Emergence of Afghan

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HISTORY
Emergence of Afghan Power

The Durrani Empire also called Afghan Empire was founded and built by Ahmad Shah Durrani. At its maximum
extent, the empire ruled over what are now the modern-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as
some parts of northeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India.

The year 1747 marks the definitive appearance of an Afghan political entity independent of both the Persian
and Mughal empires.
In October 1747 a grand council concluded near the city of Kandahar with Ahmad Shah Durrani being
selected as the new leader of the Afghans, thus the Durrani dynasty was founded.

Abdali invaded the Mughal Empire seven times from 1748 to 1767.

He crossed the Khyber pass in December 1747 with 40,000 troops for his first invasion of India. He occupied
Peshawar without any opposition.
He first crossed the Indus River in 1748, the year after his ascension – his forces sacked and absorbed Lahore.
The following year (1749), the Mughal ruler was induced to cedeSindh and all of the Punjab including the
vital trans Indus River to him, in order to save his capital from being attacked by the forces of the Durrani
Empire.

Having thus gained substantial territories to the east without a fight, Durrani and his forces turned
westward to take possession of Herat, which was ruled by Nader Shah’s grandson, Shah Rukh.
The city fell to the Afghans in 1750, after almost a year of siege and bloody conflict; the Afghan forces
then pushed on into present-day Iran, capturing Nishapur and Mashhad in 1751.

In fourth invasion, Afghans consolidated the control over the Kashmir and Punjab regions, with Lahore being
governed by Afghans.

In 1751–52, the Ahamdiya treatywas signed between the Marathas and Mughals, when Balaji Bajirao was the
Peshwa of the Maratha Empire.

Through this treaty, the Marathas controlled large parts of India from their capital at Pune and Mughal rule
was restricted only to Delhi (Mughals remained the nominal heads of Delhi).
Marathas were now straining to expand their area of control towards the Northwest of India.

He sacked Delhi in 1757 but permitted the Mughal dynasty to remain in nominal control of the city as long as the
ruler acknowledged Ahmad Shah’s suzerainty over Punjab, Sindh and Kashmir.

He withdrew with the booty he coveted. Leaving his second son Timur Shah to safeguard his interests,
Ahmad Shah left India to return to Afghanistan.

To counter the Afghans, Peshwa Balaji Bajirao sent Raghunathrao. He succeeded in ousting Timur Shah and his
court from India and brought northwest of India up to Peshawar under Maratha rule.
 Thus, upon his return to Kandahar in 1757, Durrani chose to return to India and confront the Maratha forces
to regain northwestern part of the subcontinent.

Thus 3rd battle of Panipat followed in 1761.

The victory at Panipat was the high point of Ahmad Shah’s—and Afghan—power. However, even prior to his
death, the empire began to unravel.
In 1762, Ahmad Shah crossed the passes from Afghanistan for the sixth time to subdue the Sikhs. From this time
and on, the domination and control of the Empire began to loosen, and by the time of Durrani’s death he had
completely lost Punjab to the Sikhs, as well as earlier losses of northern territories to the Uzbeks, necessitating a
compromise with them.
Ahmad Shah retired to his home in the mountains east of Kandahar, where he died on April 14, 1773.

He had succeeded to a remarkable degree in balancing tribal alliances and hostilities, and in directing tribal
energies away from rebellion. He earned recognition as Ahmad Shah Baba, or “Father” of Afghanistan.

Ahmad Shah’s successors governed so ineptly during a period of profound unrest that within fifty years of his
death, the Durrani empire per se was at an end, and Afghanistan was embroiled in civil war. Much of the territory
conquered by Ahmad Shah fell to others in this half century.

Afghan kingdoms In India:

A couple of small Afghan kingdoms were also established in north India following the weakening of the Mughal
empire.

The rise of these states was fall-out of the Afghan migration from 17th century onwards into India.
Large scale immigration of Afghans into India took place in mid-18th century because of political instability
and economic dislocations in Afghanistan.

Kingdom of Rohilkhand: The breakdown of authority in north India that followed Nadir Shah’s invasion gave
opportunity to another Afghan leader, Ali Muhammad Khan, to establish a petty kingdom of Rohilkhand at the
foothills of the Himalayas.

But the new kingdom acquired hardly any influence at all, as it suffered heavily at the hands of the
neighbouring powers, like the Marathas, jats, Awadh and later the English.

Kingdoms of Farukhabad: Another independent Afghan kingdom to the east of Delhi in the area around
Farukhabad was established by Ahmad Khan Bangash.
Both the Rohillas and Bangash helped Ahmad Shah Abdali during the Third Battle of Panipat; but their power
declined quickly as Abdali retired from the Indian stage leaving Najib-ud-daula in charge of affairs at Delhi.