Mughlani Begum

Mughlani Begum (died 1779) also known as Suraya Murad Begum or Murad Begum, was the wife of Moin-ul-Mulk (Mir Mannu), the governor of the Subah of Lahore from 1748 to 1753. Mir Mannu had been forced to transfer his allegiance to Ahmad Shah Abdali of the Durrani Empire in April 1752. Mughlani Begum was the defacto ruler of the province of Lahore as regent from 1753, after the death of her husband, later serving as a viceroy for the Durranis. In 1756, when she was ousted from power by Adina Beg, and was known for playing her friends and foes against each other for her personal gains.

Early life Mughlani Begam, originally named Surayya Begam, and also known as Murad Begum, was married to Moin-ul-Mulk, popularly called Mir Mannu, who served as the Viceroy of Punjab from 1748 to 1753. Her father was Jani Khan, a prominent noble at the Delhi court, and her mother, Dardana Begam, was the daughter of Nawab Abd al-Samad Khan, the Viceroy of Punjab from 1713 to 1726, and sister to Nawab Zakariya Khan, who governed Punjab from 1726 to 1745. In her husband's family, she was given the name Murad Begam, but she was commonly known as Mughlani Begam.

Biography Following her husband's sudden death on November 3, 1753, when unpaid Mughal troops refused to release Muin’s body until their wages were settled, she took control of the treasury and worked for three days to clear their dues, preventing a major rebellion. A power struggle ensued when Bhikari Khan attempted to take Muin’s body to Delhi, but Begam insisted on bringing it to Lahore. Facing resistance, she secured the loyalty of Indian commanders and sent Qasim Khan to win over the Mughal troops by offering them rewards. Meanwhile, she strategically deployed guards to take control of Muin’s body, forcing Bhikari Khan’s men to retreat. With the army under her command, she successfully brought her husband's body to Lahore, where he was buried near Shahidganj, demonstrating her political acumen and leadership in a time of instability.