How did British take control of Sindh and Punjab?

THROUGH SINDH TO AFGHANISTAN
The British began to fear that the Russians would advance towards the subcontinent. What if they came through Khyber Pass?Governer-General Lord Auckland(1836-1842) was sent to stop them. At that time Shah Shoja, the exiled Afghan King, was living in Punjab. Panjit Singh had spared his life for the daimond called ‘Kohi-noor’ . Now Lord Auckland decided decided to put Shah Shoja back on the throne, but for this the existing ruler, Dost Muhammad, had to go. British seized control of Karachi, Hyderabad and sukker. The Army of the Indus gathered at Firozpur. It travelled down the Sutlej and Indus River by paddle-steamer to Shikarpur and from there marched to Bolan Pass. The First Afghan War(1838-1842) was soon to begin. The British reached Kabul and at first things went well. Dost Muhammadfled-there were rumours that he had gone to ask Russians help. Shah Shoja took the throne. There were comtinually attacked, and Shah Shoja became unpopular. After two years the situation deterioted to such extent that Lord Auckland ordered British to leave Afghanistan. In January 1842, 4,000 soldiers and 12,000 other headed for the Khyber Pass. Immediately they began to die from the intense cold and attacks by tribesmen. Lord Auckland was ordered back to London where he died due to mental breakdown.Meanwhile, In Afghanistan Shah Shoja was murdered and Dost Muhammad regained the throne. The First Afghan War had cost 20,000 lives and a huge sum of money-all for Nothing.

SINDH COMES UNDER BRITISH RULE
After the disaster of the First Afghan War the British wanted to take control of Sindh and the Punjab in order to save their reputation. They occupied Karachi and in 1843 forced the Amirs to sign a treaty giving British power in Sindh. The Amirs rebelled and Sir Napier led forces and defeated them in a battle near Hyderabad. Now with the control of Sindh the British almost ruled almost all the subcontinent.

BRITISH TAKE CONTROL OF PUNJAB
Ranjit Singh died at Lahore in 1839; his four wives and several other women threw themselves into funeral fire. Members of his family took the power, including his son Dalip Singh, but had difficulty in keeping control. By 1844 British had 32,000 troops and 68 cannons lined up on the River Sutlej. The following year sikh army crossed the river breaking the Amritsar Treaty that Panjit Singh made with the British. The First Sikh War began. Three months later nearly 20,000 Sikh, Sepoys, and the European soldiers were dead- and the British captured Lahore.