Harking Back: Master intriguer and the last Mughal governor of Lahore

After the death of Aurangzeb in 1709 and the rise of the Sikh Triumvirate (1765) is a 56-year period of utter chaos in the Punjab, with Mughal decline, multiple Afghan invasions, local uprisings and Sikhs battling for supremacy.

In this confusing period, all sorts of events took place -- from Lahore being ransacked time and again, Sikhs being butchered to Marathas and Afghans coming in. The end result was that the declining Mughal power made it impossible to rule Lahore. The last Mughal governor of Lahore was a local Sharaqpur-born Arain soldier-administrator by the name of Adina Beg Khan. His is a unique story of intrigue and power play, the likes of which are seldom seen.

Born in 1710 a year after Aurangzeb died, Adina Khan belonged to a poor family loyal to the Mughals. He joined their army as a sepoy and soon realised that he had a bleak future. His friend was a patwari and from him he realised that if he joined the Mughal revenue collection service, he would prosper. His connections soon saw him become the patwari of Kang village near Sultanpur.

At Sultanpur, he befriended a Hindu merchant whom he obliged considerably. Through Lala Sri Nivas Dhir, he became the tehsildar of all the villages around Kang. In 1739, he came to Lahore and managed to meet the governor of Lahore and the Punjab, Nawab Zakaria Khan. The smooth-talking Adina was appointed faujdar of Sultanpur after Lala Sri Nivas Das stood guarantee. He immediately appointed his friend’s brother as the office superintendent. They were now in business.

The following year the Afghan invader ransacked Sultanpur, but Adina managed to restore order quickly after Nadir Shah had passed. On this, Zakaria Khan immediately appointed him the subedar of the entire Doaba region. This is when he for the first time faced the rising Sikhs. To the surprise of the Sikhs, he first massacred them and then sent an envoy to offer concessions. Adina was the very first person to recognise the ultimate fall of the Mughals, and he saw clearly that the Sikhs would one day rule Lahore. But he argued with his commanders that ways to keep them in check were needed.

To appease the Sikhs, he provided them with jagirs and started employing them as soldiers in his cavalry. In a way, though he massacred them time and again, he was also responsible for the creation of ‘Misls’ whose objective was to harass retreating Afghans. It was an insurance policy for troubled times ahead.

Then came the massive invasion of Afghan ruler Nadir Shah when the entire Punjab was looted and almost the entire wheat crop stolen for transfer to Kabul. As Zakaria Khan’s soldiers could not be paid, they revolted. At this juncture, we see Adina Khan converting his wealth into gold and all alone hiding it in the forest near his home.

Back in Lahore, he was arrested and jailed for not paying his ‘dues’. The Afghans released him after a year and he managed to become the deputy of the Doaba under the son of Zakaria Khan. In July 1745, Zakaria died and immediately a power struggle started between his sons Shahnawaz and Yahya Khan.

Here we see Adina outwardly pretending to be neutral, yet secretly assuring both of his support. At that time Yahya Khan was the ruler of Lahore, but he supported Shahnawaz with the promise of teaching the rising Sikhs a lesson and led the invasion of Lahore. Alongside, he promised Yahya that he would lead the campaign against the Sikhs if he beat Shahnawaz.

On the quiet, he reassured the Sikhs of his support. On March 21, 1747, Shahnawaz alongside Adina marched into Lahore and was immediately appointed military and civil ruler of the entire Doaba.

However, here we see Yahya escaping from imprisonment and moving the Mughals in Delhi to invade Lahore. Adina moved quickly and invited the Afghan Ahmed Shah Durrani to invade India. He promised them a lot of wheat, rice, gold and slaves. On the sly he informed the Mughals that Shahnawaz had betrayed them.

Ahmed Shah Durrani moved quickly and defeated Shahnawaz marching on Delhi. On the quiet, he assisted the forces of Mir Mannu to defeat the Afghans in the Battle of Manupur. On this the Mughals reinstated Adina Beg as the faujdar of the Doaba as the Afghans consolidated west of the Indus. The following year, the Durranis moved in and defeated Mir Mannu. Amazingly, on the advice of Adina Beg the Durranis let Mir Mannu remain governor with Adina remaining in his position with the promise of defeating the Sikhs.

Here we see Adina having cordial relations with the Afghans, the Mughals, the Sikhs and every person of influence. In November 1753, Mir Mannu died and a power struggle began. Enter Mir Mannu’s son and mother Mughlani Begum, who was a match for Adina. She ruled Lahore for a few years and during this time, the massacre of Sikhs reached new heights. At this juncture, we see Adina using the forces of Punjabi zamindars and Sikhs to defeat Mughal commander Qutab Khan and take over Sirhind.

The Mughals, now a very weak force, immediately granted him both the Doaba and Sirhind. With Jullundur and Sirhind both now in his control, he concentrated on developing his army on modern lines and planned the capture of Lahore. Seeing the confusion there he attacked in 1755 and after capturing it appointed a relative, Sadiq Beg Khan, as an administrator. He got Mughlani Begum arrested and sent to Delhi. It was a deft move to keep both Mughals and Afghans pleased. The Mughals appointed him subedar of Lahore and Multan and all that lay between on a promise of providing them Rs3 million a year.

Though Adina Beg Khan had arrived, yet the payment issue was an impossible ask. Mughlani Begum informed the Afghans of this and they immediately invaded. Adina decided to flee and the angry Afghans gave chase and ransacked Delhi in 1757. Mughlani Begum was granted the Doaba, Jammu and Kashmir while appointing Jahan Khan as the governor of Lahore, who asked Adina to return to the Doaba or else it would be laid waste. He accepted.

After Adina had made his first revenue collection, he refused to provide Jahan Khan the promised payment. Instead, he fled with his army to the northern foothills and began to prepare for battle. His allies there were the Sikhs. He allowed the Sikhs to pillage Jullundur after they had defeated the Afghans.

Starting from late 1757 to the middle of 1758, the Punjab was in complete chaos. The task was to expel the Afghans. Here comes the master planner again. Adina Khan reached out to the Marathas under Raghunath Rao on the one hand, and to the Sikhs under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia on the other. This formidable force crushed the Afghans in 1758 in the Battle of Mahilpur. In theory, Lahore came under Maratha rule against a promise of Rs7.5m.

For three months, the Marathas waited in vain for the payment. Finally, stuck in the hot Lahore weather far from home, they decided to leave. Adina, by then, had set up his power base at Batala. With the Afghans crushed and the Marathas out of the way, he now planned to defeat the Sikhs.