by Jia Lal Kilam

CHAPTER XX
Pandit becomes Dewan at Kabul

Abdullah Khan had a tremendously ardous task to accomplish. There was alround unsettledness in the country. Marauding bands of robbers and thieves had infested the whole country and nobody felt his life, honour or property safe. The petty Bomba and Khokha chiefs had become a nuisance in Kamraj, and kept on constantly committing depredations over there, looting plundering and killing the people. But Abdullah Khan was a man of great courage and organizing skill and possessed a keen eye for singling out individuals to carry Gn his administration. He appointed in preference to other Muslim notables, Pandit Sahaj Ram Dar as his Sahib Karl and delegated to him all the administrative functions as were necessary to bring about a rehabilitation of the country. Panclit Sahaj Ram was a man of great talent and marked statesmanship and was devoid of all the vices which sometimes accompany exaltation to a high office. The Pandit engaged himself in right earnest upon the task of the rehabilitation of the country. The army was in a hopeless condition. Even a skirmish with a neighbouring petty chieftain, it could not conduct successfully. Abdullah Khan with the aid and assistance of his Pandit Sahib Kar organized the army and subjugated all the neighbouring principalities of Poonch, Kamraj etc. The Bombas were totally beaten. Agriculture was specially attended to and after years of famine and scarcity, people witnessed a bumper crop. The price of Shali (unhusked rice) was reduced to twelve annas a Khirwar. No wonder then that Pandit Sahaj Ram became very popular and his fame travelled far and wide. The things went on smoothly for some time, when another factor intervened which broke the harmony of peace and progress which the country had witnessed after a long period of unsettledness and oppression.

We have already referred to Pandit Nand Ram Tiku who went to Kabul and settled there. Pandit Nand Ram was a man of great sagacity and tact. He came to the notice of Wazir Wafadar Khan who was then the Chief Minister of Zaman Khan, the king of Kabul. The Wazir took Nand Ram in his service. Gradually Nand Ram rose to the exalted position of Diwan at Kabul. He is credited at one time with having struck coin in his own name with the inscription " Sim az mabud wa zarb az Nand Ram." This rupee was known as Nand Rami rupee and was in circulation in the Tribal area till at least 1910 A.D. A number of Kashmiri Pandits now settled at Kabul, chief amongst wbom besides Nand Ram was Pandit Daya Ram Kachru"Khushdil," the father of Birbar Kachru the historian. Pandit Nand Ram had a brother residing in Kashmir, whose name was Pandit Hara Das. By dint of his brother's influence Hara Das came to be reckoned as a most important figure in Kashmir. The annual tribute was sent to Kabul through him, and he lived a life of great pomp and power. It was not unnatural that his relations with the Subedar became strained. Hara Das apprised his brother Pandit Nand Ram of this, who at once got an order issued from the king calling Abdullah Khan to Kabul. Abdullah Khan on arrival at Kabul was imprisoned in Bala Hazar fort at the suggestion of Pandit Nand Ram Tiku. Abdullah Khan had left his brother Atta Mohammad Khan to conduct the administration in his absence, but another brother of his Vakil Khan secured an appointment order from the King and accompanied by a huge force went to Kashmir. On the instigation of his brother Abdullah Khan, Atta Mohammad Khan gave battle to Vakil Khan, defeated him and killed him. Along with this, he put Pandit Hara Das Tiku in prison. It was during these unsettled days that again a Shia Sunni riot took place in which untold miseries were inflicted upon the Shias. Their houses were burnt, property looted and many of them were killed. In the meanwhile Kabul wit. nessed a great deal of unrest due to the rebellion of Mohammad Shah. Abdullah Khan took advantage of this unsettledness and secured his release from the prison by offering a huge bribe to his jailor. He at once hurried towards Kashmir and on arrival there he started as an independent ruler. Shuja-ul-Mulk who had by now wrested the throne of Kabul from Mohammad Shah tried to win over Abdullah Khan by persuasion and reasoning, but having failed he at once sent Sher Mohammad Khan with a huge army to teach Abdullah Khan a lesson. Abdullah Khan also made mighty preparations to meet the royal forces, but was after all defeated and killed. During the later portion of the rule of Abdullah Khan, there occurred a very severe earthquake in Kashmir, which resulted in a great deal of damage to life and property. Huge craters appeared on earth's surface which engulfed many lives. This was followed by devastating floods which rendered (besides taking a sufficient toll of human life) many thousands homeless. As if all this was not sufficient, the wrath of nature further manifested itself in a most severe winter. River Jhelum and all the lakes became a solid mass of ice. Abdullah having been defeated, Sher Mohammed Khan remained in Kashmir for about five months restoring order and setting other matters right. He got his son Atta Mohammad appointed as Subedar in 1807 and himself left for Kabul.