A group of ragtag Punjabi Muslim rebels of various tribes would come together (one of those rare instances, when big egos would be put aside for a common Punjabi Muslim cause) & blockade the Lahore-Multan GT road, which would cut Lahore off from Bombay & in those days it was the only communication line between the two cities. L. Berkeley , Assistant Commissioner in Punjab Mutiny Correspondence states the significance of this route “The only very important feature in the matter is that the road to Multan, our only line of communication at present with Bombay, lies through this very district. It is, however, anticipated that security will be very soon restored.” [1] The blockade was cleared after 7 days.
This wasn’t the only high for Punjabi Muslims in the war though, numerous towns changed hands. In fact Kamalia would change hands not once, but twice & the blockade around British outpost in Chichawatni called for reinforcements thrice before the siege could be cleared [2]. But the significance of the GT road blockade can be assessed based on how the news got picked up a world over by someone of the stature of Karl Marx, which is not an endorsement of the person or the ideology by the way.
“There is also an untoward symptom in Punjab, the communication between Multan and Lahore having been cut off for eight days.” Wrote Karl Marx in his November 14th piece published in New York-Daily Tribune in the year 1857.
Earlier, I used the term “ragtag”, not to belittle my own, but to emphasize the enormous nature of the task against a technologically superior & organized opponent. Now, to clear any doubts & possible accusations of bias let’s look at what the Church of England Magazine published in 1858 on pg. 33 under the heading “Missionary Records. Punjab. Its Loyalty” has to say: “It would not be an exaggeration to say that the cream of British civil & military servants in 1857 were station in Panjab”. [3]
References:
[1] Butt, S.A (2015). Rai Ahmad Khan Kharral(Myth or Reality). JPUHS, Vol.28, No.2, July – December, 2015
[2] MALIK, S. (1977). 1857 GOGIRA REBELLION IN SOUTHEASTERN PANJAB: A FORGOTTEN CHAPTER OF MUSLIM RESPONSE TO BRITISH RULE IN INDIA. Islamic Studies, 16(2), 65-95. Retrieved July 20, 2020
[3] Church of England XLIV 1858, pg.33
Punjabi Waseb 