Foreword To The Book 'The Campains of General Hari Singh Nalwa' By Gurbachan Singh Nayyar

This present work brings out the unique military genius of Hari Singh Nalwa (1791-1837), the celebrated General of the Sikh army. I warmly recommend the book to our readers. Hari Singh Nalwa was a leader of outstanding qualities. He fought in almost all the important battles of the Lahore armies. The campaigns of Multan, Kashmir, Hazara and Peshawar were of classical proportions. The sealing of Indian border against invasions from across the western frontier was a unique contribution to history of India. I hope this study will benefit not only professional historians but also lay readers.

Punjabi University,                                                                                             Joginder Singh Puar
Patiala                                                                                                                        Vice-Chancellor

Preface To The Book 'The Campains of General Hari Singh Nalwa' By Gurbachan Singh Nayyar

History, they say, repeats itself. The repetition lies in studying the relevance of past events in the contemporary present without meanwhile ignoring the achievements of the past. In this context the life and times of General Hari Singh Nalwa are of utmost significance.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh encouraged setting up of a composite Punjabi culture by bringing together the people of the Punjab with different religious traditions. The Hindus, the Sikhs and the Muslims evolved a common culture, what is now called Punjabiat. By respecting the sentiments of the people of all religions, castes and creeds in various ways and means, opportunities for nascent Punjabi nationalism were provided.

General Hari Singh Nalwa undertook the arduous task of going on blood squeezing campaigns or administering people of newly acquired territories with an unorthodox spirit and aspirations and took care of the whole affair with his companions brought up in the composite culture. Discipline and secular outlook rather than religious constraints and considerations guided the Nalwa Sardar in discharging the duties assigned to him.

General Hari Singh Nalwa fought and commanded almost all the formidable battles fought by the Lahore tmops. He rendered conspicuous service towards extending the boundaries of the kingdom of Lahore roughly from 1810 to 1837 upto the natural boundaries of the Punjab and sacrificed his life for this patriotic mission. The sealing of the North Western Frontier Border was a unique act having international legacy.

Such is the expanse of the subject 'The Campaigns of General Hari Singh Nalwa' by which we have traced the achievements and glamour of the 'Terror of the Afghans' in different serials and sections namely the Sikhs and army organisation in the eighteenth century, formation of forces, new orientation, treaties of 1801, 1806 and 1809 - North Western Frontier Policy, Nalwa Sardar as a general and an administrator.

It is hoped that this treatise will interest the students of history of the Punjab. We shall be amply awarded if it provokes further research on the subject.

Last but not the least, I shall be failing in my duties if, I do not place on record the gratitude I owe to my wife Harcharan Kaur who has helped me a lot in finalising this work by crossing the many "t's" and dotting the many "i's". The interest taken by Dr Hazara Singh of Publication Bureau in the printing of this book is conspicuous and hardly requires any elaboration.

15 August, 1995                                                                                             Gurbachan Singh Nayyar

Table Of Contents Of The Book 'The Campains of General Hari Singh Nalwa' By Gurbachan Singh Nayyar