During my fieldwork on the history of Chitral more than four decades ago, an old man told me a story about his failure to avail himself of a golden opportunity. He was a member of the Bodyguard Force of Chitral and was on duty at the capital Fort. On that day, Mehtar Shujaul Mulk had breathed his last, and a scramble for immediate occupation of the throne was in progress.
Prince Nasirul Mulk was at Mastuj, Muzaffarul Mulk at Shagram and Khadive Mulk at Drasen. According to the old family tradition, the prince who reached the Fort first occupied the throne, as was well known to the people.
Prince Nasirul Mulk sprinted from Mastuj upon receiving the news of the death, changing his tired horses at each village. The man in question was on duty at the main gate, which had been shut for the night. He had been instructed not to open the gate without first asking the identity of any of the princes.
Nasirul Mulk reached the gate first at night and was asked about his identity. However, the Sepoy of the Bodyguard on duty at the gate did not have the presence of mind to obtain a written promise from the prince before opening the door, nor could he secure an oral promise of a good reward for opening the gate. The prince outside was in a hurry to enter the Fort and occupy the throne.
The unlucky Sepoy opened the gate and let him in. The prince, too, did not ask about his identity. Consequently, the opportunity to receive a handsome reward, a gift or even landed property was lost, and the golden opportunity slipped away.
That man regretted his lack of presence of mind for the rest of his life. He could have secured a valuable gift from the prince at that critical moment when he was entering the Fort to occupy the throne.
Related:
Distortion of Chitral’s history