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<p class="C1">&#65279WAF&#256 BEGAM, the senior wife of Sh&#257h Shuj&#257, the king of K&#257bul, who after the dethronement of her husband came in February 1810 to Lahore where the Sikh sovereign, Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, made arrangements for her reception and accommodation suiting her status. In 1812, Sh&#257h Shuj&#257' fell into the hands of Jah&#257&#7749d&#257d <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the governor of Attock, who sent him to his brother, 'At&#257 Muhammad <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the governor of Kashm&#299r. Waf&#257 Begam, fearing for the life of Sh&#257h Shuj&#257' who was held a prisoner in Kashm&#299r, promised to gift to Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh the Koh-i-N&#363r diamond if he would have her husband released. When Fateh <u>Kh</u>&#257n, the K&#257bul Waz&#299r, led an expedition to Kashm&#299r jointly with the Sikhs, D&#299w&#257n Muhkam Chand, the Sikh commander, had Sh&#257h Shuj&#257' freed from captivity in the Sherga&#7771h fort in Sr&#299nagar, and brought him to Lahore. Though reluctant initially to part with the promised Koh-i-N&#363r, the Begam as well as the Sh&#257h was eventually persuaded to surrender Koh-i-N&#363r to the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 on 1 June 1813. Waf&#257 Begam and several other ladies of the royal harem managed to escape in disguise in November 1814 and reached Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 where she was received with honour by the British who granted her an annual allowance of 18,000 rupees. The Sh&#257h also escaped from Lahore and joined Waf&#257 Begam at Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 in September 1815. After the former's restoration to his throne, in August 1839, both lived together in K&#257bul. Upon the assassination of Sh&#257h on 5 April 1842, Waf&#257 Begam returned to Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 and remained a pensioner of the British Government till her death.</p>
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BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, '<i>Umd&#257t ut-Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR>
<li class="C1"> Cunningham, Joseph Davey, <i>A History of the Sikhs</i>. London, 1849<BR>
<li class="C1"> Garrett, H.L.O., and G.L. Chopra, <i>Events at the Court of Ranjit Si&#7749gh, 1810-1817</i>. Lahore, 1935<BR>
<li class="C1"> Harbans Singh, <i>The Heritage of the Sikhs</i>. Delhi, 1983<BR>
</ol><p class="CONT">Har&#299 R&#257m Gupta<br></p><BR>
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