The Siege of Delhi: Betrayal, Failed Negotiations & Abdali's Demands (1756-1757)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The News Reaches Delhi

October 1756: The Warning

The Messenger:

• News of Abdali's approach reached Delhi in October 1756
• He was already on the march from Lahore toward Delhi
• Ahead of his arrival, Delhi had time to prepare
• But would they?

Imad ul-Mulk's Desperate Situation

His Weakness

The Reality Check:

• Imad did not have a large army in Delhi
• He didn't have many friends to depend on either
• His two potential allies:
  1. Najib Khan (Rohilla)
  2. Shuja-ud-Daulah (Awadh)
• But neither would help...

The First Betrayal: Najib Khan's Refusal

The Money Dispute

What Happened:

• Imad ul-Mulk asked Najib Khan for military help
• Najib demanded money first - to pay his soldiers' salaries
• Bachabachi (altercation, hostile back-and-forth)
• They had hot words and couldn't agree

The Positions: | Person | Position | |--------|----------| | Najib Khan | "Pay me first, then I'll help" | | Imad ul-Mulk | "Why should I give it to you?" |

The Truth:

• This was all just excuses from Najib
• He had secretly invited Abdali to Delhi in the first place
• He was never going to help Imad
• Imad understood this - he saw through the excuses
• But what could he do?

The Second Disappointment: Surajmal Jat

Why Surajmal Declined

His Reasoning:

1. His only military interest: Keep Marathas south of the Narmada River
2. Didn't want to mess with Abdali - why get involved?
3. Had a small kingdom - wanted to protect it
4. Calculated: If Abdali comes for Delhi, he probably won't bother with me

His Logic:

• Abdali's interest is temporary - loot Delhi and leave
• Marathas' interest is permanent - they want to stay and rule
• Better to let Abdali come, do his thing, and leave
• As long as I don't take Panga (enmity) with Abdali, I'll be fine
• Why would I fight Abdali to protect the Mughals?

The Calculation:

"Abdali will loot and leave. Marathas are the real permanent threat. I'm staying out of this."

Imad's Solo Defense Plans

Making Preparations

His Decision:

• Realized he's on his own
• No help from Najib Khan
• No help from Surajmal Jat
• Started making preparations to defend Delhi himself
• Would fortify the outskirts

His Strategy:

• Prepare for battle on the outskirts of Delhi
• But also keep negotiation channels open
• Cover all bases if possible
• Hope for the best

The Negotiation Attempts

Attempt #1: Yaqub Ali Khan

The Mediator:

• Yaqub Ali Khan was Abdali's Wazir
• He actually resided in Delhi
• Imad asked Najib Khan to send Yaqub Ali Khan to Abdali
• Purpose: Rapprochement (negotiation, peace talks)
• Hope: Maybe buy some time, broker a deal

Why This Made Sense:

• Yaqub Ali had relationships with both sides
• Could potentially mediate
• Maybe prevent the attack

Attempt #2: Mughalani Begum (The Trap)

Imad's Misunderstanding:

• Imad thought Abdali was coming because he was angry about Mughalani Begum
• Thought: "I displaced her from Punjab, so he's coming to rescue her"
• Completely wrong - Abdali was coming to loot
• But Imad didn't know about her secret letters

His "Brilliant" Plan:

• "Let me send Mughalani Begum to negotiate with Abdali"
• "If she asks him to go back, maybe he'll listen"
• "After all, he's here for her, right?"

January 10, 1757:

• Mughalani Begum left Delhi
• Supposedly to convince Abdali to turn around and go home
• This was incredibly stupid because:
  • SHE was the one who invited him in the first place!
  • She had written letters asking him to come!
  • Now she was going to tell him to leave?
  • But Imad didn't know this - he was in the dark

Mughalani's Triple-Cross

The Meeting with Abdali

What Happened:

• She met with Shahawali Khan (Abdali's Wazir)
• She met with Abdali himself
• On the outskirts of Delhi

Her Performance:

• Pretended to do her job: "Please go back, blah blah blah"
• Just for show

Abdali's Excuse:

"I can't go back now. I'm so close. How can I not pay my respects to the Mughal Emperor?"

