DND Report

There has been a cliché that foreigners had never ruled Afghanistan and it is also contrary to history that Afghans defeated invaders. This cliché was deliberately developed by British historians and the same fabricated history had been texted in history books even after the British empire left the subcontinent. This is also a cliche that Afghans do not allow ‘foreign boots’ on their soil because this soil had always been under the soles of running horses of invaders and foreign rulers.

Historically, Afghans ruled Afghanistan only for a short period of the Durrani Empire (1747–1823), and that too with the direct support of the British Empire. London wanted a buffer state between the Russian Empire that was extended to Central Asia while the British Empire was slicing Muslim rulers and local princely states with the active help of Afghan invaders to extend the British Empire in the Indo-Subcontinent. Afghans were encouraged and financially supported by British Army officers and undercover agents to attack Punjab which was the only place left resisting British forces. In Hazara, British officers used a ‘religious card’ against Sikh rulers because Hazara was unconquerable to British forces that had already cleansed other parts of the Indo-Subcontinent.

Before going into detail about the ruthless defeats Afghans faced from Sikhs, one should have a look at over 3000 years of history of Afghanistan to understand that the clichés ‘Afghanistan had never been ruled by foreigners” is categorically contrary to historical perspectives.

Afghanistan had been under the control of many empires, including the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Arab Muslims, the Mongols, Uzbeks (Amir Taimur—Babar—Mughal Empire), Takht-e-Lahore of Raja Ranjit Singh, the British Empire and for a short period under the Soviet Union (Ref: “The Pre-Islamic Period”. Afghanistan Country Study written by Griffin, Luke).

In 3000 years of history, Afghans had always been ruled by foreigners except for some years of the Durrani Empire (1747–1823) and that was too with the direct support of the British Empire the modern independent state of Afghanistan was also a gift of the British Empire for addressing its concerns of the rising influence of Russia in Turkestan.

While reading the history of Afghanistan it should be remembered that the Ghaznavid dynasty was neither a Pushtun dynasty nor an Afghan dynasty rather it was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic mamluk origin (Turkic origin from the Eurasian Steppe) that ruled Afghanistan as Ghaznavid Empire from 977 but in 1040, the Seljuq Turkmens defeated the Ghaznavids at the Battle of Dandanaqan, which resulted in the loss of Ghaznavid territories in Iran and Central Asia (Ref: Encyclopedia of Britannica).

Historically, the modern state of Afghanistan began in the 18th century (Ref: “Afghan Circulations in the Persianate World, c. 1000–1800” written by Hannah Archambault) with the short-lived Durrani Afghan Empire (1747–1772). Maharaja Ranjit Singh did not let Afghans enjoy their hegemony and an 18-year-old boy from Gujranwala (Punjab) continued launching offensives over Afghans till they were completely rooted out from Punjab.

To understand what Afghan looters were doing with Punjab, one should review the poetry of Sufi saints Waris Shah (1722 – 1798 ) and Bullah Shah (1680–1757) who expressed that Afghans had not only been looting Punjab rather they were raping women and children of Punjab irrespective of their religious background and they looting every home that had money or grain (Ref: ‘Afghan invaders and Waris Shah’ written by Shafqat Tanvir Mirza published in daily Dawn and “Bulleh Shah: demystifying mystic fires” written by Mushtaq Soofi published in Daily Dawn). This could be a reason that the poetry of Sufi Punjabi poets had been discouraged by British rulers because their poetry indicated the true face of British-backed Afghan looters.

The first conquering of Lahore by Ahmed Shah Durrani took place on 12 January 1748 while his eighth and last attack on Lahore was on 17 January 1767. Western historians have avoided pen circumstances that forced him to attack eight times just in 19 years. If he had successfully controlled and subjugated Punjab, there was no need to attack again. The oral history of Punjab that has yet to be documented academically indicates that the youth of Punjab did not allow Afghans to rule calmly and successfully and the constant struggle of 19 years was unbearable for Afghans to rule Punjab peacefully. The maximum that they could was loot, plunder, and run away leaving their agents behind to rule who had been forced to run to Kabul later or sooner.

