UPSC Prelims 2002 · General Studies

Question 51: History and Culture

The motive behind Shahjahan’s Balkh campaign was to

asecure a friendly ruler in Balkh and Badakhshan which bordered Kabul

bconquer Samarqand and Farghana, the Mughal homelands

cfix the Mughal frontier on the ‘scientific line’, the Amu Daria

dexpand the Mughal Empire beyond the sub-continent

AnswerThe answer is (a).

The given answer is that Shah Jahan's Balkh campaign (1646-47) aimed at securing a friendly ruler in Balkh and Badakhshan, regions that bordered Kabul, and so protecting the Mughal north-western frontier. It is not usually read as a serious bid to retake Samarqand and Farghana, the Timurid homelands, although they remained a distant hope. The campaign, led first by prince Murad and then by Aurangzeb, ended in a costly withdrawal.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Right as given: a friendly ruler in Balkh and Badakhshan to secure the Kabul frontier.
(b) Samarqand and Farghana were a distant hope but not the immediate aim of the campaign.
(c) Fixing the frontier on the Amu Darya was not the stated aim of the expedition.
(d) The campaign did not aim to take the empire beyond the subcontinent as a whole.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2002, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.