Jalal Khan Orakzai

Jalal Khan Orakzai was an Afghan servicemen of the Mughal Empire who repulsed a larger Sikh force at the siege of Jalalabad.

Background Jalal Khan's father Hazar Mir Warakzai of Miranzai Khel came to India during the reign of Shah Jahan. He hailed from the Orakzai tribe of Pashtuns.

He lived at and was the Faujdar of the town of Jalalabad which was founded by him. Jalal Khan had also served under the command of Aurangzeb in the Deccan wars. He had a strongly built fort around the town of Jalalabad.

Defense and Battle In the Punjab region, barbarities were perpetrated upon the people by the armies of Banda Singh Bairagi who was a Khalsa Fauj general of the First Sikh State. Mughal historian Ghulām Ḥusein Ṭabāṭabā writes in Siyar-ul-Mutakhkherin that:

A large horde of Banda Singh Bairagi at 70 to 80 thousand men had invaded different towns and subjected them to atrocities, the women of these towns who had rarely even left the court of their homes were forced to walk distances of thirty to forty miles and many women threw themselves into wells to avoid outrage.

Decoration Jalal Khan was rewarded by the Nazim of Delhi, on 31 August 1710 AD, with the Faujdari of Saharanpur which was a deserted position by Ali Hamid Qanauji as well as receiving further promotions in rank by his Mughal superiors.