After receiving reports of the mass slaughtering of Afghans Ahmad Shah announced ‘Jihad’ (holy war) against the Sikh Army but his Jihad March towards Punjab was defeated in 1764

On 12 January 1748, Ahmad Shah Durrani with the alleged financial support of British army officers invaded and occupied Lahore, and the Mughal governor of Lahore, Shah Nawaz Khan, fled to Delhi. Lahore was left at the mercy of Afghans and the majority of the city was burnt down after looting. This backdrop compelled the youth of Punjab to stand against barbaric attacks of Afghans who were financed and supported by British Army officers who had no courage to fight in Punjab. After invading Lahore, Ahmad Shah Durrani tried to march further but was defeated at the Battle of Manupur (March 1748) by the Mughals in alliance with Sikh youth who stood to protect the Mughals against the alleged Afghan-British alliance. Ahmad Shah Durrani ran away from the Manipur battleground and fled back to Kandahar and allegedly contacted British army officers to help him again to attack Punjab. However, his fleeing to Kandahar was quite heavy for Afghans as Sikh forces under the command of Charat Singh, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, and Ala Singh butchered thousands of Afghans as they were running towards Afghanistan. This instant and amazing run away of Afghans injected confidence among the youth of Punjab that they could defeat Afghans wherever they were around Punjab. Nawab Kapur Singh formed ‘Dal Khalsa’ by combing the military forces of 11 Sikh misls at a ceremony at Amritsar in March 1748. A complete retake of Lahore was celebrated in Lahore on 12 April 1752. On 11 November 1757, Afghans won the ‘Battle of Gohalwar’ that was under the command of Timur Shah Durrani, son of Ahmad Shah Durrani.

In 1761, Afghans again attacked Lahore and recaptured and ruled Lahore for two months, and in May 1761, the Sikh army defeated the Afghan army. In September 1761, Afghans tried to capture Gujranwala but lost over 4,000 men and faced defeat and ousting of the remaining commanders of Durrani’s, eventually bringing the entire territories from the Satluj to the Indus, under Sikh control along with Jalandhar Doab, Sarhind, Rachna and the Chaj Doabs.

In 1838, Ranjit Singh marched into Kabul with his troops to participate in a victory parade after restoring Shah Shujah to the Afghan throne

In October 1762, Ahmad Shah Durrani again attacked Amritsar but was again defeated by the Sikhs. In November 1763, Sikh forces planned a different kind of strategy to induce Durrani armies to advance upon them near Sialkot, which led to the ‘Battle of Sialkot’. Encircled by Punjabi youth, Afghans could not break the three-circled attacks of the Sikh Army. (Ref: The Sikhs of Punjab written by J.S Grewal) and they were butchered and the massacre of Afghans continued for three days. It was one of the most horrific killings of Afghans in Punjab. After defeating the Afghans at Sialkot, the Sikh Army decided to get hold of areas where Afghans used to hide after attacking cities. A series of ‘run-and-kill’ continued and Sikhs got control over all adjoining areas such as the towns of Malerkotla and Morinda and Rohtas Fortress. The reports of the mass slaughtering of Afghans in Sialkot, Malerkotla Morinda, and Rohtas Fortress enraged Ahmad Shah and he announced ‘Jihad’ (holy war) (Ref: Sikh-Pakhtuns clashes in the Frontier: Assessing the Battle of Pur Saqab Nowshera 1832 written by Dr. Muhammad Tariq/Dr. Altaf Qadir) against the Sikh Army and asked other Muslim rulers to join him against Sikhs but his Jihad March towards Punjab was defeated in 1764. In 1765, Ahmad Shah himself marched again to Punjab but again ran away to Kabul at night when Sikh forces encircled his camp.

The Battle of Amritsar in 1798 completely rooted out Afghans from Punjab when Ranjit Singh the grandson of Sardar Charat Singh defeated the Afghan army at the age of 17

In 1767, Ahmad Shah Durrani attacked Punjab for the eighth time. On 17 January 1767, Jahan Khan marched towards Amritsar with 15,000 Afghan soldiers, where he was met by the Sikhs who were alerted of his movements. When Jahan Khan and his soldiers came across the Sikhs, a battle took place for 3 hours which resulted in Jahan Khan’s retreat and 5000 to 6000 Afghan soldiers killed. Upon hearing reports of Jahan Khan’s defeat by the Sikhs, Ahmed Shah Abdali left his baggage on the bank of the Beas at Jalalabad and rushed to assist Jahan Khan, but the Sikhs cut his supply line and he had no option left but to run from the battle. He never came back to Punjab again and died on 16 October 1772.

