When Ranjit Singh succeeded to the leadership of Sukerchakia Misl in 1790 A.D., Lahore was being ruled by the weak Bhangi trio. In 1765 A.D., a Bhangi-Kanheya combination had expelled Kabuli Mal, the rapacious governor under Durrani. The new masters of Lahore ransacked it indiscriminately, dividing the spoils among themselves. The city itself was divided among the three Bhangi Sardars. The Sukerchakia chief at that time, Charat Singh, captured the famous canon, Zamzama, and retired to his headquarter at Gujranwala. Thus the Bhangi chiefs became too engrossed in their debaucheries and too jealous of each other to offer a united resistance to any of their rivals.
Another peculiar favourable circumstance which helped Ranjit Singh in the conquest of Lahore was the revived ambitions of the Durrani Emperor. In 1793, Shah Zaman succeeded to the throne of Kabul and decided to recover Punjab from the Sikhs. To achieve his mission, he sent approximately 7,000 horsemen under his General, Ahmed Khan Shahanchi, from Hasan Abdal. However, the Afghans were routed by the Sikhs. Two years later, Shah Zaman again appeared at Peshawar and took possession of the fortress of Rohtas, but had to hasten back to Kabul on hearing the news of the Persian invasion.
In 1796-97, Shah Zaman was urged by the hard-pressed Rohilla chief, Ghulam Mohammad, and Nawab Asif-ud-Daula of Oudh to invade India.In November 1796, the Shah marched at the head of 30,000 men and reached unhindered the precincts of Lahore. He even set up his camp on the banks of Ravi. The Bhangi chiefs left the town in hurry and Shah Zaman occupied Lahore on January 3, 1797. Shah’s stay at Lahore, however, proved to be a short one, as the news of the rebellion of his brother, Shah Mahmood, hastened his departure.
As yet, Shah Zaman’s invasion had failed to dislodge the Sikh confederacy from their established position. The Bhangi chiefs, Lehna Singh and Sobha Singh, came out of their hidings and re-occupied Lahore. While the Durrani invasion convulsed the centre of the Punjab, Ranjit Singh had realized inability of the Bhangis to hold it permanently against the onslaughts of the Afghans. Lahore represented the symbol of prestige and power to any master of the Punjab. It commanded sub-mountainous region in the North-West, the hilly tracts in the North-East, the Doab in the center and the barren land in the South including Multan, Bahawalpur and Sind. To wrest it from the Bhangis was the main ambition of Ranjit Singh.
On October 25, 1798, Shah Zaman left Peshawar and advanced on Lahore. A Sukerchakia-Bhangi coalition attempted to hem in the Afghan army and Zaman, however, occupied Lahore. During the siege Ranjit Singh, in spirit of his youthful bravado, challenged the Shah from the Samman burj. The Bhangi chiefs, as usual, retired to the hills. Shah Zaman stayed at Lahore for about four months, but had to return once again because of the rebellion of Shah Mahmud. He left his Indian possessions under the control of Shahanchi Khan, who was later defeated by the combined forces of Ranjit Singh and others. With the dispersal of the Afghan forces, all semblance of Afghan authority between Ravi and Jhelum was obliterated.
The brave effort that Ranjit made against the Afghan chief, had impressed the citizens of Lahore, who were fed up with the oppression of the Bhangis. They approached Ranjit Singh to liberate them from the Bhangis. On 4th July, 1799, he led an army of 25,000 soldiers and invaded Lahore. On 6th July, the guards threw open the gates of the citadel and the next day the fort was occupied. The Bhangis, however, were left unmolested.
“The occupation of Lahore,” as Bikramjit Hasrat remarks, “by the youthful Sukerchakia chief in July 1799 is a landmark in the history of the Sikhs. It laid the foundation of sovereign Sikh monarchy in Punjab.” The conquest of Lahore, in the words of G.L. Chopra, “was an important addition to Ranjit’s possession, and greatly enhanced his political prestige as the holder of the traditional capital of Punjab.”
Writers like Princep and Lepel Griffin allege that Lahore was bestowed upon Ranjit Singh for his service rendered to the Afghan ruler for the return of 15 canons which were lost in the Jhelum while the latter was on his way back to Kabul. Shah Zaman, pleased on the act of Ranjit Singh presented the Khillat to the Sikh chief. Dr. N.K. Sinha, however, refutes this allegation and justifies his full claim.
No doubt, that Ranjit Singh dug out and delivered to Shah Zaman’s Vakil 15 pieces of canon and got in return a rich Khillat from Shah. But at the same time, Shah had not relinquished his design on Hindustan and was anxious to conciliate Ranjit Singh, whose position in the Punjab is best described in the words of British Resident with Daulat Rao Scindhia, “Zaman Shah is endeavouring to attach to his interest Ranjit Singh, the usurper of Lahore who has lately received Khillat from the Durrani Prince..... The Sikh chief possesses considerable influence in Punjab and seems ambitious of acquiring still greater authority which he hopes of attaining by means of a close connection...”
Ranjit Singh became the master of Lahore on 6th July,1799, while Shah Zaman returned from that city on 4th January of the same year. But Dr. Sinha asserts that the Durrani grant could not have helped him to conquer the capital of Punjab which he took on 6th July, 1799 while the Khillat was most probably conferred in March of the following year, when 15 pieces of canon were delivered. Dr. Sinha’s argument is based on the British Record of April 1800, according to which “Ranjit has lately delivered to Shah Zaman’s Vakil 15 pieces of canon which Durrani prince had lost last year in retreat....”
At this stage of his career Ranjit Singh was not so strong as to refuse the Durrani support, dubious though it certainly was. Keeping in line with this, Dr. N.K. Sinha remarks, “Each wanted to make use of other to serve his own interest and the submissive attitude of the one and the conciliatory attitude of the other must be regarded as mere diplomatic camouflage to hide the real objective for which they were striving.”
Conclusively, the arguments advanced by Dr. Sinha with the help of dates disprove the theory that Ranjit Singh secured Lahore as a gift from Shah Zaman.
