British Administration in the Punjab from 1849-53; Structural Changes and Development

In 1849, when the British annexed Punjab to the British Empire, they paid attention to the Administration of Punjab. Punjab was a big state that included the areas from the Sutlej to the Indus River. The land was fertile and the people were economically strong. Apart from this, there were some difficulties like the fact that Punjab was located on the North-Western frontier. Due to this, Lord Dalhousie paid special attention to the administration of Punjab and he established a good administration in Punjab during his early years. Under this, a three-man Board of Administration was established, the members of which were Sir Henry Lawrence, John Lawrence and Charles Mansell. Henry Lawrence had been living in Punjab since 1846 CE. Due to this, he had good knowledge of the people of Punjab and was also popular among many of the chieftains of Punjab. But his relations with Lord Dalhousie were not very good. Therefore, Lord Dalhousie did not give him all the power of the Board of Administration. He was given all the rights related to politics. John Lawrence was the brother of Henry Lawrence but he was a supporter of Lord Dalhousie. Therefore, all the financial rights were given to him. Charles Mansell was given judicial rights. In this way, all the power of the Board of Administration was divided among the three members. As a result, he soon brought the people of Punjab under the British Empire. In this paper, I will mention the initial administrative policy of the British in Punjab.