10-19-2003, 10:30 PM
Hi folks:
Just registered. Dunno if this link is germane to this thread... Posting because I am always struck by the same sort of excuse that the Pakistanis use to justify all aggression (that such outrages were simply "defensive" actions on the part of the perps)
He (Ahmed Shah Abdali) came to rescue Indian Muslims from the Marathas
[url="http://www.dawn.com/weekly/encounter/encounter.htm#3"]http://www.dawn.com/weekly/encounter/encounter.htm#3[/url]
(link will last a week)
The new debate on Ahmad Shah Abdali is an unfortunate attempt to tarnish the character and image of a pious Muslim ruler and warrior who is recognised as an Islamic hero by Afghans and non-Afghans alike. There are no 'ethno-centric' or historical points of views about it.
There is only one viewpoint that he readily answered the calls by the oppressed Muslims of Hind with courage and determination, and rescued the Muslims from extirpation at the hands of the Sikhs and Marathas. The Pakistani nation has therefore with consensus, recognized his deeds and aptly named its prestigious defence system after him.
The learned author, Mubarak Ali, in his article entitled, "Yes, he did plunder and massacre the Indians" (Dawn, Encounter, Aug 30) accuses Ahmad Shah Abdali of the following:
* Aggression and plunder like his so called 'mentor' Nadir Shah.
* Forcefully taking tender aged Princess Hazrat Mahal, the daughter of Emperor Muhammad Shah in marriage at grandfatherly age.
* Mir Taqi Mir who was in the service of Raja Nagar Mal, a Jat chief of Suraj Mal (the Jat ruler), narrates the stories of massacre caused by Ahmad Shah Abdali.
* Benefit of the Marathas' defeat went to the East India Company and not the Mughals.
Allow me to set the record straight.
Soon after creation of Pakistan the Sikhs, Dogras and other Hindu militant factions started heinous massacre of the Muslims in Kashmir. Within days the Pathans from Afghanistan and the NWFP answered their call and arrived to the rescue of the hapless, unarmed, battered Kashmiri Muslims.
Shall we call the arrivals and helpers as 'aggressors' and the Non-Muslim perpetrators of unheard cruelties as 'lovers of peace'? I feel if one does not find an answer to this enigma according to our religious injunctions and parry the question under different excuses then one would be making the truth appear a lie.
The answer may be found from an analysis of the circumstances the Muslims faced in Hind at the time of Ahmad Shah Abdali's invasion and the religious injunctions ordained for such a situation.
The incapable successors of Emperor Aurangzeb, their worthless courtiers, and short-sighted self-conceited and self-seeking ministers failed miserably to check the Marathas in Deccan and in northern India as well. Indeed, it was their intrigues and flirtation, which brought the Marathas under the walls of Delhi and encouraged them to intervene decisively in Imperial affairs ("Bulletin of the Deccan Research Institute" Nos. 3-4, p. 362-363.).
The warring political leaders and local governors felt no qualm of conscience in betraying national interests of the Muslims by joining hands with the Marathas and encouraging them to strike at the very root of the Mughul authority. On one occasion Govind Rai Pandit ravaged the entire Rohila territory up to Amroha, burnt one thousand and three hundred villages to ashes (Professor Hamiduddin Khan's Translation of "Life of Hafiz Rahmat Khan", p-98).
In 1753 AD, the emperor Imad-ul-Mulk himself on the instigation of Safdar Jang, invited the Marathas to chastise the Bangash and Rohila Afghans, thus paving the way for their rapid growth of political influence in the north. They followed this initial success by occupying Delhi and the Punjab in 1757 AD and made no secret of their plans to establish universal Hindu sovereignty replacing the weak and rapidly declining Mughul empire. Consequently, the growth of Maratha power was such that it seemed destined to overthrow the whole of India. Their power extending from 'Cuttock to Attock' was at its zenith. ("Life of Hafiz Rahmat Khan", p-97).
However, this extension of the Maratha influence did not improve the social and economic conditions of India nor contributed to the political stability of the country. Nevertheless, Imad-ul-Mulk was highly gratified with the unchallenged domination of his allies; and imitating Safdar Jang, who had undertaken the extermination of the Bangash and Rohila Afghans with the help of the Marathas, he sought to utilize their collusion for undermining the nascent power of Najib-ud-Doulah as Wazir of the Mughal Emperor.
