Q. Consider the following statements:

1. Abbas Khan Sarwani wrote ‘Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi’.
2. Abbas Khan Sarwani was under the patronage of Sher Shah.

Which of the above is / are correct?
Answer: Only 1
Notes: Abbas Khan Sarwani himself was an Afghan of Pashtun descent. He can be treated as a historian of the period of Sher Shah Suri for he wrote the ‘Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi’. But, it is not a first-hand account. His writing is based on the other primary sources. So, statement 1 is correct. Sarwani has written in great detail about the period of Sher Shah and gives deep insights into many of the reforms and initiatives of Sher Shah. But, he was not in the services of the Sur Empire. He was actually in the service of Mughal rulers. And, on the insistence of Akbar, he wrote the Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi. So, statement 2 is incorrect.