Battle of Akora Khattak

Battle of Akora
Part of Wahhabi-Sikh War
Date 21 December 1826 [1] Location Akora Result Mujahideen victory [2] [3] [4]
Belligerents
Mujahideen	Sikh Empire
Commanders and leaders
Syed Ahmad Barelvi [5] [6] Khadi Khan Baqar Ali  † Allahbakhsh Khan  †	Budh Singh Sandhanwalia Atar Singh Sandhanwalia [7]
Strength
1,500 [2]	4,000 [5]
Casualties and losses
82 [5]	500–700 [2] [5] [8]

The Battle of AkoraKhattak was fought between the Sikh Empire and Mujahideen, mainly Pashtuns, under Syed Ahmad Barelvi.Yusufzai and Khattak Pashtuns, led by Khadi Khan, supported Sayyid, and the attack was successful, resulting in significant casualties for the opposition. ^{[9] [10]}

Battle

Akora, located 18 miles from Attock across the Indus, held strategic importance. The area was inhabited by Khattak Afghans led by Najaf Khan, who retreated into the hills when the Sikhs conquered Peshawar. At this time, Budh Singh Sandhanwalia was stationed in Akora with 4,000 troops. ^[5] Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi gathered his Pashtun soldiers for a nocturnal assault. His forces comprised Kandharis, Yusafzais, and Khattaks. In the early morning of December 21, 1826, when the Sikhs were sleeping in the bitter cold, Allahbakhsh Khan led the Ghazis in their attack and repulsed the Sikhs. Sayyid's forces lost 36 Hindustanis and 46 Kandahari Pashtuns, including Patna's Maulvi Baqar Ali and their leader Allahbakhsh Khan, while the Sikhs lost between 500 and 700 well-equipped soldiers. ^{[8] [11]}

Aftermath

Following the successful guerrilla attack, the Yusufzai and Khattak tribesmen, having suffered very few casualties, returned to the hills. Subsequently, these tribesmen launched numerous guerrilla attacks against the Sikhs. ^[5] The Sayyid's army again attacked the Sikhs which ultimately led to the Battle of Shaidu.

See also

• Battle of Shaidu
• Battle of Haidru (1828)
• Battle of Balakot

References

1. Altaf Qadir 2014, p. 13.
2. Altaf Qadir 2014, p. 62.
3. Metcalf, Barbara D. (14 July 2014). Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband, 1860-1900. Princeton University Press. p. 62. ISBN   978-1-4008-5610-7. his followers having won the allegiance of some of the local tribes, he attacked and defeated the Sikhs at Akora Khattak.
4. Ziad, Waleed (16 November 2021). Hidden Caliphate: Sufi Saints Beyond the Oxus and Indus. Harvard University Press. p. 182. ISBN   978-0-674-24881-6. Sayyid Ahmad's Mujahidin managed to defeat the Sikh armies
5. Hari Ram Gupta 1978, p. 161.
6. Politics of Worship in the Contemporary Middle East: Sainthood in Fragile States. BRILL. 15 April 2013. ISBN   9789004249226.
7. Sir Jadunath Sarkar Commemoration Volumes: Essays presented to Sir Jadunath Sarkar. Department of History, Panjab University. 1958.
8. Mohamed Taher 1998, p. 196.
9. Rashid, Haroon (2002). History of the Pathans: The Sarabani Pathans. Haroon Rashid. p. 267.
10. "Syed Ahmad Barelvi profile". Story of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
11. McQueen, Sir John W. (1994). Unseen Faces and Untold Cases, Heroes and Villains of Sikh Rule. Bahri Publications. p. 96.

Sources

• Altaf Qadir (2014). Sayyid Ahmad Barailvi: His Movement and Legacy from the Pukhtun Perspective. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN   978-93-5150-486-3.
• Mohamed Taher (1998). Muslim Political Thought in India. Anmol Publications. ISBN   978-81-7488-943-0.
• Hari Ram Gupta (1978). History of the Sikhs: The Sikh Lion of Lahore, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1799-1839. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN   978-81-215-0515-4.