The History of Humāyūn (Gulbadan Begam) 3.4.4

3.4.4

The Emperor was put in full possession of the state of affairs by a letter from Khwaja Kilan which reached him in camp on February 6th, 1528, and which was brought by a servant who, in addition to the written words, gave him all the news of Kabul by word of mouth. Babar replied to the khwaja on February 11th by that letter which those who know the time and writer rank amongst the truly interesting epistles of the world. The tenor of the khwaja’s own is clear from it, and in part reply the Emperor writes: "You take notice of the unsettled state of Kabul. I have considered the matter very attentively and with the best of my judgment, and have made up my mind that in a country where there are seven or eight chiefs, nothing regular or settled is to be looked for. I have therefore sent for my sisters and the ladies of my family into Hindustan, and, having resolved on making Kabul and all the neighbouring countries and districts part of the imperial domain, I have written fully on the subject to Humayun and Kamran. Immediately on receiving this letter you will, without loss of time, attend my sisters and the ladies of my family as far as the Nil-ab (Indus), so that, whatever impediments there may be to their leaving Kabul, they must, at all events, start out within a week after this arrives; for as a detachment has left Hindustan and is waiting for them, any delay will expose it to difficulty, and the country, too, will suffer.’