A history of the Sikhs, from the origin of the nation to the battles of the Sutlej.

CIIAP. VI

KASHMIR ANNEXED

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was found ready to receive them. The Afghans repulsed 1819-20.
the invaders, and mastered two guns; but they did not hisdomiimprove their success, and the rallied Sikhs again attacked nions,1819.
them, and won an almost bloodless victory.l
A few months after Kashmir had been added to the The DeraLahore dominions, Ranjit Singh moved in person to the Indus ahnsouth of the Punjab, and Dera Ghazi Khan on the Indus, nexed to
Lahore,
another dependency of Kabul, was seized by the victorious 1819-20.
Sikhs. The Nawab of Bahawalpur, who held lands under
Ranjit Singh in the fork of the Indus and Chenab, had two
years before made a successful attack on the Durrani chief
of the place, and it was now transferred to him in form,
although his Cis-Sutlej possessions had virtually, but not
formally, been taken under British protection in the year
1815, and he had thus become, in a measure, independent
of the Maharaja's power.2 During the year 1820 partial
attempts were made to reduce the turbulent Muhammadan
tribes to the south-west of Kashmir, and, in 1821, Ranjit
Singh proceeded to complete his conquests on the Central
Indus by the reduction of Dera Ismail Khan. The strong
fort of Mankera, situated between the two westernmost
rivers of the Punjab, was held out for a time by Hafiz
Ahmad Khan, the father of the titular governor, who
scarcely owned a nominal subjection to Kabul; but the
promise of honourable terms induced him to surrender
before the end of the year, and the country on the right bank
of the Indus, including Dera Ismail Khan, was left to him
as a feudatory of Lahore.3
Muhammad Azim had succeeded to the power of his Muhambrother, Fateh Khan, and, being desirous of keeping Ranjit ad Azide
Singh to the left bank of the Indus, he moved to Peshawar sirous of
in the year 1822, accompanied by Jai Singh, the fugitive securinga
Peshawar,
1818-21;
1 Cf. Murray, Ranjzt Singh, pp. 122-4.
2 Government to Superintendent Ambala, 15th Jan., 1815, and
Sir D. Ochterlony to Government, 23rd July, 1815. Cf. Murray,
Ranjft Singh, p. 124. The Bahawalpur Memoirs state that Ranjit
Singh came down the Sutlej as far as Pakpattan, with the view of
seizing Bahawalpur, but that a show of resistance having been made,
and some presents offered, the Maharaja moved westward.
3 Cf. Murray, Ranjit Singh, pp. 129, 130, and Sir A. Burnes' Kabul,
p. 92.