Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c15.s4.1

v1.c15.s4.1

The news of Muin’s death reached Delhi on 12th November. Next day the Emperor nominated his three year old son Mahmud Khan subahdār of the Panjāb,—"that very important frontier province and one so constantly threatened by Abdālī", as the author of *Tārikh-i-Ahmad Shāhi* points out in justifiable indignation. The baby warden of the north-western marches made his bow for his exalted office in the *Diwān-i-khās*, and was quite fittingly supplied with a deputy (*nāib-subahdār*) in the person of Muin's son Muhammad Amin Khan, then in the second year of his life, for whom a robe of investiture was sent from Court with due gravity. This puppet play lasted for five days, and then on 17th November, Intizām-ud-daulah, the wazir, was appointed absentee governor of the Panjab. The actual administration was entrusted to Mumin Khan as his deputy, with whom Bihkāri Khan was joined. [*TAh.* 85*b*, 87*b*, 88*b*.]