The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c21.s1.40

v4.c21.s1.40

This first expedition was a failure. Ghāzī-ud-dīn maintained in his troops a corps,¹ composed of troopers whom he had detached by appeals to cupidity and bigotry, from Safdar Jang, the late minister. When the army reached Pānīpat this corps, which was highly paid, clamoured for arrears due to the members. After much wrangling Ghāzī-ud-dīn agreed to pay them after inspection of the corps by an independent officer. The officer selected was Najib Khān the Afghān, who was known to be fearless, and clamour was renewed. Ghāzī-ud-dīn left his quarters to quell the tumult and was seized by the excited soldiery and dragged through the streets of Pānīpat, with every circumstance of indignity. Though he was roughly handled, and threatened with death, his courage never left him. He turned on his captors with foul abuse and recommended them to slay him quickly, lest they should be slain themselves. The officers, now terrified, endeavoured to pacify him, but he was still further infuriated by a message from the emperor, delivered to them in his hearing, which promised the arrears of pay and extraordinary favours if they would hand their prisoner over as he was. The officers, hoping that they had succeeded in allaying his wrath, sent him back to his own quarters on an elephant, but he hardly gave himself time to rearrange his dress before he remounted the elephant and ordered Najīb Khān and his Afghāns, and the rest of his troops, to attack the corps, massacre the men, and plunder their tents. Ghāzī-ud-dīn then returned to Delhi. When his troops were ready for the field he left again for the Punjab, carrying with him on this occasion not the emperor, but his eldest son, Mīrzā 'Abdullah, 'Ālī Gauhar. 'Ālamgīr II was left in the custody of confidential agents.