The Marathas had formulated their own plan to conquer the whole of India. They dominated the imperial politics and led the Emperor and his minister by the nose. The internecine politics of the Muslim nawabs and rajas amply fitted with their ambitious scheme of reviving the Hindu empire in the country. They preferred an organized system of spoliation and their sole object seemed to be plunder and ruthless destruction ("Sir John Strackey Hastings and the Rohila War", Chapter 1). They prepared the ground for the local Hindus to rise against their Muslim rulers. They instilled feelings of hatred against the Muslims and attempted proselytising. The Sikhs in the Punjab would not have felt so infuriated against the Muslims if the Marathas during their occupation of the Punjab for more than a year had not influenced them by their example.
The Marathas presented a direct challenge to society, culture and religion of Islam, openly declared their intention of supplanting an effete Muslim authority in India. Najib-ud-Doulah was conscious of his helplessness in the face of a much superior Maratha power. He therefore sent a letter to Ahmad Shah Abdali impressing upon him the gravity of the Maratha menace, which, he represented, was a serious challenge to the "very existence of the Muslims in India". He urged upon him to march to India to "save the Muslims from complete annihilation".
From the perusal of the aforementioned historic facts it transpires that Marathas in connivance with certain Muslim petty local rulers had posed a threat to the Muslims of Hind. Protection of the Muslims against a threat from non-Muslims is a duty enjoined on all Muslims. It has to be performed by all Muslims, acting together, irrespective of their geographical location at any particular time. The words of Quran regarding the preparation for war are: "0 ye who believe Take protective measures". (4/71)
Allah has addressed the whole 'Ummah' and not any particular section or the inhabitants of any particular area or ethnicity. It is up to the 'Ummah' itself to take practical steps so that Muslims everywhere are adequately protected against aggression from the unbelievers.
Indeed, on another place the order enjoins deterrent preparation: "Make preparation against them to your utmost, in power including steeds, and thereby strike terror into Allah's enemy and your enemy, and others besides, whom you know not; Allah knows them". (8/60)
In this 'Ayyah' there are a number of points, which need constant and careful consideration:
* It clearly enjoins that all the resources of the Muslims Ummah should be pooled together to meet the threat to the existence, integrity and prosperity of Muslims all over the world.
* Preparations for war are to be made against all those who have shown themselves as enemies of the Muslims and of Allah. These enemies are those who commit aggression against a weak nation or persecute a weak minority irrespective of the fact whether the victims are Muslims or not.
At another place Allah warns the Believers: "And how should you not fight in the way of Allah and for the cause of the feeble among men, women and children who cry: Our Lord Nourisher! Rescue us from this town whose inhabitants are oppressors! Oh! Give us from Thy Presence a helper!" (4/75)
From the perusal of prevailing conditions of the Muslims of Hind and the above mentioned Quranic injunctions it is unmistakably clear that Ahmad Shah Abdali obeyed the Command of Allah and it would be an injustice to call him an "Aggressor who invaded Hind for plunder".
A Pakistani patriot has said, "Those who claim to be Muslims but lack the will for Jihad, like the conscientious objectors of the West, should be kept away from the ranks of the armed forces of Muslim people. Their presence will merely weaken the will of their comrades-in-arms when the going gets rough. Those alone should bear arms in the path of Allah, who have faith in His commandments."
Ahmad Shah Abdali was a mere commander of the Afghan contingent that accompanied Nadir Shah Afshar in 1739 AD, who was neither his 'mentor' nor a 'patron'. According to Sir Olaf Caroe the Afghan contingent was commanded by ten commanders, eight Abdalis and two Ghalzi Maliks ("The Pathans" p-253).
There is no proof that he joined the Nadir Shah's men in loot and arson. And it is an equally baseless assumption that he, following the footprints of his mentor, invaded India for plunder. Like Bahlol Lodi, Babur and Sher Shah Suri he too could have occupied the throne of Delhi and founded the Abdali Dynasty in Hind had he wished, but he returned to his country, leaving the incapable Mughals to rule.
In any confrontation, a hero of one side is often the villain of another. J. Nath Sarkar on the authority of a Maratha while mentioning Ahmad Shah's marriage with Princess Hazrat Mahal casts aspersion on the former as under: "This tender lamb was to be pounced upon by a fierce Afghan of grandfatherly age whose two ears docked and nose was rotting from a leprous carbuncle."
