CONQUEST OF SIND (1843)

In September 1842. Sir Charles Napier was sent to Sind as commander of the British forces with full civil, political, and military powers. He told the Amirs that he was convinced that the charges of disloyalty against them during the Afghan War were well founded.

The treaty with them must be revised, and that would mean cession of territory, provision of fuel for steamers on the Indus, and the loss of the right of coinage. Before the Amirs could indicate their assent to these terms, Napier acted as if they had refused them. He razed the fortress of Imamgarh to the ground.

Under the threat of war, the Amirs hastened to accept the demands. But their patience was exhausted, and they rose in revolt. Defeated at Miani on February 17, 1843, they were exiled, and Sind was annexed. The British treatment of the Amirs was high-handed. Outram condemned it so did the Court of Directors. Even Napier and frankly admitted

“…. We have to right to seize Sind, yet we shall do so and a very advantageous, useful humane piece of rascality it will be…”

PUNJAB

Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh kingdom of the Punjab, was a capable ruler and a great statesman. He had seized Lahore in 1799 and made it his capital, and from that point he had extended his conquests to Multan in the south, Peshawar in the west and Kashmir in the north. He died on June 27, 1839; he left no successor capable of wielding his sceptre.

 The process of disintegration of the kingdom started when Kharak Singh, the successor of Ranjit Singh and his only son Naunihal Singh were killed in 1840. There followed a disputed succession to the throne.

CHAND KAUR, widow of Kharak Singh, was helped by the Sandhanwalia chiefs, while price Sher Singh, a reputed son of Ranjit Singh, was supported by the powerful minister Dhian Singh. Both parties sought the help of the British Government promising in return valuable territory.

The Sandhanwalia Chiefs staged a coup murdered Sher Singh and Dhian Singh in 1843, but they in their turn were exterminated by Hira Singh, the son of Dhian Singh. Hira Singh, who had seized power by lavish inducements to the army, failed to make good his promises. He lost his life on December 21, 1844, in a conspiracy organized by Jawahar Singh, brother of Rani Jindan the widow of Ranjit Singh.

The Rani now ruled the Punjab with the help of her brother and her advisers Lal Singh and Tej Singh. But the real ruling authority was the army. The army and the civil government were working at cross-purposes.

The army favoured the claims of price Peshawara Singh as against those of Dalip Singh, the infant son of Rani Jindan. Jawahar Singh, here brother, brought about the murder of Peshawara Singh, the result was that he was tried by the military panchayats and executed or September 21, 1845.

FIRST SIKH WAR (1845-46)

The First Sikh War with the British began in December 1845, the Khalsa army under Tej Singh crossed the Sutlej and swung into position for an attack on the small, isolated British force under Littler at Ferozepore.

 The other British detachments were still far away, at Ludhiana and Ambala respectively. A vigorous offensive would have yielded good results. The Sikhs fought bravely but they lacked good leadership, and were defeated at Mudki (December 18, 1845), Feroze shah (December 21, 1845), Aliwal (January 28, 1846), and Sobraon (February 10, 1846).

TREATY OF LAHORE

        The Treaty of Lahore(March, 1846) Dalip Singh, the infant son of Ranjit Singh, was recognized as Raja, the Jullundur Doab, or tract between the Sutlej and the Beas, was added to British territory; the Sikh army was limited to a specified number a British Resident was appointed to assist the Sikh ‘Council or Regency’ at Lahore with Rani Jindan as Regent and Lal Singh as Wazir, a British force was sent to garrison the Punjab on behalf of the child-Raja, and a heavy war indemnity of one and half crores of rupees was imposed on the Lahore durbar.

The Jammu and Kashmir state was handed over to Gulab Singh in return for 75 lakhs of rupees. The Governor of Kashmir refused to surrender the territory, but the revolt was put down.

TREATY OF BHIROWAL

A few months later by the Treaty of Bhairowal (December 1846) Rani Jindan was deprived of all power and the administration was to be carried on by a ‘Council of Regency’ composed of eight leading chiefs under the virtual dictatorship of the British Resident.