Monday, March 15, 2010

TREATY OF AMRITSAR

The Treaty of Amritsar was signed on March 16, 1846 to settle a dispute over territory in Kashmir after the First Sikh War with the United Kingdom, ceding some land to Maharaja Gulab Singh Dogra. Based on the provisions of the treaty, Gulab Singh acquired the lands "River Indus and the westward of the River Ravi including Chamba and excluding Lahul, being part of the territories ceded to the British Government by the Lahore State according to the provisions of Article IV of the Treaty of Lahore, dated 9th March, 1846." Gulab Singh was to pay 7.0 million Nanak Shahi rupees (the ruling currency of Punjab) to the British Government as the price for the cessation along with other annual tributes. The Treaty of Amritsar marked the beginning of Dogra rule in Kashmir, which was to end in 1948 after attack by Pakistani army, which led to Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.

FIRST SIKH WAR

The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company between 1845 and 1846. It resulted in partial subjugation of the Sikh kingdom

First Anglo-Sikh War

Date

1845-1846

Location

Punjab

Result

British victory

Belligerents

United KingdomBritish East India Company

Punjab flag.svgSikh Empire

Casualties and losses

2,200 killed
4,441 wounded[citation needed]

5000 killed and wounded[citation needed]

TREATY OF LAHORE

The Treaty of Lahore of March 9, 1846, was a peace treaty marking the end of the First Anglo-Sikh War. The Governor-General Sir Henry Hardinge and two officers of the East India Company and, for the Sikhs, by the seven-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh Bahadur and seven members of the Lahore Durbar acting on his behalf, concluded the Treaty, for the British.

The terms of the Treaty were punitive. Sikh territory was reduced to a fraction of its former size, losing Jammu, Kashmir, Hazara, the territory to the south of the river Sutlej and the forts and territory in the Jalandhar Doab between the rivers Sutlej and Beas. In addition, controls were placed on the size of the Lahore army and thirty-six field guns were confiscated. The control of the rivers Sutlej and Beas and part of the Indus passed to the British, with the proviso that this was not to interfere with the passage of passenger boats owned by the Lahore Government. Also, provision was made for the separate sale of Kashmir by the East India Company at a later date to Gulab Singh, the Raja of Jammu.