This kAshmIri paNDit escaped (with son Raja Kak) the afghAn ruler (aided by colleagues such as Mirza paNDit and muslim peasants) Azim Khan’s vigil to raNajIt singh and convinced him to attack. In doing so, he sacrificed the lives of his wife, friends and those that assisted him. The Dogras ousted the afghAns and the victory was celebrated for 3 days.
Before his departure Birbal Pandit had met his wife who bid farewell to him with her tearful eyes and with the assurance that she would never hesitate performing her duties even if she had to undergo severe pains and miseries.
Retaliation
Maliks who helped Birbal and his son in going out of the state were hunted and killed. Those houses, in which Birbal and his son had stayed, were set ablaze and the family members in those houses were burnt to death alive. Their lands were seized and all Government grant and facilities were stopped in all those villages where Birbal and his son had crossed and stayed.
Bassa Ram was a close friend of Birbal Pandit. Subedar Ajim Khan learnt about the whereabouts of Bassa Ram who was arrested and brought to the subedar. The Subedar gave him the allurements of estates, gold and top post in the Government but the strong-willed Pandit refused to divulge anything. The Subedar ordered that the Pandit should be tortured For nine days he was kept hungry and was subjected to torture. His flesh was peeled off with hot iron rods. His eyes were gouged out and for each of these nine days he was fined Rs. 9,000. But when he refused to open his mouth despite undergoing all these ordeals and tortures, on the 10th day his belly was ripped open with red hot sword.
Subedar Azam Khan made all possible efforts to search out Birbal’s wife and daughter in law but it was of no avail. bIrbal’s trusted friend Qadis Khan was hiding them - but he was betrayed. … While these ladies were being taken by Subedar’s soldiers, the mother-in-law swallowed one diamond, she was having round her throat but the daughter-in-law could not do so. When both of them were brought before Subedar, the wife of Birbal looked at Azamkhan with contemptuous eyes and said bravely, “The reign of terror leashed against the Kashmiri Pandits will end and the rule of the Afghans will collapse. My husband and son have reached Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Darbar”. She died before she could conclude her talk. … But Pandit Birbal’s daughter-in-law and the wife of Raja Kak was sent to Kabul through one Afghan Subedar.
Limitations
But in the hour of his triumph he did not forget his Muslim countrymen and his duty. The Sikhs wanted to loot the city but he came in their way. And when Phool Singh started demolishing the sacred shrine of Shah Hamdan, Pandit Birbal, without caring for his safety, told Phool Singh that the history will condemn him for his evil deed.