[4][5] Seeing the occupation as an unjust usurpation of his deposed brothers domains, he informed Ranjit Singh that Hari Singh Nalwa had removed them from their lands, and that Dost Mohammad would take revenge after he had defeated Shah Shuja in Kandahar, threatening that the Afghans would attack Peshawar, intent on removing the Sikhs from there, and even the Punjab.

[6] Ranjit Singh and the Afghans attempted to conciliate relations, but nothing came as a result, leading to Dost Mohammad's mobilization.

[7] To further legitimize his cause, Dost Mohammad Khan took the title of Amir al-Mu'minin, meaning "Commander of the faithful", and declared a holy war against the Sikhs, rallying Muslims in the region toward his cause.

He began his march toward Peshawar from Jalalabad on 2 January 1835, with large amounts of Muslims coming from various surrounding regions flocking to support the Afghans in their cause.

In one such engagement, Hari Singh Nalwa was defeated, leaving around 150 Sikhs dead and wounded, forcing him to withdraw to Peshawar.

[2] Ranjit Singh chose intrigue rather than facing the Afghans in battle and began sending negotiation efforts to Dost Mohammad Khan.

[12] The French division under Jean-François Allard, Paolo Avitabile, Claude Auguste Court and Jean-Baptiste Ventura commanded 20 to 22,000 men who marched very slowly and suitably towards the left flank of Dost Mohammad Khan's army.

[1] After this encounter, Maharaja Ranjit Singh returned to Lahore, although disappointed that the campaign had amounted to nothing while spending hundreds of thousands of rupees.