Ahmad Shah, in 1747 AD, at the age of 23 years became King of Afghanistan. In 1756-7 AD, when he married the Princess he was about 33 years of age, which by all standards is a marriageable age. Such political marriages were in vogue amongst the Mughals, Afghans and Rajputs of the time. Babur had married Bibi Mubarika, daughter of Malik Mansur Khan Yousufzaey soon after his invasion of the Yousufzaey territory (William Erskine "A History of India under Babar", p- 338. and Annette S. Beveridge, "Babur-Nama", Appendices 'K-AN', p-xxxvi.). Likewise, Emperor Akbar had married daughters of Rajput rajas.
S. Fida Yunas, an authority on the history of Afghanistan writes:-
"Alamgir Tsani, got his niece married to Prince Taimur (son of Ahmad Shah Durrani) while Sabiha Mahal, wife of Muhammad Shah Babri (mother of Ahmad Shah Mughal) gave her own daughter in marriage to the Durrani King. Seeing the downfall of the Mughals in India, Sabiha Mahal expressed her desire to accompany her son-in-law to Kandahar." ("Afghanistan, A Political History" p-105).
Ahmad Shah Abdali had contracted the nose cancer a few years before his death in June 1773 AD. He had been out in the field even in 1770 AD. J. Nath Sarkar's malevolent statement is therefore absolutely baseless which is contradicted by many authentic historical accounts.
Likewise, the writings of Mir Taqi Mir, whose patron was a Jat, are biased. According to him 'the Afghans looted grains from some and sold at higher prices to other wealthy persons'. They could have easily looted the wealthy people in the first place; why undergo rigmarole of first looting and then selling it. It does not stand to logic.
Payment of tribute (Jazia) by one nawab for averting or supporting a battle against his rival was in vogue at that time. It may be recalled that some of the Muslim petty local leaders had supported the Marathas against the Muslims. The pro-Abdali leaders, taking advantage of the confused situation, sorted out their old scores and indulged in loot and arson of property belonging to their opponents.
S.M. Lateef writes: "In this context, Mughlani Begum provided him (Sardar Jahan Khan Afghan) information about the hidden treasures of various nawabs particularly her own mother-in-law Sholapuri Begum, wife of Qamar ud Din." Imad-ul-Mulk, being the ringleader of the Maratha's Muslim allies, was made to pay heavy tribute. His life had been saved on the recommendations of Mughlani Begum, wife of Mueen-ul-Mulk and Shah Wali Khan Wazir.
In this context, Mufti Waliullah Farrukhabadi writes: "Ahmad Shah Abdali demanded tribute from Imad-ul-Mulk. The latter requested that one of the princes of the royal family be sent with him to the Ganges-Jamna Doaba and he would arrange plenty of money from there. Accordingly Ahmad Shah Abdali sent Jan Nisar Khan with a big contingent. He was accompanied by Mirza Hidayat Bakhash son of Alamgir Sani". ("Ahad-i-Bangash" p-143).
As for the benefits accruing to the British from Ahmad Shah Abdali's invasion of India, an in-depth study reveals that it was the hatred of the Muslims created by the Marathas in Bengal by their continuous raids for ten years, which prompted the Hindus of the Eastern Province to organize a conspiracy in collusion with the British to start a revolution in order to set up a foreign imperial regime by driving away the Muslims.
But for their clandestine political moves Lord Clive would not have won the battle of Plasey, four years before the Third Battle of Panipat, which laid the foundation of the British Empire in India. Maratha historian has correctly summed up the Maratha position thus, "The Marathas broke their own legs and burnt their own fingers over this affair (devastation of Bengal) while the men to profit were the foreign English" (Bulletin of the Deccan Research institute).
The petty Muslim rulers remained busy in destroying each other, paying heavy tributes to non-Muslim rajas for assistance in their internecine battles. Hafiz Rahmat Khan, who realised the gravity of the situation and tried to forge unity amongst the Muslims, was killed by Nawab Shuja-ud-Doulah of Oudh in the battle of Katra Miranpur in April 1774 AD, and thus removed the last straw from the path of the British to usurp power in Hind. Ahmad Shah Abdali had actually given a lease of one hundred years to the Mughal throne by defeating the Marathas who in 1757 had captured Delhi up to the Punjab.
