Zorawar Singh's conquest of Ladakh broke the Kashmiri–Ladakhi monopoly on Tibet trade, and the Tibetan pashmina wool started finding its way into British territory.

Nevertheless, Qing China was fighting the First Opium War (1839–1842) with the British Empire when the Dogra invasion of Tibet took place.

[16] Zorawar Singh led a 4,000 men-strong force consisting of Ladakhis, Baltis and Kishtwaris with a Dogra core.

[17][18] Zorawar Singh divided his forces into three divisions, sending one via the Rupshu and Hanle, one along the Indus valley towards Tashigang (Zhaxigang) and another along the Pangong lake towards Rudok (Rutog).

[a] The third division, commanded by Zorawar Singh, captured Rudok and then moved south, joining the other branches to attack Gartok.

The Tibetan general at Taklakot was unable to hold the town and retreated to the Mayum La, the border between Western and Central Tibet.

[22] Zorawar Singh invoked the historical claims of Ladakh to Western Tibet up to the Mayum Pass (originally called Ngari),[23] which were exercised prior to the 1648 Treaty of Tingmosgang.

All the captured forts were garrisoned, while the main force was encamped at Tirthapuri near Minsar, to the west of Lake Manasarovar.

[27] The Chinese Amban at Lhasa reported to the emperor on 2 September 1841: It has been learned that south of Ladakh there is a very large aboriginal tribe named Ren-chi-shen [Ranjit Singh].

The disturbances in Ladakh caused the Tibetan shawl wool to be diverted to the princely state of Bushahr, a British dependency.

[22][29] The advance of Zorawar Singh's troops gave rise to vociferous complaints from the British to the Lahore durbar of the Sikh Empire.

[30] Added to these concerns was the possibility of intercourse between the Dogras and the Nepalese, with might have encircled British territory in Kumaon and Garhwal.

The Governor General brought heavy pressure on the Sikhs to recall Zorawar Singh from Tibet, and set 10 December 1841 as the deadline.

[32] Fisher et al. state that, with the winter approaching, the Dogras were not inimical to withdrawing in strength if they could make a deal with the Tibetans.

In response, Zorawar Singh withdrew officers and troops from "advance posts" and from the British border, and promised to carry out the rest of the withdrawal after the snows cleared.

Tibetans calculated that they intended to intercept the supply line at a place called Do-yo slightly to the north of Taklakot.

A well-disguised ambush was carefully laid, in which a road was left open through the middle of our lines up which the enemy could advance.

[37] The Sino-Tibetan force then mopped up the other garrisons of the Dogras and advanced on Ladakh, now determined to conquer it and add it to the Imperial Chinese dominions.

However the force under Mehta Basti Ram withstood a siege for several weeks at Chi-T’ang before escaping with 240 men across the Himalayas to the British post of Almora.

Within Ladakh the Sino-Tibetan army laid siege to Leh, when reinforcements under Diwan Hari Chand and Wazir Ratnu arrived from Jammu and repulsed them.

The climactic Battle of Chushul (August 1842) was won by the Dogras who killed the Tibetan army's general to avenge the death of Zorawar Singh.