Later Mughals v2.c14.s10: Sec. 35.—Nizam-Ul-Mulk Abandons the Wazarat and Returns to the Dakhin.
Later Mughals v2.c14.s10
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Sec. 35.—Nizam-Ul-Mulk Abandons the Wazarat and Returns to the Dakhin.
v2.c14.s10.1
As soon as he had returned to Dihli (3rd July 1723), Nizam-ul-mulk resumed his efforts to restore some sort of order into public affairs. On every hand he found those efforts foiled. The Emperor's favourite Koki and her helpers, the eunuch Hafiz Khidmatgar Khan and Zafar Khan Roshan-ud-daulah, interfered in every measure and secured large payments for every appointment. Remonstrances, even when addressed direct to the Emperor himself, were unavailing; as one writer exclaims in bitterness of heart: "What good was there in the Emperor sitting like a woman secluded within four walls? If sovereigns take to women's habits and entangle themselves in their tresses, what can a good Muhammadan do, but migrate to the Holy Places, or if for that journey funds be wanting, take a dose of poison and leave this for another world?" [Ahwal 181 and 196a.] In addition there was the continuous hostility of Samsam-ud-daulah, who headed a party of his own, principally made up of Hindustanis and the Hindu rajahs. Nizam-ul-mulk's efforts were chiefly directed to the abolition of the recent practice of farming out the revenues and to the stopping of bribe-taking under the cover of advance-payments and of offerings upon appointment to office. He also wished to reduce the extent of assigned lands (jagirs) and to give those which were difficult of management to the more powerful nobles and those yielding an income easily to the smaller men. These things were most sensible and praiseworthy. A third proposal, an attempt to restore the poll-tax, cannot be equally approved; it was due either to Muhammadan bigotry, or to a blind copying of Aurangzeb's action. The historian Khafi Khan also mentions a wild project put forward by the Wazir for the re-conquest of Iran on behalf of the Safawi dynasty, recently dethroned by the Ghilzai chief of Qandahar, Muahmmad Husain, son of Mir Wais, on the ground of showing gratitude for the hospitality once afforded to Humayun. As the news of this event had recently [10th March] been brought to Dihli, there may have been some vague talk of this sort, though such a proposal is rather inconsistent with the Wazir's well-known caution. [K. K. 947, Ghulam Ali 45a.]
v2.c14.s10.2
Whatever the minister did or proposed was misrepresented until doubt and suspicion were aroused in the mind of Muhammad Shah. The attempt to restore a proper procedure was resented by those who profited by the confusion, for, as the proverb says, "Man is a devil to man." The Emperor himself was young and frivolous, surrounded by men who laughed and joked with him and pandered to his ignobler tastes. The advice of these private friends was more listened to than the words of the minister, and as one writer [Khush-hal Chand] says, "Every one was a chief minister or an administrator of the revenues." One of the ideas adopted by Muhammad Shah from his confidants was that Nizam-ul-mulk intended to depose him and replace Prince Ibrahim upon the throne. They said to him that vigilance was imperative if this Nizam was not to gain the upper hand, when he would act with the harshness which Muhammad Amin Khan had displayed in his day of power. The same false friends visited Nizam-ul-mulk and said to him that Muhammad Shah had not a grain of sense, was a worthless fornicator, and unworthy of the throne. Why was he not replaced by Prince Ibrahim?
v2.c14.s10.3
Thus Emperor and minister grew suspicious of each other, just as had been the case between Farrukh-siyar and Abdullah Khan. From time to time Nizam-ul-mulk refused to attend audience; and when he did attend, he took every precaution against violence. The deposition of the Emperor, although Nizam-ul-mulk never dreamt of it, would have been easy enough as the minister had the Dakhini officers and all the Mughals (except Qamar-ud-din Khan) at his beck and call. [K. K. 948-49; Ahwal 182b-183a.]