The writer is author of "History of the Pathans" published in 2002.
Just registered. Dunno if this link is germane to this thread... Posting because I am always struck by the same sort of excuse that the Pakistanis use to justify all aggression (that such outrages were simply "defensive" actions on the part of the perps)
He (Ahmed Shah Abdali) came to rescue Indian Muslims from the Marathas
[url="http://www.dawn.com/weekly/encounter/encounter.htm#3"]http://www.dawn.com/weekly/encounter/encounter.htm#3[/url]
(link will last a week)
The new debate on Ahmad Shah Abdali is an unfortunate attempt to tarnish the character and image of a pious Muslim ruler and warrior who is recognised as an Islamic hero by Afghans and non-Afghans alike. There are no 'ethno-centric' or historical points of views about it.
There is only one viewpoint that he readily answered the calls by the oppressed Muslims of Hind with courage and determination, and rescued the Muslims from extirpation at the hands of the Sikhs and Marathas. The Pakistani nation has therefore with consensus, recognized his deeds and aptly named its prestigious defence system after him.
The learned author, Mubarak Ali, in his article entitled, "Yes, he did plunder and massacre the Indians" (Dawn, Encounter, Aug 30) accuses Ahmad Shah Abdali of the following:
* Aggression and plunder like his so called 'mentor' Nadir Shah.
* Forcefully taking tender aged Princess Hazrat Mahal, the daughter of Emperor Muhammad Shah in marriage at grandfatherly age.
* Mir Taqi Mir who was in the service of Raja Nagar Mal, a Jat chief of Suraj Mal (the Jat ruler), narrates the stories of massacre caused by Ahmad Shah Abdali.
* Benefit of the Marathas' defeat went to the East India Company and not the Mughals.
Allow me to set the record straight.
Soon after creation of Pakistan the Sikhs, Dogras and other Hindu militant factions started heinous massacre of the Muslims in Kashmir. Within days the Pathans from Afghanistan and the NWFP answered their call and arrived to the rescue of the hapless, unarmed, battered Kashmiri Muslims.
Shall we call the arrivals and helpers as 'aggressors' and the Non-Muslim perpetrators of unheard cruelties as 'lovers of peace'? I feel if one does not find an answer to this enigma according to our religious injunctions and parry the question under different excuses then one would be making the truth appear a lie.
The answer may be found from an analysis of the circumstances the Muslims faced in Hind at the time of Ahmad Shah Abdali's invasion and the religious injunctions ordained for such a situation.
The incapable successors of Emperor Aurangzeb, their worthless courtiers, and short-sighted self-conceited and self-seeking ministers failed miserably to check the Marathas in Deccan and in northern India as well. Indeed, it was their intrigues and flirtation, which brought the Marathas under the walls of Delhi and encouraged them to intervene decisively in Imperial affairs ("Bulletin of the Deccan Research Institute" Nos. 3-4, p. 362-363.).
The warring political leaders and local governors felt no qualm of conscience in betraying national interests of the Muslims by joining hands with the Marathas and encouraging them to strike at the very root of the Mughul authority. On one occasion Govind Rai Pandit ravaged the entire Rohila territory up to Amroha, burnt one thousand and three hundred villages to ashes (Professor Hamiduddin Khan's Translation of "Life of Hafiz Rahmat Khan", p-98).
In 1753 AD, the emperor Imad-ul-Mulk himself on the instigation of Safdar Jang, invited the Marathas to chastise the Bangash and Rohila Afghans, thus paving the way for their rapid growth of political influence in the north. They followed this initial success by occupying Delhi and the Punjab in 1757 AD and made no secret of their plans to establish universal Hindu sovereignty replacing the weak and rapidly declining Mughul empire. Consequently, the growth of Maratha power was such that it seemed destined to overthrow the whole of India. Their power extending from 'Cuttock to Attock' was at its zenith. ("Life of Hafiz Rahmat Khan", p-97).
However, this extension of the Maratha influence did not improve the social and economic conditions of India nor contributed to the political stability of the country. Nevertheless, Imad-ul-Mulk was highly gratified with the unchallenged domination of his allies; and imitating Safdar Jang, who had undertaken the extermination of the Bangash and Rohila Afghans with the help of the Marathas, he sought to utilize their collusion for undermining the nascent power of Najib-ud-Doulah as Wazir of the Mughal Emperor.