The Reality:

• Complete lie
• His real aim: Get all the treasure out of Delhi
• He knew it wouldn't be given willingly
• He'd have to dig it out
• He'd have to go to rich houses
• He'd have to torture people, kill them, take hostages
• Whatever it takes to get the money

Her Secret Message to Imad

The Double-Cross:

• She sent a secret message back to Imad ul-Mulk
• Her advice:

"If you can't fight Abdali, just leave Delhi. Go hide somewhere. He's asked you to come meet him - that might be dangerous for you. If you can't fight, just let him come to Delhi and take what he wants. At least you'll be safe."

Why She Did This:

• She WANTED Abdali to loot Delhi freely
• She had invited him after all
• If Imad hides, Abdali has free rein
• She looks good in Abdali's eyes
• Classic betrayal

Her Character:

"She has no principles. No loyalty to anyone. Only trying to protect herself and get the best outcome for herself."

Abdali's Demands

The Ultimatum

What Abdali Demanded from the Mughal Emperor and Wazir:

His Promise:

"Deliver all this to me, and I'll go back without entering Delhi."

Why These Demands:

• Punjab, Multan, Kashmir = Annual agricultural revenues
• These areas were prosperous, fertile, advanced agriculture
• That's where the big money is
• These were undisputed parts of Mughal Empire
• Abdali was demanding massive territorial concessions

The Impossible Choice

The Problem:

• Neither Imad nor the Emperor had 2 crore rupees sitting around
• They couldn't give up three major provinces without a fight
• But they also couldn't fight

Their Only Option:

• Beg and plead: "Please don't come to Delhi"
• Because they knew what would happen if he entered

The Implications:

• Severe massacre
• Torture
• Destruction of Delhi on a grand scale
• He'd dig up all the courtiers' houses
• All the Mansabdars' wealth would be taken
• He'd raid the Emperor's treasury itself
• Leave them in economic ruin
• The entire high society would be upturned

The Military Movements

Abdali Divides His Army

The Geography:

• Yamuna River flows on the western side of Delhi
• To get into Delhi from the west (Abdali's direction), you MUST cross the Yamuna
• Strategic chokepoint

The Two-Pronged Approach:

Prong 1: Jahan Khan

• Crossed the Yamuna
• Didn't go to Delhi
• Went to Awadh (Shuja-ud-Daulah's kingdom)
• Kicked out the Maratha regiments stationed there
• Came and sat in Luni (outskirts of Delhi)
• Very close now

Prong 2: Shahawali Khan's Army

• Reached Narela
• Had skirmishes (Chakmak) with Antaji Mankeshwar's Maratha forces
• Twice they fought
• Marathas had to retreat both times

But Then:

• On the way back, Marathas had another skirmish with an Afghan/Rohilla commander
• This time Antaji won
• Small victory for the Marathas

Najib Khan's Continued Treachery

The Double-Dealing

Imad's Repeated Requests:

• Once again, Imad ul-Mulk asked Najib Khan to fight Abdali's army
• Still operating under wrong assumptions
• Thought maybe Najib would help

Why Najib Would Never Help:

1. He wanted Abdali's protection

   • Abdali had a fearsome reputation
   • No way Najib wants to be his enemy

2. He was Afghan himself (Rohilla = Indian Afghan)

   • Saw Abdali as their champion
   • The only difference: Abdali was "proper Afghan," Najib was settled in India
   • But he identified with Afghans
   • His origins were Afghanistan anyway

Najib's Games:

• Doing negotiations with Jahan Khan about working together
• On the other hand, asking 2 crore rupees from Imad to "protect" him
• Double-dealing - playing both sides
• Getting ransom from the Mughals
• They were his "piggy bank"

His Strategy:

• Give excuses not to do anything
• "OK, OK, I'll help. But give me this first."
• "Why don't we do this instead?"
• Never actually delivering
• Just stalling and extracting money

The Final Betrayal

Abdali's Message

The Demand:

• Abdali sent a message to Imad ul-Mulk
• "Bring the Mughal Emperor to meet me"
• This could be very dangerous
• Or he'd just demand massive amounts of money

Najib's Open Switch

The Moment of Truth:

