Cite
MLA
“Battles of Gujranwala and Sialkot (1761).” Hindu History, 2026, https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/battle-of-sialkot-1761/. Accessed .
APA
Hindu History. (2026). Battles of Gujranwala and Sialkot (1761). Retrieved , from https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/battle-of-sialkot-1761/
The Afghans were beaten on the Chenab, starved out of Sialkot and allowed to leave; their general fled in disguise.
01On the Chenab
Abdali left India in the spring of 1761 with his army tired and unpaid. The Sikh misls had harried his baggage all the way to the Indus and now spread over the Punjab plains. Abdali sent Nur-ud-Din Bamzai from across the Indus to restore order. As he came to the Chenab he was met by Charat Singh of the Sukerchakia misl, whose base was at Gujranwala, with other sardars. Charat Singh fought on the defensive and threw the Afghans back after a long fight.
02Starved out of Sialkot
The beaten Afghans took refuge in the fort town of Sialkot. The Sikhs closed every road into it, and in a short time the garrison was close to starving. Nur-ud-Din abandoned his men and escaped in the dress of a beggar. The garrison then surrendered and was allowed to march away. Charat Singh came back to Gujranwala with the guns and baggage of the Afghan force. Some later accounts place Timur Shah, Abdali’s son, in command; the contemporary record names Nur-ud-Din.
The victory put Charat Singh in the front rank of the Sikh sardars. In November 1761 the misls took Lahore itself, and Abdali came back the next year for revenge.