The Marathas had formulated their own plan to conquer the whole of India. They dominated the imperial politics and led the Emperor and his minister by the nose. The internecine politics of the Muslim nawabs and rajas amply fitted with their ambitious scheme of reviving the Hindu empire in the country. They preferred an organized system of spoliation and their sole object seemed to be plunder and ruthless destruction ("Sir John Strackey Hastings and the Rohila War", Chapter 1). They prepared the ground for the local Hindus to rise against their Muslim rulers. They instilled feelings of hatred against the Muslims and attempted proselytising. The Sikhs in the Punjab would not have felt so infuriated against the Muslims if the Marathas during their occupation of the Punjab for more than a year had not influenced them by their example.
The Marathas presented a direct challenge to society, culture and religion of Islam, openly declared their intention of supplanting an effete Muslim authority in India. Najib-ud-Doulah was conscious of his helplessness in the face of a much superior Maratha power. He therefore sent a letter to Ahmad Shah Abdali impressing upon him the gravity of the Maratha menace, which, he represented, was a serious challenge to the "very existence of the Muslims in India". He urged upon him to march to India to "save the Muslims from complete annihilation".
From the perusal of the aforementioned historic facts it transpires that Marathas in connivance with certain Muslim petty local rulers had posed a threat to the Muslims of Hind. Protection of the Muslims against a threat from non-Muslims is a duty enjoined on all Muslims. It has to be performed by all Muslims, acting together, irrespective of their geographical location at any particular time. The words of Quran regarding the preparation for war are: "0 ye who believe Take protective measures". (4/71)
Allah has addressed the whole 'Ummah' and not any particular section or the inhabitants of any particular area or ethnicity. It is up to the 'Ummah' itself to take practical steps so that Muslims everywhere are adequately protected against aggression from the unbelievers.
Indeed, on another place the order enjoins deterrent preparation: "Make preparation against them to your utmost, in power including steeds, and thereby strike terror into Allah's enemy and your enemy, and others besides, whom you know not; Allah knows them". (8/60)
In this 'Ayyah' there are a number of points, which need constant and careful consideration:
* It clearly enjoins that all the resources of the Muslims Ummah should be pooled together to meet the threat to the existence, integrity and prosperity of Muslims all over the world.
* Preparations for war are to be made against all those who have shown themselves as enemies of the Muslims and of Allah. These enemies are those who commit aggression against a weak nation or persecute a weak minority irrespective of the fact whether the victims are Muslims or not.
At another place Allah warns the Believers: "And how should you not fight in the way of Allah and for the cause of the feeble among men, women and children who cry: Our Lord Nourisher! Rescue us from this town whose inhabitants are oppressors! Oh! Give us from Thy Presence a helper!" (4/75)
From the perusal of prevailing conditions of the Muslims of Hind and the above mentioned Quranic injunctions it is unmistakably clear that Ahmad Shah Abdali obeyed the Command of Allah and it would be an injustice to call him an "Aggressor who invaded Hind for plunder".
A Pakistani patriot has said, "Those who claim to be Muslims but lack the will for Jihad, like the conscientious objectors of the West, should be kept away from the ranks of the armed forces of Muslim people. Their presence will merely weaken the will of their comrades-in-arms when the going gets rough. Those alone should bear arms in the path of Allah, who have faith in His commandments."
Ahmad Shah Abdali was a mere commander of the Afghan contingent that accompanied Nadir Shah Afshar in 1739 AD, who was neither his 'mentor' nor a 'patron'. According to Sir Olaf Caroe the Afghan contingent was commanded by ten commanders, eight Abdalis and two Ghalzi Maliks ("The Pathans" p-253).
There is no proof that he joined the Nadir Shah's men in loot and arson. And it is an equally baseless assumption that he, following the footprints of his mentor, invaded India for plunder. Like Bahlol Lodi, Babur and Sher Shah Suri he too could have occupied the throne of Delhi and founded the Abdali Dynasty in Hind had he wished, but he returned to his country, leaving the incapable Mughals to rule.
