[1] He was the grandson of the famous Sikh chief, Ran Singh Nakai and Sardarni Karmo Kaur.
His aunt, Maharani Datar Kaur was one of the wives of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire.
He was an ambitious man and had exceeded his rule to the taluqas of Bucheke, Changa Manga, 69 km from Lahore, Chhichha, Devsal, Fatahpur, Jethpur, Kasur, Kharral fort of Kot kamalia, Sharakpur, Gugera pargana, 5 km to the west of the Ravi, and Shergarh.
[4] In 1797, Nakais assisted the then Sardar Ranjit Singh of the Sukerchakia Misl who had been betrothed to his aunt, Bibi Raj Kaur by Bhagwan and Singh in the mid 1780s[4] to expel the attempts of Shah Zaman to annex Punjab region into his control through his general Shahanchi Khan and 12,000 soldiers.
[8] While they were busy fighting in Lahore, Muzaffar Khan, Shah's relative and governor of Multan province, took advantage of the situation and took Syedwala.
The ambitious Maharaja had been eyeing the Nakai territory, but had spared it till the death of Sardar Gyan Singh in 1807.
Diwan Hakim Rai, the administer of the Nakai Chief, immediately approached Ranjit Singh with the request that it was not proper for the Lahore forces to take military action against his nephew's misl.
Sohan Lai Suri notes that the Maharaja, very politely, said "I have nothing to do in this matter, Kunwar Kharak Singh is the maternal grandson of the Nakais and only he knows as to what is to be done.