Josiah Harlan - Entering Afghanistan

Entering Afghanistan

After a stay in Simla, Harlan came to Ludhiana, a border outpost of British India on the Sutlej river which formed the border between the Punjab and British India at the time. He had decided to enter the service of Ranjit Singh, the Maharaja of Punjab. Here, while awaiting an answer on his request to enter Punjab, he met the exiled Afghan ruler Shuja Shah Durrani of the Durrani Empire and eventually entered his service. With financial support from Shuja Shah Durrani, Harlan travelled along the Indus and into Afghanistan, first to Peshawar then to Kabul. He met in Kabul the man who he had come to depose, Dost Mohammad Khan.

In Peshawar, Harlan had met a Nawab Jabbar Khan, who was a brother of Dost Mohammad Khan. Jabbar Khan was important as a possible rival of Dost Mohammad, and thus a possible ally to Shuja Shah. While staying with Jabbar Khan, Harlan evaluated the situation and realised that Dost Mohammad's position was too strong, and that influence from outside Afghanistan was needed. He decided to seek his luck in Punjab.