The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c12.s3.7

v4.c12.s3.7

'Ālam, who still aspired to the throne of Delhi, now offered Bābur the formal cession of Lahore if he would help him to achieve this end. This offer on the part of a leading Lodī prince naturally appealed to Bābur, as it would give him a legitimate right to what he had only taken by force. He therefore instructed his generals whom he had left in Lahore to assist 'Ālam Khān in his attack on Delhi. That Bābur himself could not take part in this expedition was due to the fact that the Uzbegs were laying siege to Balkh, and as the safety of this city was almost as vital to himself as to Shāh Isma'īl, to whom it now belonged, he felt it incumbent upon him to go to the aid of his Persian ally. 'Ālam Khān now felt that the sooner he acted the better, as it would not only be to his own advantage if he could defeat his nephew Ibrāhīm without the personal aid of Bābur, but also because there was the risk that if things did not go well with Bābur, the Indian contingent might at any moment be recalled. Daulat Khān, as soon as Bābur left India, emerged from his hiding-place, and with a view to the possible recovery of Lahore offered to help 'Ālam Khān to conquer Delhi. Bābur's officers, however, could not agree to this arrangement, in that Daulat Khān was no longer on friendly terms with Bābur. After much discussion it was finally agreed that Daulat and his son Ghāzī were to remain in charge of the Punjab, while his other sons Dilāwar and Hājjī were to accompany ‘Ālam Khān in his attack on Delhi. The attack came to nothing—chiefly owing to treachery on both sides—and Ibrāhīm still remained lord of Delhi. But Bābur, who had disposed of his troubles in the north, was not far off.