Thread by @NafeesRehmanDr

The Laila-Majnoon from Bannu whose unfortunate love-story not just stirred communal tensions but also started bloody rebellion in the North-West. The British used their military might including RAF airplanes to bring situation under 'control'.

On March 5 1936, a 15 years old

Hindu girl of Jandhukhel Bannu married Syed Amir Noor Ali Shah after conversion to Islam at a local mosque. Ram Kuri, the girl, was given a new name Noor Jehan. Her father was called Mewa Ram and her mother, a widow, was called Mensa Devi.

Soon after the marriage, Mensa Devi

filed a complaint of abduction of her daughter and that her daughter was underage and she was tricked into becoming a Muslim.

The couple kept running from the authorities for some time but was caught and sent to Jail. The girl told the authorities that her name was Islam Bibi

and that her conversion and marriage were her conscious decisions. She refused to go with her mother and was handed over to Samandar Khan, a Sikh, until she is of 16 years of age. Her marriage was declared invalid as she was underage at that time.

Noor Ali Shah was sentenced

rigorous prison time at Haripur for two years. During these proceedings, the tribesmen continued to protest and attack govt installations as they thought the govt was taking the other party's side and was meddling in the religious/tribal affairs.

in the mean time, Islam Bibi

was transported to Hoshiarpur. The streets & crosses at Bannu quickly saw paramilitary forces with tanks. Martial law was imposed throughout the city and in the surroundings.

The tribes gathers large lashkars of about 10,000/ men under the Faqir of Ipi to fight the British.

British-Indian forces were attacked, with tens killed and many tribesmen also lost their lives. The RAF were also called and the tribal villages were bombed.

It is alleged that another girl was presented at court at Hoshiarpur and converted back to Hindu religion. Nothing is more known of what actually happened to her later.

Noor Ali Shah served his sentences but always wandered around looking for her lost-love. After a year or so,

he disappeared and nothing is known of him since then. END

Read here if you want to know more about the love story, drhaidershah.com/2012/03/23/fro…

Photos of Islam Bibi and Noor Ali shah are taken from the following book.

Rauf Khalid made a movie Laaj on the subject in 2003.

dailymotion.com/video/x2drz35