 He advanced to senior rank as lieutenant-colonel on 4 December 1887, and was promoted to colonel on 29 August 1893.As colonel, he was in charge of the British garrison during the siege of Malakand in northern India from 26 July to 2 August 1897 and later led a relief force to the besieged fort of Chakdara along with Sir Bindon Blood, fighting against 50,000–100,000 Pashtun tribesmen and suffering only 206 casualties.Meiklejohn was later credited for his skills in providing such a victory in dispatches sent to the military government in British India.