Ngah Ibrahim was a Malay headman who succeeded his father Long Jaafar as headman and administrator of the district of Larut upon the death of his father in 1885. By the time of Sultan Ismail of Perak

Perak

Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

, Ngah Ibrahim had quarrelled with Raja Muda Abdullah, the son of the former sultan who had been passed over by the Royal Council in favour of Ismail. Abdullah sought to engineer a situation where the British would recognise him as Sultan and sought the services and recognition of Ngah Ibrahim. In return he appointed Ngah Ibrahim Mantri of Larut. The two of them had a falling-out and embroiled miners in the Larut area in their dispute which eventually resulted in intervention by the British, the treaties at Pangkor for the cessation of hostilities between the miners, the recognition of Abdullah as Sultan of Perak and the appointment of a British Resident whose advice must be asked and acted upon on all questions except those touching Malay religion and custom.