afghanistangarrison, attacked and scattered the Afghans with heavy loss of life. Akbar
Khan’s army was only saved from annihilation by the arrival of his brother
Shams alDin Khan and a large body of cavalry, who charged the Sikh lines.
Akbar Khan then rallied his men and pushed the Sikhs back into Jamrud,
where they too were saved by the arrival of substantial reinforcements.
Akbar Khan broke off the engagement and returned to Jalalabad, leaving
the Sikhs in control of Jamrud, but when he returned to Kabul he claimed
the victory and was given a hero’s welcome. For decades after, this pyrrhic
victory was celebrated annually in the Afghan capital. 39
More to the point, the ‘victory’ provided the Amir with the opportun
ity to dispose of powerful rivals. ‘Abd alSamad Khan, his chief minister,
who had failed to engage the Sikhs and whom the Amir suspected of
plotting against him, was exiled to Bukhara. Hajji Khan Kakar, who had
taken a substantial bribe from the Sikhs and stood aside from the fighting,
was once more expelled and made his way to Kandahar, where he was
welcomed by the Dil brothers. Dost Muhammad Khan later admitted that
it had been one of his greatest mistakes not to have put the Kakar chief
to death.
The Sikhs had beaten the Afghans but in the battle Hari Singh, Ranjit’s
lifelong friend, had been mortally wounded. Thirsting for revenge, the
Maharaja refused to negotiate and threatened to attack Kabul, a threat
Dost Muhammad Khan took very seriously, but hoped that when Burnes
arrived he might agree to Britain mediating a facesaving peace. British
The fortress of Jamrud, c. 1900. Located on the Afghanistan side of the Khyber Pass,
it was originally built by the Sikhs and later taken over and modified by the British.