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History of Multan
1800-1900 AD:
By the beginning of 1818 Ranjit Singh succeeded to raise a big army consisting of 25,000
soldiers equipped with necessary provisions which he placed under Diwan Misr
Chand, his
most trusted General. The over all charge of the campaign wasentrusted tohiselderson Khark
Singh and the contingent set out for Multan
with great pomp and show. The famous Zamzama Gun was also transported to multan. Nawab
Muzaffar Khan Saddozai who was the Governor of multan for the past thirty nine years
fought courageously but failed to save multan from the clutches of Sikhs. The death
of Muzaffar Khan was in fact the death of the Muslim rule in multan. After capturing the
Fort the Sikh soldiers were let loose to arson and debauchery and Latif recorded as under
:
"The city and Fort were now given up to be plundered by the sikh troops. Great were
the ravages committed by the sikhs on this occasion. About 400 to 500 houses in the Fort
were razed to the ground and their owners deprived of all they had. The precious stones,
jewellery, Shawls and other valuables belonging to the
Nawab were confiscated to the state and kept carefully packed by Diwan Ram Diyal for
inspection of the Maharaja. In the town many houses were set on fire and nothing was left
with the inhabitants that was worth having. Hundreds were killed in city sack, and indeed
there was hardly a soul who escaped both loss and violence"
The Sikh rule continued in the Punjab and multan unchecked but thinking themselves very
powerful, the sikhs crossed the Sutlej and entered into the British Territory. They looted
some of' the villages also. This happened on December 8, 1845 A.D. The outcome of this
adventure was a fierce battle and a disastrous and
ignominious defeat of the Sikh Army. Thereafter a treaty was signed between the British
and the Sikhs. Under the new treaty a Council nf Regency was established at Lahore which
empowered the British to intervene into many administrative matters. Keeping in view the
provisions of the treaty the British Resident introduced several measures in order to
regulate the ad 'Ministration throughout the Sikh territories. These measures were to be
implemented by Diwan Mul Raj also, who was the Sikh Governor of multan. The changes were,
however, detrimental to the over all interests of the Diwan as they affected his tight
control over the traders and businessmen. The other decision of the Resident which brought
a blow to Diwan Mui Raj was the introduction of appeals against the decisions of the
district officers. such appeals were to be heard by the Lahore Darbar. These measures
infuriated the Diwan, as he considered it as an infringement of his rights.
So keeping in view the insulting attitude of the British Diwan Mul Raj first resigned,
then changed his mind and agreed to continue for some time. Later his resignation was
accepted on March 24, 1848 and Sardar Khan Singh was appointed as the new Diwan of Multan
while two British officers, Mr. P. A. Vans Agnew and Lt. W. A. Anderson were appointed to
take care of the administration. When these officers reached multan they were received by
Diwan Mul Raj but his advisers forced him to change his mind. In the meanwhile commotion
and agitation spread into the city. As such the helpless Diwan became a tool in the hands
of the Sikh Army which rebel.led and the two British off icers were mu rdered. The
rebelling soldiers gathered around Mul Raj and declared him as their leader.
This open rebellion infuriated the British Government at Lahore and they decided that
Multan should be captured and amalgamated into the British Territory. So the British
Government collected forces right from Bannu to Bombay on top priority basis in order to
capture multan and by the end of the year Multan was surrounded from all sides. On
December 21) 1848 the Bombay Division commanded by Brigadier Dundas also reached
multan.
On December 27, one British column launched an attack on the suburbs and the residence of
Mul Raj, the "Aam Khas", was bombarded while three other columns were ordered to
make diversion to distract the enemy. The irregular forces commenced the diversion at noon
and by 4 p.m. the whole line of the suburbs including the tomb of Sawan Mal, the blue
Mosque of Shams Sabzwari and the cantonments of the 'Aam Khas' were in possession of the
British. The Bombay Native Rifles actually
entered one of the city gates. Meanwhile, a shell from a mortar blew up the magazine
located within the fort. containing 5,000 maunds of powder. The explosion destroyed the
great Mosque and the lofty dome of Baha-ud-Din Zakariya's Tomb.
On January 2, 1849, breaches in the Khuni Burj and the Dehii Gate were reported, and
storming parties advanced and crossed the intervening ditch, but the city wall was found
intact with a height of 30 feet, totally impregnable. A most bloody struggle ensued and
the English became masters of the town. Again, to
quote Latif: "Terrible had been the carnage during the siege and frightful the effect
of the British Ordnance. The battered town of multan presented the appearance of a vessel
wrecked and broken by a tremendous storm which had driven it to an
inhospitable shore. The streets were strewn with slain Sikhs, whose long locks, matted
with gore, and beards, blown about by the wind, gave the dead a demoniacal appearance. Not
a house or wall had escaped the effects of the English shells. All had been scorched and
blackened by the bombardment. Mul Raj retired to the citadel with more than 3,000 picked
men, the rest all dispersed and fled. In vain did the Diwan make an endeavour to rally
them. They were dispirited, and nothing was left for the garrison but to sally or.
surrender. Mul Raj was now reduced to the last extremity. A constant storm of shell had
reduced the
interior of the fortress to a wreck. Ail the flour having been blown up in the explosion
of the grand mosque, every soldier of the garrison was obliged to grind the wheat for his
own food. Mul Raj's chief advisers urgently pressed him to surrender, and he promised
either to do this or take poison. He was finally arrested by the British and that was the
end of the Sikh rule over multan as well as the end of loot and plunder which was the main
characteristic of the Sikh rule.
As stated above the residents of multan suffered extensively during this battle. It was
another addition to the history of the power game and bloodshed witnessed by the streets
of multan but life returned to normal with the passage of time.
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