It is a series of chronicles of his journey, in search of the fairy and the spiritual lessons as well. Saif-ul-Malook is widely read and appreciated in all over Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan. A Council is working for the progress of Mian Muhammad Bux Poetry, specifically the Saif-ul-Malook.
Author: Fehmeeda Farid Khan
