DeraJaat is a region of Punjab, located in the area where the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab meet. DeraJaat is bound by the Indus River to the east and the mountains to the west. The region consists of three districts, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan, and Rajanpur. Actual and original inhabitants of these Deras are called Derawal and the dialect of Punjabi they speak is called as Derawali Punjabi.
The DeraJaat owes its existence as a historical area to the Baloch infiltration in the fifteenth century. Langah is an Afghan tribe. They came to Multan along with Sultan Mahmoud of Ghaznavi from Afghanistan. The tribe had ruled Multan for around 80 years before the attack of Mughal Emperor Babar. Sultan Husain, the Langah sovereign of Multan, being unable to hold his trans-Indus possessions due to the revolt of Derawali Punjabis, therefore, he called in Baloch mercenaries and assigned these territories to Malik Sohrab Dodai in Jagir. Malik Sohrab Dodai was accompanied by his sons, Ghazi Khan, Fatih Khan, and Ismail Khan.
Malik Sohrab Dodai sons, Ghazi Khan, Ismail Khan, and Fateh Khan founded the three Deras or 'settlements' named after them. Dera Ghazi Khan founded by Ghazi Khan Mirani, Dera Fateh Khan founded by the Fateh Khan and Dera Ismail Khan founded by Ismail Khan Dodai. This move is seen as the establishment of the Baloch presence in Punjab, as Dodai was followed by fellow Baloch mercenaries. Shah Hussain of Langah dynasty encouraged them by offering them lands extending from Kot Kehor (Karor Lal Esan) to Dhankot (present-day Muzaffargarh).
On Babar's conquest of Northern India in 1526 Baba Nanak revolted against Babar therefore due to Punjabi uprising in Punjab Babar allied the Hooth tribe of Baloch mercenaries in DeraJaat, and at his death, the DeraJaat became a dependency of his son Kamran Mirza, the ruler of Kabul. During the era of Humayun, due to the increase of Punjabi unrest in Punjab Humayun increased the Baloch infiltration in DeraJaat and Southern areas of Punjab. Humayun settled Mir Chakar Khan Rind under the command of his son, Mir Shahdad Khan Rind in Sahiwal in 1555 and provided them Jagirs. During era of Akbar, due to revolt of Dulla Bhatti against Akbar and selecting the area of Bhakkar for his hideout Mughal Emperor Akbar increased the infiltration of Baloch mercenaries in DeraJaat and all the Baloch tribes were acknowledged the overlordship of the Hooth Nawabs, who ruled for about fifteen generations at Dera Ghazi Khan, taking alternately the style of 'Malik' and ` Ghazi Khan.' At Dera Ismail Khan ruled the Hooth Baloch chiefs, who bore the title of Ismail Khan from father to son and also held Darya Khan and Bhakkar, east of the Indus. Early in the eighteenth century, the Hooths lost their supremacy, being overwhelmed by the Kalhora Dynasty, the Kalhoras of Sind.
In 1739 after Nadir Shah had defeated the Mughals and acquired all the territory west of the Indus, he made the Wazir, Mahmud Khan Gujar, the governor in Dera Ghazi Khan under the Kalhora chief, who also became his vassal. Under Ahmad Shah Durrani the Kalhoras now in a state of decadence, contended for the possession of Dera Ghazi Khan, but Mahmud Khan Gujar appears to have been its real governor. He was succeeded by his nephew, who was killed in 1779, and the Durranis then appointed governors direct for a period of thirty-two years. Meanwhile, the last of the Hooth chiefs of Dera Ismail Khan had been deposed in 1770, and his territories also were administered from Kabul. In 1794 Humayun Shah attempted to deprive Zaman Shah Durrani of his kingdom, but he was defeated and fell into the hands of Muhammad Khan Sadozai, governor of the Sind Sagar Doab.
As a reward for this capture, Zaman Shah bestowed the province of Dera Ismail Khan on Nawab Muhammad Khan, who governed it from Mankera by a deputy. His son-in-law, Hafiz Ahmad Khan, surrendered at Mankera to Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1821, and at the same time tribute was imposed by the Maharaja Ranjit Singh on the chiefs of Tank (Sarwar Khan) and Sagar. Dera Fateh Khan was also occupied; but Dera Ismail Khan, to which Hafiz Ahmad Khan was permitted to retire in the fall of Mankera, remained independent till 1836, when Nao Nihal Singh deposed Muhammad Khan, the son of Hafiz Ahmad Khan, and appointed Diwan Lakhi Mal to be Kardar. Diwan Lakhi Mal held this post until his death in 1843 and was succeeded by his son Diwan Daulat Rai, who enjoyed the support of the Multani Pathan Sardars. He was bitterly opposed by Malik Fateh Khan Tiwana, who had also procured a nomination as Kardar from the Durbar of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
The DeraJaat passed to the British in 1849 and on the recommendation of Herbert Edwardes, General Van Cortlandt was appointed as the Kardar of DeraJaat. Due to creating a province of NWFP (North West Frontier Province) by the British in 1901 on northwestern areas of Punjab, DeraJaat was divided between the Districts of Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab and Dera Ismail Khan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Hindu Derawali Punjabis, and Sikh Derawali Punjabis migrated to India, remaining original inhabitants of these Deras Muslim Derawali Punjabis and the area of Derajaat fallen under the domination of Baloch infiltrators.
