The regiment was formed in 1849 as the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry by Captain John Coke shortly after the annexation of the Punjab due to the Second Sikh War.
The regiment was formed in 1849 as the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry by Captain John Coke. The men were recruited from veterans of disbanded opposition forces after the British annexation in 1848 of the Punjab during to the Second Sikh War.