Battle of Qarawal | |||||||
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Part of Afghan-Sikh wars | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Durrani Empire Khanate of Kalat | Sukerchakia Misl | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ahmad Shah Durrani Nasir Khan Gahram Khan † Ahmad Khan † | Charat Singh [1] [2] | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
18,000 Durrani forces [3] 12,000 from Kalat [3] (Invasion force, unknown present at battle) | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown |
The Battle of Qarawal was fought between the Sikhs under the command of Charat Singh against the Afghan forces led by Ahmad Shah Abdali and his Kalat ally Mir Nasir Khan I.The battle resulted in a victory for the Afghan forces and forced the Sikhs to withdraw to Amritsar.
Following Ahmad Shah's sixth campaign and his withdrawal, the Sikhs took advantage of his absence by expanding Sikh influence over the Punjab. The Sikhs defeated the Afghans at Kasur and much of the Jalandhar Doaba was overrun by the Sikhs. [4] And early in January 1764, Sirhind also fell to Sikh control. [5]
Hearing news of this, Ahmad Shah was enraged and began mobilizing for another invasion of India. Ahmad Shah mobilized 18,000 men and also called upon Nasir Khan of Kalat. [6] Ahmad Shah and Nasir Khan marched their forces across the Punjab, with Nasir Khan crossing the Ravi river. The two forces united at Eminabad. [7] The following day, Ahmad Shah marched to the Ravi river again, before marching on Lahore. Ahmad Shah then held a Durbar in the fort of Lahore. [7]
The next morning, news arrived that the Sikhs had attacked Qarawal, with two of the sardars there, Gahram Khan and Ahmad Khan requesting immediate support. Ahmad Khan and his son were killed in the battle. [8]
Following this, Afghan reinforcements to the battle arrived under Nasir Khan, and fighting began. Nasir Khan himself came forward in the battle and begin skirmishing. Charat Singh then advanced to oppose him. However, Nasir Khan charged upon him, to which, Charat Singh fled to the safety of his troops. [9] During this, a Sikh gunner shot Nasir Khan's horse, killing it. Despite this, Nasir Khan returned to his troops unharmed, and his men chanted "Bismillah" for his safe return. Two of Nasir's servants, Muhammad Husain and Mir Mangah killed the Sikh gunner. [9] [10]
As the rest of the Durrani reinforcements came into battle, the Sikhs were routed from the battlefield, and fled from the battle at night. [11]
Following this victory, Ahmad Shah advised Nasir Khan to not fight again in the front ranks of battle. [12] [10] After his battle with Charat Singh, Ahmad Shah received news that the Sikhs had retreated to the city of Amritsar. Ahmad Shah and the Afghan forces entered Amritsar on December 1, 1764.It was at Amritsar that he would get into a skirmish with Baba Gurbaksh Singh along with 29 other Sikh defenders at Shri Harmandir Sahib.It was in this skirmish that all 30 Sikh defenders were killed and the Shri Harmandir Sahib was destroyed under the orders of Ahmad Shah. [13] [14]
The Sukerchakia Misl was one of twelve Sikh misls in Punjab during the 18th century, concentrated in Gujranwala and Hafizabad districts in western Punjab and ruled from (1752–1801). The misl, or grouping with its own guerilla militia, was founded by Charat Singh of Sandhawalia, grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The last Sukerchakia Misldar was Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh united all the misls and established an independent Sikh Empire.
The Durrani dynasty was founded in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani at Kandahar, Afghanistan. He united the different Pashtun tribes and created the Durrani Empire. which at its peak included the modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, as well as some parts of northeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India including the Kashmir Valley.
Jassa Singh Ramgarhia (1723–1803) was a prominent Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy. He was the founder of the Ramgarhia Misl.
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Sardar Charat Singh, also romanised as Charhat Singh, was the founder of Sukerchakia Misl, father of Mahan Singh, and the grandfather of Ranjit Singh, the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He distinguished himself at an early age in campaigns against Ahmad Shah Abdali and along with 150 horsemen split from the Singhpuria Misl to establish the Sukerchakia Misl, a separate grouping with its distinct guerilla militia.
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Timur Shah Durrani, also known as Timur Shah Abdali or Taimur Shah Abdali was the second ruler of the Afghan Durrani Empire, from November 1772 until his death in 1793. An ethnic Pashtun, he was the second eldest son of Ahmad Shah Durrani.
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