of 1858, Afzal Khan sent an ambassador to Sultan Murad Beg, the ruler of Qunduz. This was an invitation to read the Khutbah in Dost Mohammad Khan's name, which if accepted, would accept Afghan sovereignty over Qunduz. This demand was also further met by Afzal Khan demanding that taxation officers be accepted to assess the revenues of Qunduz. This request was seen as an insult by Murad Beg, and as a result, he sent his brother rejecting the demands alongside a rude reply. This brother believed he could overthrow Murad Beg with Afghan assistance, and supported Afzal Khan's conquest of Kunduz. When Murad Beg's brother returned to Qunduz, he was furious to find out that his brother sided with the Afghans and considered imprisoning his brother. Eventually, the brother was released and he left to Takhtapul. Once he set out on the road, he was pursued by Qunduz cavalry, which caught him at Dasht-I-Abdan and executed him. Murad Beg also had another one of his brothers who was involved in the plot imprisoned in a fort on the other side of the Amu Darya. Murad Beg followed up by sending letters to the governors of Aqcha, Andkhui, Sheberghan, and the ruler of Maimana, to lead an open revolt against the Afghans. These letters however, were intercepted by Afzal Khan. Following this, Afzal Khan wrote to Dost Mohammad Khan in Kabul to send reinforcements for a campaign to conquer Qunduz. This led to Sardars Mohammad Azam Khan, Muhammad Aslam Khan, Shams al-Din Khan, and Muhammad Sharif Khan sent north to reinforce the Afghan armies for the campaign against Qunduz. News of this mobilization brought alarm in Kunduz, as Murad Beg sent envoys reminding Dost Mohammad Khan that in a former treaty, Afghanistan recognized the right of Qunduz's autonomy in exchange for coinage and the Khutba to be read in Dost Mohammad Khan's name. Dost Mohammad Khan was in violation of this if the Afghans invaded Qunduz. Murad Beg also informed Dost Mohammad Khan that he would not suffer the same fate of Ishan Uraq and Ishan Sudur and lead open resistance against Afghan rule and seek support across the Amu Darya. According to Jonathan Lee however, Dost Mohammad Khan used his excellent diplomacy and persuasion to convince Murad Beg's envoy that he had no plans to attack Qunduz, which gave the Afghans further weeks to prepare for the campaign. Murad Beg,