Question

Why did the British not annex Punjab even though they won the First Anglo-Sikh War?

Answer 1

Instructions: The answer to this question can be broken into 3 main parts:

1. Mention how the British wanted to avoid engaging in any further fights.
2. Explain how annexing Punjab was not profitable for the British.
3. Explain how Lord Harding intended to capture Punjab diplomatically.

Solution: There were multiple factors due to which the British did not annex Punjab even though they won the First Anglo-Sikh War.

• Even though the British won the battles of the First Anglo-Sikh War, there were Sikh soldiers stationed at Lahore, Amritsar, and Peshawar. To annex Punjab, the British army would have had to defeat these soldiers.
• The British would have had to expend a huge sum for maintaining law and order in Punjab, which was lesser than the income that could have been generated from Punjab.
• The Sikh territory was acting as a buffer between the British empire and the Afghan rulers which protected them from direct attack.
• Governor-general Lord Harding intended to weaken the administration of Punjab strategically with the help of alliances and treaties.
• Due to all these factors, Lord Harding chose to weaken the economy and military of Punjab, so that he could annex Punjab at his own will.