# Jalal Khan Orakzai

Jalal Khan Orakzai (Pashto: جلال خان وركزۍ) was a Mughal faujdar of Afghan origin. Jalal Khan founded the town of Jalalabad, and fought against the Sikh forces under Banda Singh Bahadur. Jalal Khan managed to successfully defend the town from the Sikh forces.

## Background

Jalal Khan's father Hazar Mir Warakzai of Miranzai Khel came to India during the reign of Shah Jahan. He hailed from the Orakzai tribe of Pashtuns.
Jalal Khan successfully conquered and destroyed the Rajput town of Khera Manihar. It was on the ruins of Khera Manihar, where he founded the town of Jalalabad (not to be confused with Jalalabad, Afghanistan) and would act as the town's faujdar. Jalal Khan also served under the command of Aurangzeb in the Deccan wars. He had a strongly built fort around the town of Jalalabad.

## Defense and Battle

Banda Singh had managed to achieve a string of victories against the Mughal authorities, establishing his own administration within the town of Lohgarh. The victories achieved by Banda Singh resulted in people embracing the Sikh faith. The village of Unarsa along with other areas within the Yamuna Ganga tract, began to adopt the Sikh religion. These conversions caught the attention of Jalal Khan, who began a policy of persecution against the Sikh inhabitants of Unarsa, and subsequently had the inhabitants imprisoned. A Sikh missionary reported to Banda Singh regarding the treatment of the non Muslims in the Yamuna Ganga tract. This caused Banda Singh to launch an invasion on the Yamuna Ganga tract, in order to chastise the Mughal officials of the region.
Banda Singh's army overrun the town of Saharanpur, with its faujdar fleeing towards Delhi. The Sikhs plundered the town of Saharanpur. The Sikh invasion caused many of the town's inhabitants to flee, with many women committing suicide in order to avoid rape. Following the conquest of Saharanpur, the Sikhs attacked the village of Beyhut. The Pirzadas of Beyhut were infamous for their persecution of the local Hindu population. Banda Singh's forces defeated and killed most of the Pirzadas, with the village being subject to plunder and destruction.
Just to the south of Saharanpur was the town of Jalālābād, the Sikhs wrote to Jalal Khan to submit, he responded by parading the messengers around the town and sending them back. After the messengers were humiliated, Banda Singh began to advance upon Jalalabad. Along the way, Banda Singh occupied the town of Ambeyta. Banda Singh also defeated the Shaikhzadas of Nanauta, along with the town of Nanauta being destroyed. Following these conquests, Banda Singh sent a letter, demanding that Jalal Khan release the Sikh prisoners in his captivity. Jalal Khan refused to release any of the Sikh prisoners.
   "Don't hope to find in me the Nawabs of Sadhaura or Sarhind and if you have to fight me with that much estimate of strength, you are sadly mistaken. You are welcome to fight, as I am sure you will soon reap the result of your folly. My army consists of Khybri Pathans, whom the very appearance of death even cannot intimidate. So bear you in mind that you will have to face such a people and not the timid inhabitants of Hindustan. And the Sikhs I will not set free under the threat of war.".
He then made immediate preparations for the town's defense by collecting men and ammunition as the Sikh force then approached the town and surrounded two nearby villages. Banda Singh commanded an army numbering between 70,000 and 80,000. Jalal Khan sent a contingent headed by his grandson Ghulam Muhammad Khan and cousin Hizbar Khan. The Mughals clashed with the Sikhs.In the subsequent clash however, Hizbar Khan along with a large number of Mughals were killed. The Mughals were however able to repulse the Sikh attack. Mughal contingents lead by Jalal Khan's two nephews, Jamal Khan and Pir Khan, launched an attack on the Sikh forces. Dindar Ali Khan, the son of Jalal Khan, attempted to reinforce Jamal Khan and Pir Khan, but before he could join the battle, both Jamal Khan and Pir Khan had been killed. Despite fierce resistance from Jalal Khan, the Sikh forces continued to persist, and began to besiege the town of Jalalabad.
The Sikhs went onto approach the walls and the town gate and showered their firepower upon the Afghans, then rushed forward to the wall intending to dig through, set up ladders and ignite the gates on fire. However while in the process of this, the Afghans surprised the Sikhs and were able to kill two hundred to three hundred soldiers while sustaining heavy casualties on their own side.
The Sikh forces were repulsed multiple times taking the fort, whereas Jalal Khan refused to come out of the fort to fight the Sikh forces. After 20 days of besieging the fort, Banda Singh lifted the siege after not achieving a definite result. Banda Singh began to receive reports of the Sikh uprisings in the Doaba, who needed Banda Singh's assistance against the Mughal forces. Banda Singh also received news of Bahadur Shah's armies advancing upon Punjab, in order to retake the region from the Sikhs. The flooding of the nearby Krishna river also made it difficult for the Sikhs to continue the siege. Due to these various factors, Banda Singh lifted the siege, and retreated towards Karnal. Jalal Khan out of revenge, ordered all of the Sikh inhabitants of Unarsa to be massacred.

## Decoration

Jalal Khan was rewarded by the Nazim of Delhi, on 31 August 1710 AD, with the Faujdari of Saharanpur which was a deserted position by Ali Hamid Qanauji as well as receiving further promotions in rank by his Mughal superiors.