Underline the major consideration of the British imperial power that led to the annexation of Punjab.

Answer:

The Punjab was annexed by Dalhousie in 1849 after the second Anglo-Sikh war. Strategic anxiety about the north-west frontier, the wealth and manpower of the province, and the instability that followed Ranjit Singh's death together drove the decision.

Strategic considerations

• The Punjab was the gateway to India through the north-western passes.
• Fear of Russian advance through Afghanistan made a secure frontier essential.
• The failure of the First Afghan War made a buffer under British control desirable.
• The formidable Khalsa army had to be destroyed as a potential threat.

Political and economic considerations

• Instability after Ranjit Singh's death in 1839 offered opportunity.
• The Treaty of Bhairowal in 1846 had already installed a British Resident.
• The Punjab's fertile land promised substantial revenue.
• Its people were valued as recruits, and the province later became a great source of soldiers.
• The Multan revolt of 1848 supplied Dalhousie with the pretext he required.

Annexation was therefore driven above all by frontier security, reinforced by the province's evident wealth and military value. As historians note, Dalhousie's policy of consolidation found in the Punjab both a strategic necessity and an opportunity that Sikh disunity after 1839 had made irresistible.