By the year 1813, the borders of the Lahore Darbar had extended far and wide. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Lion of Punjab, had become the ruler of a vast and prosperous kingdom. However, there were still many regions yet to be conquered and brought under the authority of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa. To ensure that the Maharaja remained informed about the state of his empire and that messages could be dispatched swiftly across regions, he conceived the idea of establishing a news service and mail system within his realm.
Historian Hari Ram Gupta, in the fifth volume of his book History of the Sikhs, writes that on September 9, 1813, Maharaja Ranjit Singh decided to initiate a regular news service in his kingdom. He ordered an official of the Sarkar-e-Khalsa, Jai Karan Das, to recruit 100 mutsaddis (news collectors), who were then sent as far as the North-West Frontier, Jalalabad, and Kabul. Their task was to gather daily reports from these regions and forward them to the Lahore Darbar. This became the first organized news service of the Khalsa government.
Two months later, on November 21, 1813, Maharaja Ranjit Singh also launched a regular mail service in his empire and appointed Chuni Lal as its head. A large number of mounted couriers (harkaras) were employed in this service, responsible for delivering letters and news from Lahore to the fortress of Attock.
On the very same day—November 21, 1813—a courier arrived from Multan bringing important news for the Maharaja. Pleased by his service, Maharaja Ranjit Singh rewarded him with the jagir (land grant) of four villages.
To further enhance the speed and efficiency of both the news and mail services, the Lahore Darbar also established a special task force of “Fast Runners.” These couriers were tasked with delivering critical news and messages without delay. Remarkably, these runners were often able to cover up to 100 kilometers in a single day.
The news and mail services initiated in 1813 under Maharaja Ranjit Singh continued to function successfully and efficiently. Later, during British rule, these systems were restructured and given a new form.
Inderjeet Singh Harpura