• Najib Khan went with his army to Abdali
• Openly joined him
• No more pretense
• Made his loyalty known publicly

Why He Did It:

• Najib knew Abdali was powerful
• Wanted to side with the powerful guy
• Not oppose him
• Self-preservation and opportunism
• Plus ethnic/cultural loyalty to Afghans

The Situation Summary (January 1757)

Who's Where

The Balance of Power

Abdali's Advantages:

• Large, battle-hardened army
• Local allies (Najib Khan, Mughalani Begum)
• Fearsome reputation
• Clear objectives
• Surrounded Delhi from multiple sides

Imad's Disadvantages:

• Small army
• No reliable allies
• Surrounded
• Can't pay what's demanded
• Can't defend effectively
• Knows what's coming

Timeline

Key Players

Key Themes

1. The Isolated Defender - Imad with no allies facing overwhelming force
2. The Fake Negotiation - Mughalani pretending to help while sabotaging
3. The Impossible Demands - Abdali asking for what can't be given
4. The Inevitable Betrayal - Najib openly switching sides
5. The Strategic Refusal - Surajmal staying neutral for self-preservation
6. The Multi-Front Siege - Abdali surrounding Delhi from multiple directions
7. The Reputation Effect - Abdali's fearsome image prevents resistance
8. The Torture Preview - Everyone knows what's coming if he enters

The Mughal Army's Decay

Why They Didn't Resist

The Reality:

• Lost their morale
• Not battle-hardened anymore
• Become "loosey-goosey" - soft
• Didn't have the punch they used to
• And they knew it

The Reputation Factor:

• Abdali had a fierce reputation
• His army was feared across the region
• Mughal soldiers knew they couldn't win
• Didn't want to fight
• Took any excuse to get out

The Result:

• Easy defeats
• Quick retreats
• No will to fight
• The empire's military power was fiction

Surajmal Jat's Logic

The Neutral Strategy

His Calculation:

His Philosophy:

"Why would I fight Abdali to protect the Mughals? Let him come, loot, and leave. As long as I don't mess with him, I'll be fine. Marathas are the real problem."

The Wisdom:

• Sometimes neutrality is the smartest play
• Pick your battles
• Protect your own interests
• Don't die for someone else's empire

The Cultural/Historical Notes

Bachabachi (बचबाची)

• Hostile back-and-forth argument
• Not just discussion, but altercation
• Indicates serious disagreement
• No resolution possible

Panga (पंगा)

• Enmity, conflict
• "Taking panga with someone" = making them your enemy
• Deliberately creating conflict
• Surajmal didn't want to take panga with Abdali

The Yamuna River Strategy

• Natural defensive barrier
• Must be crossed to reach Delhi from west
• Strategic chokepoint
• Abdali crossed it with two armies from different points

What Comes Next

The Setup:

• Delhi is surrounded
• Imad is isolated
• Najib has openly joined Abdali
• Mughalani has sabotaged negotiations
• Abdali's demands can't be met
• The Emperor is powerless
• There's only one thing left to happen: Abdali enters Delhi

The Questions:

1. Will Imad surrender or fight?
2. How will Abdali extract the wealth?
3. What will happen to the Mughal Emperor?
4. Where are the main Maratha forces?
5. Will anyone come to Delhi's rescue?
6. How much will Abdali loot?

The Ironies

Irony #1:

• Imad sent Mughalani to negotiate peace
• She was the one who invited Abdali in the first place
• Classic move by someone who doesn't know what's really happening

Irony #2:

• Imad kept asking Najib for help
• Najib was actively helping Abdali
• Imad was basically asking his enemy for protection

Irony #3:

• Abdali claims he's just here to "pay respects" to the Emperor
• Everyone knows he's here to loot
• But the polite fiction must be maintained

Irony #4:

• Surajmal makes the smartest move (stay neutral)
• By not fighting for anyone, he protects himself
• Sometimes doing nothing is the best strategy

January 1757: Delhi is surrounded. Abdali makes impossible demands. Najib openly betrays Imad. Mughalani sabotages from within. Surajmal wisely stays out. The Mughal army has no will to fight. The Emperor is powerless. The treasure map is in enemy hands. And "something very important is about to happen..." The fall of Delhi is imminent.