18 A PILGRIMAGE FOR PEACE
around Peshawar, Derajat and Hazara, Sindh, Kashmir
and Multan into a separate Durrani kingdom-
Following upon the break up of the Durrani kingdom
and till the advent of Sikh rule, the Central Government
exercised only " a sort of irregular and disturbed autho-
rity over the tract known as the Frontier". Maharaja
Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler of the Punjab, pushed the
Afghan settlers out of the North-West Frontier and by
1820 had occupied the territory around Peshawar, Bannu,
Kohat and portions of Derajat. He may thus be said to
have " created " the present N. W. F. Province by sweep-
ing the Afghans back across the Indus into their
mountains. The Sikh rule over the Frontier Province
(1834-48), however, was that of the sword alone. Dacoi-
ties and blood-feuds were unchecked, and even more
calamitous than these were the periodical visits of the
Sikhs for revenue collection, when, in the words of Major
James, " crowds of women and children fled frightened
from their homes and the country presented the appear-
ance of an emigrating colony."
After Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death, his kingdom fell
into anarchy and a period of gross misrule and chaos fol-
lowed. Sikh power was completely broken at the con-
clusion of the First Sikh War. But the danger of Afghan
armies crossing the Frontier and sweeping across the
trans-Indus territory impelled the British power to aban-
don the idea of annexing the Punjab and to recognize the
minor Maharaja Daleep Singh as the ruler of that pro-
vince. Under the treaty of 16th December 1846 the power
of administration was vested in a Council of Regency,
"acting under the control and guidance of the British
Resident ". The treaty of 16th December further provided
that " a British officer with an efficient establishment of
assistants shall be appointed by the Governor-General to
remain at Lahore, which officer shall have full authority
to direct and control all matters in every department of
the State......."Sir Henry Lawrence and Reynal Taylor
were accordingly posted at Peshawar, Major Abbot in
Hazara and Mr. Herbert at Attock. In the Christmas season