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-75- dge any body's acendence upon himself. During their short stay at Kabul, these two Sirdar busied themselves in ripening their resp- ective scemes; and even sought each other's life blood. Nawab Samad Khan, however, tried to recile them; till Shahshuja rose as another claiment in Sindh at Shikarpour; which assisted in diver- ting their attention to him. All the Barakzai Brotheres, whether at Kubl or at Kandahar now banded themselvve to oppose him. But such an alliance was short lived, for again at Kandahar, at Shikar Pour and Gazni the animosity of these Sirdars-as above mentione-made its appearance. In Kabul both influence and money backed Sirdar Mohamed Azeem Khan, therefore, the capital difficult place to work in; Sirdar Doust Mohamed Khan tried to raise the people against Sirdar Mohamed Azeem Khan at such various loc- ations as Kohistan, Gazni; and eyden endeavours were made to raise the standard of revolt at Kabul. These smaller revolts, were really a kind of a ruse inorder that Doust Mohamed Khan should get money from his brother, Mohamed Azeem Khan, and thus indirectly to add to his personal interets. There is no doubt that due to this internecine warfare, the Sikhs found themselves in a position to take advantage of the situation in Afghanisan; so that they brought under their rule such areas as Dera Jat and Peshawar whilst the Afghan brothers contested in Kabul. At last Sirdar Mohamed Azeem Khan forgetting the affairs of contest against his brothers launched out to oppose the Sikhs in Peshawar; and died at Lata Bund by dysentry at the age of 38 years; and was burried at the shrine of Mazar Ashiqan and Arfan. At the time of the death of Sirdar Mohamed Azeem Khan, the government of Kabul was in the hands of Ayub Shah; but the real work of the administration was taken over by Habibullah Khan, the son of Sirdar Azeem Khan, who had inherited the wea- lth of his father. It is at ime, too, when Sirdar Pur Dil Khan and Shair Dil Khan of Kandahar took the road to Kabul. Although at a later stage thes two Sirdars clashed with Doust Mohamed Khan; yet in the first instance as the result of a consolidated attack, the puppet king-Ayub Shah-was removed and Habibullah Khan was flung into the dungeon. Various schemes were set on foot amongst