| The Great Sikh Warriors |
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Nadir Shah was a persian farmer who wanted to avenge the persecution of his countrymen by defeating Afghanis. Since Afghanis were ruling much of Punjab, Afghanistan and Iran, he first led a revolt against Afghanis to free his country(Iran). Then he overran the other areas of Afghanis like Punjab, and much of North West India and current day Pakistan. Sikhs in 1750's were not more then 100,000 in population but Sikhs resisted each and every battle they faced. Eventhough Nadir Shah never fought Sikhs in direct engagement but his objective of subduing the Mughal government was fulfilled. After defeating Mughals he was returning to his native country of Iran with thousands of captives (slaves), and looted gold and other valuables. When he reached Punjab, Sikhs harassed his baggage train and snatched back much of looted valuables. Nadir Shah's forces were no match for bands of 25-50 Sikhs who would gallop on their horses attack, save some slaves and then retreat. This form of Sikh attack was called Dhai Put. In one instance, Nadir Shah ordered to follow Sikhs for as long as it take, So Sikhs attacked, Nadir Shah forces pursued them then suddenly Sikhs turned back and fought head on while surrounding them to mercilessly kill all the pursuers. Thus Sikhs who were very small in numbers, won the small skirmishes and battles due to their superior tactics and noble cause. The dreaded Persian was astonished at the daring exhibited by the Sikhs. He called a halt at Lahore. He questioned Zakariya Khan, Governor of Lahore, about them. 'Whence,' demanded the imperious Nadir, 'come those long haired barbarians who dare to molest me ? Who are these mischief-makers ?' Zakariya Khan replied, 'They are a group of fakirs who visit their Guru's tank twice a year, and, after bathing in it, disappear.' 'Where do they live ? Destroy them and their homes, or they will destroy you.' 'Their homes are the saddles on their horses,' was the reply. 'Take care,' said Nadir, 'the day is not distant when these rebels will take possession of your country.' Said Nadir Shah
Here are some excerpts from the book: "the main reason of our defeat was Sikhs fighting facing us. We were helpless to do anything in front of them. Sikhs are very brave and they have a great craving for martyrdom. They fight so fiercely that they are capable of defeating an army many times bigger than theirs." "Alas, a handful of Sikhs converted our great victory into a big defeat and shattered our confidence and courage. ." "The same thing happened with us in Dhaka(Bangladesh). In the battle of Jaissur, the Singhs opposed the Pakistani army so fiercely that our backbone and our foothold was lost. This became the main and important reason of our defeat and the Sikhs' fancy for martyrdom and mockery with death for the sake of safety and honour of the country, became the sole cause of their victory." May God rest the souls of all the fallen soldiers, in peace. This section describes the biographies of Great Sikh Warriors who protected the humanity from the onslaught of tyrannical forces. They laid down their lives for religious freedom and to protect their faith. |
