afghanistanplains of Nangahar and fomented revolts in Tagab, Nijrab, Gulbahar and
Parwan. In 1855 Muhammad Shah Khan even captured Dost Muhammad’s
nephew, Shah Muhammad Khan, who was released only after the payment
of a large ransom. The Babakr chief finally died, in mysterious circum-
stances, in early 1857, but the revolt continued to simmer away until the
end of Dost Muhammad Khan’s reign. 1
In April 1848 Britain went to war with the Sikhs for a second time,
whereupon Chattar Singh, the governor of Hazara, appealed to the Amir
for assistance, offering to return Peshawar and the Derajat (that is Dera
Isma‘il Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan), to Durrani sovereignty. It was an offer
Dost Muhammad Khan could not refuse and he set out for Peshawar at
the head of 5,000 troops. After successfully securing the defection of the
Pushtun garrison in Attock, Dost Muhammad Khan realized, too late,
that he had backed the wrong horse. On 13 February 1849 British forces
routed the Sikhs at the Battle of Gujarat, and when a month later Chattar
Singh surrendered unconditionally, Dost Muhammad Khan beat a hasty
retreat to Jalalabad.
In the wake of this victory, Britain annexed the entire Sikh king-
dom, including the Punjab and Peshawar. News that the British army
had reached the Khyber Pass caused panic in the Afghan capital. Fearing
another invasion, Dost Muhammad Khan appealed to the Mir Wali of
Khulm to provide him with sanctuary in the event that British forces once
more occupied Kabul. However, by this time the long-standing alliance
between the Durrani monarchy and the ruler of Khulm had broken down
and the Amir was told in no uncertain terms that he was not welcome.
Fortunately, Britain had no wish to risk another bloody nose in Afghanistan
and they were content with the fertile Peshawar plains and controlling
access through the Khyber Pass. This unexpected reprieve meant that Dost
Muhammad Khan was now free to pursue his own imperial ambition, the
conquest of Balkh.
The conquest of the wilayat of BalkhBy 1849 the situation north of the Hindu Kush was a matter of grave
concern to the Amir. In early 1844, when the Mir Wali came to Kabul to
reaffirm his alliance with the Amir, he brought disturbing news. Wazir Yar
Muhammad Khan, who had taken control of Herat following the death of
Shah Kamran, had defeated and broken up the powerful Sunni Hazaras of
Qal‘a-yi Nau and was preparing to invade the Chahar Wilayat. To this end,
he had signed a treaty with Nasr Allah Khan of Bukhara who had agreed to