1 MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH. 349
2 planation,,and without even having an interview with him, he ordered! him
3 to be instantly seized, and he was heavily ironed and cast into a dungeon.
4 Mian Ashak Mohamed, the father-in-law of the unfortunate man, and
5 his colleague, Mian Mohkam Din, were much distressed at hearing this, and,
6 taking with them Choudhri Kukka, Ashraff Khan, and many other influen-
7 tial Mahomedans of the city, went in a body to.Chet Singh to convince him
8 of Badr-ud-din’s innocence, and obtain his release. They failed, however, to
9 obtain a hearing, and were summarily dismissed from the presence of the
10 sardar, who, with an air of arrogance, had recourse to insulting language.
11 The chiefs returned, greatly disappointed and highly incensed at the haughty
12 conduct of the sardar, and swore vengeance against Chet Singh and his
13 friends the Chhatmnis, the originators of the trouble. Negotiations were kept
14 up for nearly a month to obtain Badr-ud-din’s release, but without avail, A'll
15 attempts to obtain redress. having failed, it was at length resolved to have
16 recourse to other means, A petition was drawn up, signed by Hakim Hakam
17 Rai, Bhdéi Gurbaksh Singh, Mian Ashak Mohamed, Mian Mohkam Din,
18 Mohamed Bdkar, Mohamed Tahir, Mufti Mohamed Mokarram, Mir Shadi and
19 ‘other leading citizens of Lahore, to the address of Ranjit Singh, describ-
20 ing at full length the conduct of the three governors of Léhore, and the
21 discontent which prevailed in the town, consequent on their ill-treatment of
22 the people. The few troops which were retained, were insufficient for the
23 protection of thee town and citadel, the people were oppressed, and their
24 administration was detested. ‘The suburbs of the city, 16 was represent-
25 ed, had been completely devastated, not, a house being left with a roof,
26 the rafters and beams having been all burnt or taken away by those in
27 authority. Within the city walls, nearly half the town had been deserted,
28 and many streets and mohkallas were depopulated ; the governors were
29 habitually carousing, and were constantly in a state of semi-inebriety, and
30 in order to support these Bacchanalia, they were obliged to plunder the
31 citizens,
32 The Sukerchakia chief was, on these grounds, invited to come and’
33 occupy Léhore; only his presence, it was said, was required. at the capital,
34 the petitioners engaging to do all that was necessary for securing the object
35 in view. One of their number took this letter to Ranjit Singh, who was
36 at the time at Rasulnagar, otherwise known as Ramnagar. A similar
37 message was sent by the Lahore citizens to Sadé Kour, Ranjit’s mother-in-
38 law, at this time at the head of the Kanhia confederacy, inviting her
39 co-operation, and requesting her to join in the enterprise. Ranjit Singh, on
40 receiving this letter, deputed his agent Kazi Abdul Rahman, a native of
41 Rasulnagar, to go to Lédhore and open negotiations personally with Mian
42 Ashak Mohamed, Mian Mohkam Din, manager for Chet Singh, and other
43 principal Mussalman inhabitants, and to let him know the result as expedi-
44 tiously as possible. These preliminaries being over, and an assurance being
45 given to Ranjit Singh that, on his approach, one of the gates of the city
46 would be opened to him, he made all the necessary preparations for war.
47 Having assembled all the troops he could collect, he repaired to Batala to
48 consult his mother-in-law, Sad& Kour. She joined her son-in-law with all
49 her available troops, and to these were added a large number of Akalis
50 and Mazbis. The united forces then marched to Amritsar, headed by
51 Ranjit Singh and his mother-in-law, it being given out that, the Suker-
52 chakia chief was going on his usual visit to that city to perform his
53 ablutious in the holy tank. From Amritsar, he proceeded in one march.
54 to Lahore, at the head, in all, of about five thousand men, who were chiefly
55 stragglers
56 He is seized by Chet
57 Singh.
58 Failure of 2 deputa-
59 tion to Chet Singh to
60 obtain Badr-ud-din’s
61 release,
62 The citizens of
63 Lahore invite Ranjit
64 Singh to occupy the
65 city.
66 A similar message
67 sent to Sada Kour,
68 Ranjft, accompanied
69 by Sad& Kour, marches
70 to Lahore,
71 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com