Lehal Library

Ahmed Shah Abdali 159 his hands on the Sikhs, but they eluded him every time.~ At last the wild goose chase and the insufferable heat wore him out. He gave Najibuddaulah leave to return to his dominions, which were being ravaged by the Sikhs,61 and turned his back on the Punjab. AbdaJj was barely across the Indus when the three Sardars turned up to reoccupy Labore. The Afghan governor could not count on the collaboration of any of the citizens-not even of the Muslims, in whose interests Abdali had often professed to act. They petitioned the governor to hand over the capital to Lehna Singh: 'The people are very glad and satisfied with the rule of the Sikhs. They might open the city gates in the night or break holes in the city walls and thus admit them into the town. You will in that case fall a victim to their wrath. In our opinion, therefore, you should have an interview with them and after having settled something for yourself by way ofallowance orjagir should entrust the town to them. •n,; By the end of 1767, the Sikhs had retaken the whole of the Punjab. In the north and north-west Gujjar Singh reduced Lhe Muslim tribes of the Salt range and Pothobar and established his deputy in Rawalpindi. In the south-east, Sikh horsemen swarmed adding Bamezei to his own name on the official seal. (Ganda Singh, Ahmed Shli./1 Durrani, p. 317.) 63 Nur Mohammed mentions a victory over the Sikhs in the Mani Majra hills in March 1767 when the Afghans and Rohillas 'brought away large numbers of captive men and women from the region, but the Sikh leader escaped. Much plundered property was sold cheap in the Durrani Camp, co captives also.' The ex:pedition was nOL a great success as the Shah ·was overcome by the jackal tricks of the Sikhs,' (J. N. Sarkar, Fall ofthe Mughal Empin, 11, 365-6.) Miskin, however, refers Lo a battle in May 1767 in which 9000 Sikhs were killed. Folio 267-8. 64 'The Sikhs had ta.ken shelter in places of difficult access, but the king struck at them wherever he could lind them. News was received that the guru of the Sikhs had concealed himself in the hills of Mani Majra. TI1ere the enemy ·of Ahmed Shah, accompanied by Afzal Khan. brother of Najibuddaulah, seized many men and women and made them slaves bm the gum could not be capll.1red.' (Na;1buddauliih, p. 121.) 65 Aliuddin, 130 B; H. R. Gupta, History of the Sii!hr, I, 262.