Battle of Sialkot (1789)

Last updated
Battle of Sialkot
Part of Afghan-Sikh Wars
DateJanuary 1789
Location
Near Sialkot
Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
Sikh Akali flag.svg Dal Khalsa Abdali flag.png Durrani Empire
Commanders and leaders
Sikh Akali flag.svg Natha Singh Abdali flag.png Timur Shah Durrani
Abdali flag.png Ataullah Khan 
Strength
Unknown 120,000 [1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown
  • Ataullah Khan killed by Natha Singh

The Battle of Sialkot was fought in January 1789 by the Sikh forces led by Natha Singh and Afghan forces led by Timur Shah Durrani.

Background

In 1788, Timur Shah Durrani attempted to annex parts of Punjab to his empire. His army numbered 120,000 and he started his campaign in Punjab during the winter of 1788. [1] He marched towards Bahawalpur, trying to avoid the Sikhs at all costs. [2] During the campaign, the Shah was supported by Jodhpur and Jaipur. [3]

Battle

However, Giani Gian Singh is against this claim. He says that there were many skirmishes between the Sikhs and the Shah, one of them being near Sialkot. Here the two parties fought and the Afghan commander Ataullah Khan was slain by Natha Singh. [4]

Aftermath

The Afghans had looted 6,000,000 rupees in this campaign. The Shah realized that his brother-in-law Shah Alam II was blinded by Ghulam Qadir, who had been plundering Delhi for a long time. [5] Therefore, he prepared an operation in order to return Shah Alam II to the throne. He was however informed that the Marathas had already crowned him the emperor, which made him retreat. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 Hari Ram Gupta (1982). History Of The Sikhs Vol. IV The Sikh Commonwealth Or Rise And Fall Of Sikh Misls. p. 445.
  2. Shahāmat Álī (1848). The History of Bahawalpur. p. 189.
  3. Patwant Singh (2000). The Sikhs. p. 97. ISBN   9780375407284.
  4. Singh, Giani Gian (1898). Panth Prakash. pp. 914–925.
  5. Varma, Birendra (1969). "Afghan Ambassadors in India (1773–1800)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 31: 335–343. ISSN   2249-1937. JSTOR   44138392.
  6. Gandhi, Rajmohan (14 September 2013). Punjab: A History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten. Aleph Book Company. ISBN   9789383064410.[ permanent dead link ]

See also