The decline of Mughal Imperial authority gave a number of local leaders to turn their influence into independence. Families that owned land, collected revenue, or exercised local authority could keep their resources, maintain troops, and negotiate independent interests.
Authority, however, came in degrees. A chief or leader often had to pay tribute to a stronger neighbour or they would be overtaken. In central Punjab, the Sukerchakia and Bhangi misls were lasting strongholds, and other cheifs are often overshadowed by their rise to power.
The Chatthas: strongholds along the Chenab
In the countryside around Gujranwala, the Muslim Chattha chiefs gained power as a local clan. Under the leader Nur Muhammad and his sons - Ahmad Khan and Sir Muhammad, the Chattha strongholds grew in the cities of Ahmadnagar, Rasulnagar, Alipur, and Manchar.
These cities gave the Chattha clan multiple bases from were they could resist outside demands; but they also brought the group into direct competition with the leading Sikh clans in the area - The Sukerchakia and Bhangi Misl.
The Zamzama cannon was an example of this rivalry, as the accounts of the cannon’s possession suggest disputes between the Chattha family and the Bhangi misl regarding its possession.
The victories of the Sukerchakia misl gradually reduced the Chattha influence and stronghold, however, the tensions continued in the early years of the Sikh Empire when Jan Muhammad Chattha attempted to recover his family’s Rasulnagar stronghold in 1798 alongside the Afghan Ruler Shah Zaman; although he was initially successful, Ranjit Singh was victorious in attacking his headquarters, killing Jan Muhammad. Jan Muhammad’s sons were given land grants and jagirs, and employed in Ranjit Singh’s irregular cavalry forces.
The Sials: holding Jhang
The Sial principality survived these pressures into the closing years of the century. Its eventual confrontation with Ranjit Singh belonged to a longer history of defending territory, recovering lost possessions and negotiating with stronger neighbours.
Further down the Chenab River, the Sial cheifs’ stronghold was in Jhang. Their ruling family had roots that extended before the rise of the Sikh Misls, but their power significantly strengthened under Walidad Khan. His successor, Inaytullah Khan faced the challenge of maintaining their power as competing powers aimed to take over Sial territories.
Jhang held a unique position between several competing powers. The Bhangi cheifs advanced from the north, Multan from the south, and neighbouring Tiwana Cheifs held independent interests. Disputes within the Sial family also added another threat to their stability.
Chiniot became a root of conflict, as the Sials and Bhangi cheifs both competed for its possession. Inayatullah Khan at times paid tribute, but later withheld it and recovered the town before losing it again - revealing how difficult it was for either side to turn a successful campaign into permanent control.
Kasur: Afghan chiefs close to Lahore
Kasur was an established centre of Afghan settlement. Its leaders were from Punjab’s political world, but Afghanistan offered them opportunities for support and advancement because of their connections. In the late 1700s, the brothers Nizamuddin and Qutubuddin Khan became prominent figures. Their relationship with the Bhangi cheifs was one of both submission and tribute, but the brothers often advanced according their independent interests, and they occupied neighbouring territories including that of the Nakai Misl.
Shah Zaman’s campaigns gave Nizamuddin another opportunity. He sought after the Afghan ruler’s backing for his ambitions in Punjab, including a proposal to govern the province.
After Ranjit Singh occupied Lahore in 1799, Nizamuddin joined Gulab Singh Bhangi in an unsuccessful attempt to dislodge him. Here, despite their differences, both cheifs had an immediate objective - preventing their rival Ranjit Singh from consolidating his new position at Lahore.
