The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c20.341

v3.c20.341

In the distribution of honours and rewards with which Khusrav, following the usual custom, inaugurated his reign his own near relations and those of his tribe who had most distinguished themselves in the late tumult were the most favoured, but an attempt was made to conciliate those powerful nobles who had been entrapped and compelled unwillingly to countenance by their presence the enthronement of the outcaste, and Wahīd-ud-dīn Quraishī was entitled Tāj-ul-Mulk and permitted to retain office as minister. 'Ain-ul-Mulk Multānī received the titles of 'Ālam Khān and Amīr-ul-Umarā, but Khusrav applied himself especially to the conciliation of the son of the powerful Ghāzī Malik, Fakhr-ud-dīn Muhammad Jauna, whom he appointed master of the horse. Ghāzī Malik himself had always avoided the intrigues of the capital, and seems never to have visited Delhi during Mubārak’s brief and profligate reign, but he was dreaded by the gang of outcastes and pseudo-Muslims now in power both as a loyal adherent of the Khaljī dynasty and as a rigid Muslim, and his son was valuable either as a supporter or as a hostage. The attempt to secure him failed, and he escaped from Delhi at midnight with only two or three followers, and took the road to Dīpālpur, his father’s headquarters. A force sent in pursuit of him failed to overtake him, and Jauna was joyfully welcomed by his father at Dīpālpur. The governor of Multān hesitated to support Ghāzī Malik against the king *de facto*, but was slain by a less scrupulous officer, Malik Bahrām Aiba, who led the army of Multān to Dīpālpur and joined the old warrior who stood forth as the champion of Islam.