The Battle of Amritsar in 1798 completely rooted out Afghans from Punjab when Ranjit Singh the grandson of Sardar Charat Singh defeated the Afghan army at the age of 17. Afghan ruler Shah Zaman Durrani attempted again to annex the Panjab region into his control. Ranjit Singh let the Afghan Army enter Lahore, then encircled them with his army, blocked off all food and supplies, and burnt all crops and food sources that could have supported the Afghan army. Much of the Afghan army retreated to Afghanistan. In 1799, Raja Ranjit Singh’s army of 25,000 Khalsa, supported by another 25,000 Khalsa led by his mother-in-law Rani Sada Kaur (of Kanhaiya Misl) attacked the region controlled by Afghan-backed Bhangi Sikhs and defeated them. Then in 1802, Ranjit Singh took Amritsar back from Afghan-backed Bhangi Sikhs. Facing a series of attacks on Punjab, Ranjit Singh decided to ruin Afghanistan from where attackers used to come. By that time, Afghans again attacked Punjab and lost their glory forever through a series of military victories of Sikhs under the command of  Ranjit Singh (Ref: A History of the Sikh Misals written by Singha Bhagata) that started from the “Battle of Kasur in 1807”. The first major success of Ranjit Singh in his plan to get hold of Kabul was defeating Afghan chief Qutb-ud-Din, at the Kasur-Depalpur battles in 1807. After consolidating his Army, Ranjit Singh decided to throw Afghans out of Kashmir, Srinagar Hazara, and Kashmir. Ranjit Singh conquered Hazara, the country west of Kashmir and in 1819, Ranjit Singh fought the Battle of Shopian in 1820 and defeated the Afghans and got hold of Kashmir and Srinagar. Now Ranjit Singh had control over Hazara, Kashmir, and Srinagar and he kept putting pressure on Afghan forces as he had already encircled them from three sides. After encircling Afghan ruling areas, Ranjit Singh decided to attack Kabul from where looters used to attack the subcontinent. Under immense pressure, British-backed Afghans had to sign a “Tripartite Treaty” with Ranjit Singh, and in 1838 Shah Shujah, the ruler of Afghanistan, and the British Raj allowed Ranjit Singh’s army to enter Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass to reinstall Shah Shujah (now as Sikh-backed ruler). In 1838, Ranjit Singh marched into Kabul with his troops to participate in a victory parade after restoring Shah Shujah to the Afghan throne (Ref: “Arrogant Armies” written by Perry, James).

Ranjit Singh was the first Indian in a millennium to turn the tide of invasion against Afghans, the traditional conquerors of India. He became known as the Lion of the Punjab. After Sikh rule in Afghanistan, the British got hold of Afghanistan out of the third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919 and installed British-backed ‘The Kingdom of Afghanistan’ in 1921.

The British Empire had a significant role in the establishment of a nation-state in Afghanistan and Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the Durrani Empire, had many contacts with the British Empire The Great Game and Afghanistan by Cynthia Smith) and by British intervention Durrani elite sponsored literature and organizations that promoted the official narrative of ‘Afghan Nationalism’. The process of formation of Afghanistan as a nation-state started with the Treaty of Gandomak (1879) signed between the British Empire and the Afghan Amir, Yaqub Khan (Ref: Afghanistan as a Buffer State between Regional Powers in the Late Nineteenth Century An Analysis of Internal Politics Focusing on the Local Actors and the British Policy
Masato Toriya). It was when the responsibility of designing the foreign policy of Afghanistan was bestowed to the British. Later, during the reign of Abdur Rahman Khan (1880-1901), the boundaries of present-day Afghanistan were demarcated by the British and Russian empires to create a buffer zone with minimal involvement of the Afghan rulers. The Treaty of Gandomak was also the first official agreement wherein the British Empire used the term Afghanistan to refer to it as a nation-state. This treaty also paved the way for the empire to strengthen Abdur Rahman Khan so that it could reacquire control from the Durrani tribe who lost rule to Sikhs. This consolidation and centralization of authority favoring the British Empire would ultimately address its concerns about the rising influence of Russia in Turkestan.