Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c15.s3.8

v1.c15.s3.8

After this signal success in arms, confirmed promptly by diplomacy, Ahmad Shah Abdali left for Qandahar at once at the approach of the Indian summer (April 1752.) Muin-ul-mulk turned again to his duties as subahdar and tried to restore the administration and public order which had been upset by the Afghan invasion. His most pressing task was to collect his dispersed fugitive and starving soldiery together. This done he went on a tour in the Batala district where he suppressed a Sikh band near Chak Guru Hargovind, slaying 900 of these desperadoes. At the end of this prolonged tour, he returned to Lahor and lived there for six months. But the Sikhs gave him no peace. The recent war had demonstrated to all the utter weakness of their governor and stripped the imperial Government of the last shred of prestige. With the coming of the cold weather (October 1753) their raids were renewed. Muin marched out of his capital to Malakpur, 40 miles north-east of Lahor and made a long halt there. From this base he sent out detachments to suppress the Sikhs wherever he heard of their risings. But his efforts to stamp out the epidemic of lawlessness were futile.