Battle of Multan

Part of Afghan-Sikh Wars

Date	March – 2 June 1818
Location	Battle at Multan, extended siege at Multan Fort 30°11′54″N 71°28′13″E / 30.198247°N 71.470311°E / 30.198247; 71.470311
Result	Decisive Sikh victory

Belligerents

Sikh Empire

Durrani Empire

Commanders and leaders

Kharak Singh
Dewan Mokham Chand
Hari Singh Nalwa
Sadhu Singh †

Nawab Muzaffar Khan Sadozai

The Battle of Multan was a battle between a Vizier of the Durrani Empire and the Sikh Empire that started in March 1818 and ended on 2 June 1818.

After he was defeated at the , the Durrani Vizier, Fateh Khan, fought off an attempt by Ali Shah, the ruler of Persia, to capture the Durrani province of Herat. He was joined by his brother, Dost Mohammad Khan, and the rogue Sikh Sardar Jai Singh Attarwalia. Once they had captured the city, Fateh Khan attempted to remove the ruler, a relation of his superior, Mahmud Shah, and rule in his stead. In the attempt to take the city from its Durrani ruler, Dost Mohammad Khan's men robbed a princess of her jewels.Kamran Durrani, Mahmud Shah's son, used this as a pretext to remove Fateh Khan from power, and had him horribly tortured and executed.

While in power, however, Fateh Khan had installed twenty-one of his brothers in positions of power throughout the Durrani Empire. After his death, they rebelled and divided up the provinces of the empire between themselves. During this turbulent period Kabul had many temporary rulers until Dost Mohammad Khan captured the city in 1826.

The Sikh Empire had attacked Multan multiple times in the past, the largest attack being in 1810. However, on the previous occasions the Sikh forces would defeat the defending force and seize the city only to have the governor of Multan, Muzaffar Khan Sadozai, retreat into the Multan Fort. During previous sieges the Sikhs had settled for large single payments of tribute, while the attack in 1810 resulted in Multan paying a yearly tribute. Muzaffar Khan already ruled the Durrani province of Multan independently of the descendants of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the rulers of Kabul. With the relatives of the deceased Fateh Khan engulfed in a power struggle with Mahmud Shah, no Durrani force would be able to relieve him.

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Wikipedia