History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c6.20.4

c6.20.4

Barani and Afīf are contradicted by Amir Khusrau, another contemporary writer, who in his Tughluqnamah, which has now become available to us, writes that Ghazi Malik was in the service of Jalaluddin Khilji and Prince ‘Ulugh Khan prior to entering the service of Sultan Alauddin Khilji. When the crown of Delhi was offered to him after his victory over Khusrau, he reviewed his past career before the assembled nobles and told them that he had received great favours at the hands of Sultan Jalaluddin Khilji. This is not a mere casual mention for the nobles in recounting the brave deeds of Ghazi Malik made a special mention of his gallant fighting during the siege of Ranthambhor in the time of Jalaluddin Khilji. It appears from this account that Ghazi Malik who was a veteran warrior in 1320 was holding high offices long before Alauddin's time. Now that Barani's statement that Tughluq came from Khorasan in the reign of Alauddin Khilji is wrong it is possible that his father may have come in the time of Balban and married a Jat woman of the Punjab.