  mohan lal zutshi () (popularly known as mohan lal kashmiri; 1812 &ndash; 1877) was a traveller, diplomat, and author. he played a central role in the first anglo-afghan war of 1838â1842. his biography of dost mohammad khan, emir of kabul, is a primary source on the war. his wife hyderi begum was a muslim and a scholar. during the indian mutiny in 1857, she maintained a day book recording vividly the happenings and events in delhi. her diary was later seized and confiscated by the british government. mohan lal retired at the age of 32, disappointed that he had not been properly rewarded for his singular contributions to the british cause in the first anglo-afghan war. his only brother, kedar nath zutshi, who was a deputy collector at ambala died in 1855. mohan lal's later years were spent in obscurity and financial troubles. he is believed to have written an extensive diary, but it has disappeared. == anglo-afghan war ==  in 1831 lieutenant (later captain) sir alexander burnes of the east india company's service was deputed by the british government to gather information in the countries lying between india and the caspian. he was directed to appear as a private individual with a small retinue maintaining a character of poverty. mohan lal was engaged by burnes primarily to assist him in his persian correspondence and also because burnes believed that his youth and creed would free him from all danger of his entering into intrigues with the people among whom he was going to travel. alexander burnes and mohan lal led an expedition to central asia in 1832-4 for procuring political and military intelligence, and became firm friends. later, lal was the commercial agent for the british on the indus and political assistant to burnes in kabul during the first afghan war. unlike burnes, he survived the massacres of 1841 and continued to keep calcutta informed of events in the afghan capital from the house of a merchant where he had taken refuge. his reports contained many strong and cogent criticisms of the behaviour of british officers, and particularly sir william hay macnaghten and general william elphinstone. mohan lal had learnt persian in delhi and travelled in the garb of a muslim, under the pseudonym of 'aga hassan kashmiri' or as 'mirza quli kashmiri' in iran and afghanistan collecting information vital for his british masters. during the first anglo-afghan war he was instrumental in setting up and expanding the british intelligence network in af
1812_births 1877_deaths History_of_Jammu_and_Kashmir Indian_diplomats Kashmiri_people People_of_the_First_Anglo-Afghan_War