| Battle of Jamrud | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theAfghan–Sikh Wars | |||||||
 A portrait of theJamrud Fort | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Emirate of Kabul | Sikh Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Akbar Khan Afzal Khan Shams al-Din Khan Mirza Sami Khan | Hari Singh Nalwa † Mahan Singh Mirpuri Mangal Singh Ramgarhia Tej Singh | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 7,000 cavalry 2,000 matchlockmen 9,000 guerilla fighters 20,000 Khybers 50 pieces artillery[1][2] | 600[3]–800 Jamrud garrison 10,000 relief force/reinforcements[1][2] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
Grewal: 7,000 Afghans[5] | Grewal: 7,000 Sikhs[5] | ||||||
  Location within Pakistan | |||||||
TheBattle of Jamrud was fought between the forces of theEmirate of Afghanistan underWazir Akbar Khan, and theSikh Empire underMaharajaRanjit Singh on 30 April 1837. The Afghans confronted the Sikh forces atJamrud. The garrisoned army was able to hold off the Afghans till Sikh reinforcements arrived from Lahore to relieve them.[6][7][8][9]
Following the consolidation of the Sikh Empire inPunjab, MaharajaRanjit Singh had led a wave of invasions on Afghan-held territories, also capitalizing off of the Afghan civil war and began conquering the long-held Afghan territories over the preceding years. This resulted in theDurrani Empire losing thePunjab region,Multan,Kashmir,Derajat,Hazara,Balakot andAttock, whereasPeshawar andJamrud would later be seized from the Peshawar Sardars in1834.[10][11][12]
Towards the end of 1836, SardarHari Singh Nalwa, the commander-in-chief of theSikh Khalsa Army, attacked and captured the small, but very strategic, fortified Khyberi village of Jamrud, situated on the south side of a range of mountains at the mouth of theKhyber Pass. With the conquest of Jamrud, the Sikh Empire now bordered the frontier of Afghanistan.[11]In 1837, theSikh Army was inLahore where all their best generals and troops were recalled from across the Sikh Empire including Peshawar for the wedding ofKanwar Nau Nihal Singh, the grandson ofMaharajaRanjit Singh. The Emir of Afghanistan,Dost Mohammad Khan, finding this as the right opportunity, sent his sons with a 7,000 cavalry, 2,000matchlock-equipped men, 9,000 guerilla fighters and 20,000 Khybers.[2] Akbar Khan reached Jamrud, and saw no sign of the Sikh forces, and as a result began to demolish the defenses of the fort.[13] While Akbar Khan's forces were focused on destroying the fortifications, Hari Singh Nawla, the Sikh general, led a charge against the Afghans. The Afghans were sent into disarray with heavy losses, and Akbar Khan's force was relieved by Shams al-Din Khan, who charged the Sikh lines.[14] Akbar Khan reorganized and rallied his men and forced the Sikhs to retreat to the fort of Jamrud.[15] Amidst the fighting, Nalwa was mortally injured in the battle and later died after forcing his way into the fort. According to Afghan chronicle Siraj al-Tawarikh, Akbar Khan and Hari Singh Nawla engaged in a duel without recognizing each other. After much thrusting and parrying, Akbar Khan won out and Nawla was knocked to the ground and killed.[16] According to historianHari Ram Gupta, when Hari Singh rallied his men and rode to the front, he was struck by two bullets, one in the stomach and the other on the side. Mortally wounded he was immediately taken inside the fort where he ordered that his death be kept a secret till reinforcements arrived.[17] Many eyewitnesses claimed Nalwa ordered his dead body to be hung outside the fort before he died, discouraging the Afghans from attacking, believing Nalwa was still alive.[18] The Sikh garrison continued holding out until Sikh reinforcements arrived from Lahore, prompting the Afghans to retire from the siege.[15] The battle ended with the retreat of Afghans back toJalalabad.[10][11][19]
The result of the battle is disputed amongst historians. Some contend the failure of the Afghans to take the fort and the city ofPeshawar or town ofJamrud as a victory for the Sikhs.[20] However, historians such as Christine Noelle state that Dost Mohammad Khan held no real ambitions for taking Peshawar in 1837.[21] On the other hand, some sources state that the killing ofHari Singh Nalwa resulted in an Afghan victory.[22] James Norris, Professor ofPolitical Science atTexas A&M International University, states that the battle's outcome was inconclusive.[23][10]
To defuse the situation, Dost Mohammad wrote an apology letter to the Maharaja claiming his sons actions were unauthorized and sent some horses as gifts to him.[24] Hoping to regain his lost prestige, Dost Mohmmad Khan is said to have sent a letter to Maharaja Ranjit Singh.[25] Dost Mohammed Khan claimed: "I have always regarded myself as established by your authority... I was your servant."[25] Dost Mohammed Khan proposed that, if the Sikh Empire would entrust Peshawar to his care, frontier tensions could be alleviated. Yet he warned that if his demand was not heeded, he would be forced by necessity to resort to arms.[26] However the Sikh Durbar turned down the plea for Peshawar and issued a warning, stating that the preservation of peace was not the Afghans monopoly.[26]
On the Sikh side, Ranjit Singh realized that his policies in thenorthwest frontier had failed to produce the desired results. In an attempt to bring stability to the region, the government of Peshawar was reorganized.[27] The valley was divided between a number of Sikh-appointed governors and tribal chiefs.[27] GeneralPaolo Avitabile was made the new governor of Peshawar, while the surrounding districts were granted to the Barakzai Sardars and local chieftains. A strong Sikh garrison was kept at the newly constructed fort of Shabkadar for maintaining control over the border.[27]
In 1837, Afghan ruler Dost Mohammed Khan gathered an army to push the Sikhs back from the Khyber pass. They laid siege to the Sikh fort at Jamrud. A Sikh army advanced to relieve the siege, and the two forces met at the Battle of Jamrud. The Sikhs defeated the Afghans. The battle marked the end of the Afghan-Sikh wars.
In spite of all their efforts, however, the Afghans could neither occupy the fort of Jamrud nor dislodge the Sikhs from their position and gain possession of Peshawar.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The doubtful Sikh victory at Jamrud in 1837 had made it clear to Ranjit Singh that policies of hatred and repression in the northwestern frontier so far pursued had failed in its objective.
The quarrel developed into the historic battle of 30 April 1837 in which the Afghans were ultimately defeated.
All evidence suggests that Dost Muhammad Khan did not entertain any active hope of gaining direct control over Peshawar in 1837.
Dost Mohammed Khan defeated the Sikhs at the Battle of Jamrud in 1837.
The resulting Battle of Jamrud on 30 April 1837 was a bloody Sikh-Afghan encounter where both sides suffered severe losses. The outcome was largely inconclusive but served to further inflame the continued cross-border feuding and induced the Afghans to seek assistance from the Russian-influenced Persians.