Baloch and Jat war in 18th

Towards the end of 1763, arose a quarrel between the Jats and the Baloch. The expansionist ambitions of the former and the latter’s unfriendly policy towards the Jats formed the general background of this event.

Jawahar Singh directed his attack upon Farrukhnagar, held by a powerful Baloch chief, Musavi Khan. But he having failed to capture it, Suraj Mal himself came and laid siege to strong fort of Farrukhnagar in October, 1763, with all his forces and big artillery. Two months passed away and Musavi Khan being hard pressed, consented to surrender it if Suraj Mal would take an oath on the Ganges water not to hinder his departure. But the Jat on this occasion made the same unscrupulous use of the sanctity of the Ganges. The Baloch chief was made a prisoner and sent to Bharatpur. Thus, after a siege of two months, the fort of Farrukhnagar, along with all its effects came in the Jat possession on about 12 December 1763. 

Garhi Harsaru, Rewari and Rohtak had already fallen into the hands of Suraj Mal. He now turned his arms against Bahadurgarh, about 12 kos to the west of Delhi, the strong-hold of another powerful Baloch chief Bahadur Khan. In his distress, the Baloch chief appealed for help to Najib-ud-daula, who however judged it inexpedient to provoke a war with Suraj Mal, before the arrival of the Abdali. 

By the year 1763, the Jat power under Suraj Mal had reached such a glorious height, as had never been attained before. Owner of a spacious kingdom, of the richest and overflowing treasury, and of the most formidable and gallant troops unrivalled in contemporary India, as Suraj Mal was, little wonder that needy persons like Mir Qasim of Bengal, turned their eyes for help to him. 

The Baloch incident, in turn, precipitated a clash between Suraj Mal and Najib-ud-daula, both of whom looked with an evil eye at each other. The allies of Najib had succumbed to the Jat stratagem only two days before he could reach Delhi (14 December 1763). Najib, dreading the tremendous strength of his foe, attempted to placate him more than once. But Suraj Mal was so much annoyed with his conduct that all his efforts proved to be of no avail. 

The mediators sent by Ruhela chief failed to pacify him. The couriers came back disgusted to Najib on 23 December 1763. Suraj Mal, leaving Jawahar Singh with a strong garrison at Farrukhnagar, crossed the Yamuna south of Delhi and stayed on the west bank and burnt the villages in neighbourhood of Ghaziabad. Thereafter the Jats returned south of Delhi. The Ruhela chief, on getting this news, marched out of Delhi with his forces and stood in garden of Khizrabad within four miles of the Jat troops. But he repaired to the city without engaging them in a battle. Meanwhile, Suraj Mal, detaching his baggage, again crossed Yamuna and encamped on the other side. Making a last minute desperate bid, Najib sent his agents with a present of two pieces of beautiful Multan chintz and a message to Suraj Mal expressing his superiority but a request to go back. This appeal failed to calm down the exasperated Jat Raja who sent a challenging reply on 24 December 1763. The die was caste now. Najib-ud-daula, taking Gulab Singh Gujar, Sayyid Muhammad Khan Baloch (Siyyidu), Afzal Khan, Zaibita Khan and all his troops, less than 10000 in number, crossed the Yamuna two hours before dawn and took post on the west bank of the Hindan, 10 miles south-east of Delhi. Suraj Mal with his army of at least 25000 strong and heavy artillery pulled up opposition to them. Several small engagements occurred in which the Jats displayed their superiority. Cannonading was also resorted to between the two sides which lasted till 3 pm. Thereafter, Suraj Mal tried to surround his foes from three sides, deploying 5000 men to Najib’s rear. About sunset (the same day i.e. Sunday, 25 December 1763), Suraj Mal while watching the movements of the troops with small retinue, was killed by Siyyidu and his men who most probably lay in ambush for him. As usually happens in such cases, the leaderless Jats, overwhelmed with shock decamped the same night (25-26 December 1763), thereby conceding to Najib-ud-daula “a victory which no one had expected,” The Jesuit observer aptly says that Najib and his men “were victorious without knowing it.”