1 a
2 &£Z-UD-DIN ALAMGIR II. 229
3 Afghan army. Ahmad Shah was much incensed at these daring acts of
4 depredation, and threatened to punish the insurgents, but, as he was in a
5 hurry to set out for Turkistan in order to suppress a rebellion, he ordered his
6 son, Tymur Shah, to punish the Sikhs for the excesses they had committed.
7 The conqueror left his son, Tymttr Shah, in charge of the provinces on
8 the left bank of the Indus, including the territory of Multin and Lahore,
9 under the guidance of his able general and confidential officer, Jahan Khan.
10 The forces left with the prince were of no considerable strength, and | Arrangements for
11 consisted of a few Durrdni and Persian guards, with a detachment of troops eae of
12 raised in the country. Abdul Samed Khan Muhammad Zie was appointed
13 governor of Sirhind, Sarfrdz Khan Afghan Faujdar of Dodbd, or the country
14 ‘between the Sutlej] and Bids, and Buland Khan, Saddozie, a native of
15 Multan, subadar of Kdshmir.
16 After the departure of Ahmad Shah, prince Tymir governed the Panjab
17 with vigour and ability, and for one year peace and tranquillity reigned in
18 the province. The insurgent Sikhs were punished, their armed bands of le samnintstration
19 were thoroughly dispersed, and they were put under proper restraint. ee
20 Adina Beg Khan, who had assisted the Dehli minister in recovering
21 Lahore, and who, on the appearance of Ahmad Shah, had fled to the hills,
22 now appeared again on the scene. Opposed to the Afghan interest, he |, The Sikh clomont
23 established himself in the Jalandar Doab, and began to enlist the Sikhs in “""? ,
24 his service. His forbearance and connivance encouraged the Sikhs to create , Comivancoot Adina
25 fresh disturbances and give renewed trouble. They swarmed the country “8°”
26 between the Bids and the Sutlej, and carried on their depredations as far as
27 Amritsar, where Jassa Singh, the carpenter, had the audacity to restore the
28 Ram Rouni. Sikh bands were also seen ravaging the country around Kala-
29 naur and Batdla.
30 Tymiar’s first act was. to summon Adina Beg Khan to Léhore, as a de- _ Geis summoned to
31 pendant of his government. The wary veteran evaded compliance, alleging, 2"
32 as his excuse, that the turbulent Sikhs-were watching for a favourable oppor-
33 tunity, and that, were he to absent himself from his post, they would seize
34 the country and secure a permanent hold on it. Not satisfied with this _ Bet evades com-
35 excuse, the Abdali prince sent a detachment of troops under Murad Khan *
36 to punish the chief and take possession of the Dodb country. Sar Buland pjetooPs sent against
37 Khan and Sarfréz Khan, Afghans, accompanied the general in his expedi- “”
38 tion. Murad Khan crossed the Bids at the head of the Afghan troops.
39 Adina Beg Khan, collecting his Sikh troops, advanced to give battle to
40 Murad Khan, and a fight ensued in which the Léhore troops sustained a Are defoated.
41 signal defeat. Sar Buland Khan, one of the Afghan generals, being slain,
42 Murad Khan, and Sarfrdz Khan, seeing no recourse left them but flight,
43 retraced their steps to Léhore with the remnants of their troops.
44 The wazir, Jahédn Khan, now marched in person from Lahore, at the Warir Jahén Khan
45 head of a considerable army, to inflict chastisement on the insurrectionary oh ce hea
46 chieftain. At Batdla he was met by Murad Khan, whom the old wazir
47 suspected of treason and complicity with the enemy. Under his orders,
48 Murad Khan was executed at the tank of Shamsher Khan in Batdla.
49 Adina Beg Khan, on hearing of the approach of the wazir with a large ete aie
50 Afghan army, retired into the northern hills, his usual place of shelter. then
51 The young Afghan prince and his wazir, Jahdn Khan, now directed
52 their attention to punishing the increasing audacity of the Sikhs. Their tymiroxpots the
53 stronghold at Amritsar, called the Ram Rouni, was attacked and levelled Sihs trom Amritsar,
54 with the ground; the sacred reservoir was filled up, and all their places of
55 worship were defiled. This outrage on the sacred city of the Khdlsd pro-
56 voked the whole Sikh nation to such a degree that they assembled in
57 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com