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the Sikhs over to his side. With this intention he
granted the Sirhind-Patiala State to an influential
Sikh chief. This measure, too, proved futile, for
hardly had Ahmad Shah left the country, when the
Sikhs, overrunning the greater part of the Punjab,
took the powerful fortress of Rohtas, near Jhelum,
built by Sher Shah Sur. The Shah was about to wipe
out this disgrace when a fresh rebellion in Khurasan
diverted his attention in that direction. Henceforth,
the Panjab ceased to be the base of operations
of the Afghans for their advance on Delhi.
Nasirullah Khan, son of Shah Rukh, had
taken up arms against Ahmad Shah with the
full support of the Persian nobles. The Afghan
King sent forward Timur, his son, in that direc-
tion. The Prince, after a well-contested battle
in the neighbourhood of Meshad, inflicted a severe
defeat on the Persians. Fleeing from the field
they took refuge with the blinded Shah Rukh
inside the sacred city. Ahmad Shah, who had
come to the help of his son, now laid siege to it,
intending to reduce the city by a prolonged
blockade. The Persians, once more finding their
position untenable, surrendered. Ahmad Shah,
however, treated Shah Rukh with every mark of
Roughly two thirds of characters agree with a modern printed edition of the same text. Much of the disagreement is editorial, not misreading. Treat the transcription as a finding aid and read the page image before quoting. How this was measured.