1 Intrigues against
2 Manni at the court of
3 Delhi.
4 We is deprived of his
5 charge of Multan,
6 which is made over to
7 Shahnawaz,
8 Manni resists,
9 999 - HISTORY OF THE PANJAB.
10 tha Omerahs in the Imperial Court at Delhi, who contrived to throw him
11 into disfavour by proposing to the puppet king that the governorship of
12 Multépn should be conferred on Shahnawdz Khan. The Omerah: who most
13 dreaded Mannt’s power was the Wazir Safdar Jang, who was forming plans
14 for asserting his own independence in the province of Oudh. Mir Manni
15 was deprived of the governorship of Multén, which was conferred on Shah-
16 nawéz Khan. Manni was not a man who would allow himself to be
17 calmly superseded by his nephew, whom he had himself supplanted in
18 Léhore. Relying on his own resources, and being fully aware of the im-
19 becility of the Delhi Emperor and of his weakness, he resolved ona
20 rupture with the new governor and detached his minister, Koura Mal,
21 to resist him by force of arms. Shahnawdz Khan, having collected: all
22 his troops, came on to the frontier of Multdn to give the dewdn battle.
23 Several skirmishes took place with varied success, and for about six months
24 - the new governor of Multdén maintained his ground, but at the end of that
25 Shahnawaiz is defeat-
26 ed and slain.
27 Koura Mal created
28 subadar of Multan, |
29 with the title of raja.
30 Manntt withholds
31 tribute from Almad
32 Shah,
33 Third invasion of
34 Ahmad Shah, 1751-52,
35 Mir Manni marches
36 to the Chinab to oppose
37 the progress of the
38 invader,
39 Ahmad Shah pro-
40 eceds to Lahore with-
41 out rishing battl:,
42 period a decisive battle was fought which determined his fate, and he was
43 himself slain and his whole army dispersed. Elated with the success which
44 had attended his follower’s arms, the viceroy of Léhore conferred on Koura
45 Mal the title of rdja, and created him the subadar of the province of
46 Multgn. ;
47 Mir Manni, now in the height of his glory, thought he was as much
48 independent ‘of ‘the imperial court at Delhi whose authority he had success-
49 fully baffled, as of the Abdali monarch, whom his diplomacy and prowess
50 had kept in check. He had subdued the turbulent Sikhs and cleared the
51 Mdnjha and the Dodb countries from the inroads of these mercenaries.
52 He therefore audaciously withheld from the Abdéli Shah the revenue of
53 the four districts which he had stipulated to pay him, thus affording him
54 a pretext for again crossing the Indus, which he did in the season of 1751-52.
55 Having advanced to the right bank of the Chindb, he sent his agent,
56 Dewan Sukh Jiwan Mal, to the Lahore governor, to demand the arrears of
57 revenue. Mir Mannu denied his Hability to pay anything in the shape of
58 subsidy to the Abdali Shah, adding that he had agreed to pay it previously
59 under stress of circumstances, but he did not consider the condition bound,
60 either party, and held that each was always at liberty to act according to
61 circumstances. As, however, the Shah had taken the trouble of coming to’
62 the Panjab, he would be glad to pay him such arrears as might be found
63 due, provided he forthwith retraced his steps to Kabul,as the zemindars
64 had all fled in consternation on hearing of the approach of the Abddli King,
65 and it was impossible to levy a tax of even a pice upon the people of the
66 country as long as the Durrdni troops remained where they were. None
67 knowing better than Manni himself that the reply made by him to the
68 Abddli King was neither satisfactory nor reassuring, he followed Sukh Jiwau
69 Mal himself to the Chinab, at the head of a large number of troops, to show
70 a bold front, expecting that the invader might thus be induced to retire.
71 He also requested Rajé Koura Mal, Nazim of Multan, and Adina Beg Khan,
72 Bahram Jang, governor of the Jalandar Dodb, to join him at the Chindb
73 with their respective forces. He sent his mother and family to Jammu,
74 where they would be safe and out of reach of all pursuit. Ahmad Shah,
75 without risking a battle, crossed the Chinab, and encamped between Sodra
76 and Wazirdbad. Marching then towards the Révi, he halted at a short
77 distance from the suburbs of Shahdard. Mir Manni crossed the Ravi at
78 the head of a considerable force, and pitched his tents opposite those of the
79 invader, Here he took up an intrenched position, and continuéd firing
80 was kept up on both sides for several days, but with no perceptible advantage
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