[2] Hukma Singh joined the Khalsa Army when able to bear arms and distinguished himself in the Battle of Kasur in 1807, in which he was severely wounded.
He was created a Chief (Sardar) at the same time as Hari Singh Nalwa and received charge of the Ramnagar District and military command of the contingents of the Darap Jagirdars.
[3][2] Maharaja Ranjit Singh discovered in May 1816 that Wazir Fatah Khan had reached Kashmir through the Hazara highlands' Pakhli and Dhamtaur passes.
The Hazara territory lying to the northeast of Hassan Abdal was assigned to Lahna Singh Sandhanwalia, who pursued a policy of peace.
He had a leading Yusafzai chief, Sayyid Khan, executed publicly in 1819, and this act had led to a wide-scale uprising in Hazara.