Storia do Mogor 162: Aurangzeb returns to Dihli from the Campaign against the Pathans.

162

Finding that the death of Mahabat Khan had been of no use to him in securing an honourable conclusion of his enterprise against the Pathans, Aurangzeb decided to beat an honourable retreat. He arranged with Cassam Can (? Qasim Khan) and other commanders that they should report in public audience that the Pathans had now submitted, and that A'zam Khan took upon himself to stand security for them. In this way he was able to satisfy the army, after having lost the flower of his soldiery. Thus after two years and two months Aurangzeb returned to Dihli. On this return march he passed near the mausoleum of Jahangir, his grandfather, but declined to pray at it, saying that it was the burial-place of an infidel. On the contrary, he issued orders to remove the precious stones and jewels from it, and [stop] the alms which gave him the kingdom.
While the king was on his return march, A'zam Khan, who had taken upon his shoulders the pacification of the Pathans, went to visit them, leaving his troops at some distance. He interviewed them all, and told them that it was he who had persuaded the king to retire and had restored peace. For he wanted to live in amity with them, as had been so long the case. Muhammad Amin Khan had been the means of breaking the ancient peace, but he pledged his word to them that he would maintain their former privileges. The cunning A'zam Khan made himself like one of them, going about among the Pathans without sword or shield, totally unarmed. This was to show how much he confided in them, and in this way he made friends with them, waiting for the opportunity of executing his project of destroying their leaders easily and quickly.
To this intent he decided to have a son circumcised, and, as is usual among Mahomedans, he invited the principal commanders among the Pathans, who accepted the invitation but announced that they must be allowed to come armed. He declared himself satisfied at their coming on that condition. His idea was that by this concession he would prove more completely the absence of suspicion, letting them come with their spears, arrows, swords, and shields, just as in war-time. When they were all seated together, A'zam Khan called for a melon, and plunging his knife into it, cut his hand slightly on purpose. He asked leave from the company seated to retire to have the wound seen to, saying he would be back in a moment. He went into a room, and then his soldiers, posted in readiness for the attempt, with their matchlocks and arrows destroyed the whole of the Pathan leaders, being fifty-two in number. Thus he got rid of the Pathan chiefs, so that they could not attempt another revolt, and at this result the king was highly gratified. Since there could be no further rebellion, he sent to supersede him (A'zam Khan) Prince Akbar, accompanied by Asad Khan, chief secretary (grand wazir) to the king. On their way they distributed robes of honour, and announced that the king had recalled A'zam Khan to court to punish him for the treachery he had planned and his breach of the conditions of peace. The Pathans were appeased, but Akbar wanted to use the opportunity to rebel against his father and make use of the Pathans, if they would join him in the rising. But prudent Asad Khan drove this idea out of his head.