¶ [97c] When news of the wazir’s blinding reached Sardar Muhammad ʿAzim Khan in Kashmir, he was grief-stricken and vowed revenge and sent off a letter expressing submission and obedience sealed by the most solemn oaths to Shah Shujaʿ who was now living in Ludhiana. In the letter, he wrote,

¶ “Henceforth, I will follow the path of sincere loyalty and render obedience to the shah with all my brothers and the Barakzaʾi clan. The only condition is that the shah forgive my actions on behalf of Shah Mahmud and let nothing affect his feelings towards m…