Battle of Shaidu

The Battle of Shaidu, also known as the Battle of Pirpai, was fought in March 1827 between the Sikh forces led by Hari Singh Nalwa and the Mujahideen troops, mainly Khattak and Yousafzai tribesmen, led by Syed Ahmad Barelvi. The Sikhs were victorious.

Battle of Shaidu
Part of Jihad movement of Ahmad Barelvi
Date March 1827 Location Shaidu[1] Result Sikh victory
Belligerents
Sikh Empire	Mujahideen
Commanders and leaders
Hari Singh Nalwa Budh Singh Sandhawalia	Syed Ahmad Barelvi
Strength
10,000[2]–30,000[3] 12 Pieces of Cannon[2]	30,000[4]–70,000[2] 8 Pieces of Cannon[2] Total: 80,000 (including camp followers)[3]
Casualties and losses
Unknown	6,000 killed[2]

Background

Budh Singh Sandhawalia accompanied by 4,000 horsemen was sent towards Attock to assist in putting down the Yusufzai Rebellion.^[5] When Budh Singh arrived at Hazro, he was challenged by Ashraf Khan of Zaida, Fateh Khan of Panjtar and Khadi Khan of Hund along with some Ghazis.^[6] The Ghazis fell back. Following this, a battle was fought at Shaidu.

Battle

On the eve of the battle, the Peshawer Sardars betrayed Syed and he was poisoned by the servants of Yar Muhammad. However, he still requested his men to take him to the battlefield.^[7] For few days, the Sikh army remained in trenches, under assault of Mujahideen, who were mainly Pashtuns. The action by Sikh army commenced at about ten in the morning.^[5] Budh Singh was joined by Gulab Singh, Suchait Singh and Atariwala Sardars.^[2] The Sikh army with 30,000 combatants was numerically inferior to Pashtuns but superior in training and discipline.^[3] The Gulabnama claims that the Pashtuns numbered more than 100,000,^[8] however, actual number of fighters was probably around 30,000,^[4] as Peshawer valley could not provide more fighters in the early 19th century.^[4] Around 6,000 troops were killed or wounded on the side of the Pashtuns. Yar Muhammad along with his men deserted the Muslim ranks.^[7]

Aftermath

Following this battle, several skirmishes occurred between tribes in one of which Yar Muhammad was killed.^[7]

See also

• Battle of Akora Khattak
• Battle of Haidru (1828)
• Battle of Balakot

References

1. Altaf Qadir 2014, p. 92.
2. Hari Ram Gupta (1991). History Of The Sikhs Vol. V The Sikh Lion of Lahore (Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1799-1839). p. 162. ISBN 9788121505154.
3. Altaf Qadir 2014, p. 166.
4. Altaf Qadir 2014, p. 170.
5. Shashikant Nishant Sharma (25 March 2014). International Journal of Research. pp. 8–9. ISBN 9781304977151.
6. Rishi Singh (2014). State Formation and the Establishment of Non-Muslim Hegemony. ISBN 9789351505044.
7. Jamil Ahmad (1988). Hundred Great Muslims. Library of Islam. p. 310. ISBN 9789351505044.
8. Sukhdev Singh Charak (1977). Gulabnama. p. 131.

Source

• Altaf Qadir (2014). Sayyid Ahmad Barailvi: His Movement and Legacy from the Pukhtun Perspective. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN 978-93-5150-486-3.