In any confrontation, a hero of one side is often the villain of another. J. Nath Sarkar on the authority of a Maratha while mentioning Ahmad Shah's marriage with Princess Hazrat Mahal casts aspersion on the former as under: "This tender lamb was to be pounced upon by a fierce Afghan of grandfatherly age whose two ears docked and nose was rotting from a leprous carbuncle."
Ahmad Shah, in 1747 AD, at the age of 23 years became King of Afghanistan. In 1756-7 AD, when he married the Princess he was about 33 years of age, which by all standards is a marriageable age. Such political marriages were in vogue amongst the Mughals, Afghans and Rajputs of the time. Babur had married Bibi Mubarika, daughter of Malik Mansur Khan Yousufzaey soon after his invasion of the Yousufzaey territory (William Erskine "A History of India under Babar", p- 338. and Annette S. Beveridge, "Babur-Nama", Appendices 'K-AN', p-xxxvi.). Likewise, Emperor Akbar had married daughters of Rajput rajas.
S. Fida Yunas, an authority on the history of Afghanistan writes:-
"Alamgir Tsani, got his niece married to Prince Taimur (son of Ahmad Shah Durrani) while Sabiha Mahal, wife of Muhammad Shah Babri (mother of Ahmad Shah Mughal) gave her own daughter in marriage to the Durrani King. Seeing the downfall of the Mughals in India, Sabiha Mahal expressed her desire to accompany her son-in-law to Kandahar." ("Afghanistan, A Political History" p-105).
Ahmad Shah Abdali had contracted the nose cancer a few years before his death in June 1773 AD. He had been out in the field even in 1770 AD. J. Nath Sarkar's malevolent statement is therefore absolutely baseless which is contradicted by many authentic historical accounts.
Likewise, the writings of Mir Taqi Mir, whose patron was a Jat, are biased. According to him 'the Afghans looted grains from some and sold at higher prices to other wealthy persons'. They could have easily looted the wealthy people in the first place; why undergo rigmarole of first looting and then selling it. It does not stand to logic.
Payment of tribute (Jazia) by one nawab for averting or supporting a battle against his rival was in vogue at that time. It may be recalled that some of the Muslim petty local leaders had supported the Marathas against the Muslims. The pro-Abdali leaders, taking advantage of the confused situation, sorted out their old scores and indulged in loot and arson of property belonging to their opponents.
S.M. Lateef writes: "In this context, Mughlani Begum provided him (Sardar Jahan Khan Afghan) information about the hidden treasures of various nawabs particularly her own mother-in-law Sholapuri Begum, wife of Qamar ud Din." Imad-ul-Mulk, being the ringleader of the Maratha's Muslim allies, was made to pay heavy tribute. His life had been saved on the recommendations of Mughlani Begum, wife of Mueen-ul-Mulk and Shah Wali Khan Wazir.
In this context, Mufti Waliullah Farrukhabadi writes: "Ahmad Shah Abdali demanded tribute from Imad-ul-Mulk. The latter requested that one of the princes of the royal family be sent with him to the Ganges-Jamna Doaba and he would arrange plenty of money from there. Accordingly Ahmad Shah Abdali sent Jan Nisar Khan with a big contingent. He was accompanied by Mirza Hidayat Bakhash son of Alamgir Sani". ("Ahad-i-Bangash" p-143).
As for the benefits accruing to the British from Ahmad Shah Abdali's invasion of India, an in-depth study reveals that it was the hatred of the Muslims created by the Marathas in Bengal by their continuous raids for ten years, which prompted the Hindus of the Eastern Province to organize a conspiracy in collusion with the British to start a revolution in order to set up a foreign imperial regime by driving away the Muslims.
But for their clandestine political moves Lord Clive would not have won the battle of Plasey, four years before the Third Battle of Panipat, which laid the foundation of the British Empire in India. Maratha historian has correctly summed up the Maratha position thus, "The Marathas broke their own legs and burnt their own fingers over this affair (devastation of Bengal) while the men to profit were the foreign English" (Bulletin of the Deccan Research institute).
The petty Muslim rulers remained busy in destroying each other, paying heavy tributes to non-Muslim rajas for assistance in their internecine battles. Hafiz Rahmat Khan, who realised the gravity of the situation and tried to forge unity amongst the Muslims, was killed by Nawab Shuja-ud-Doulah of Oudh in the battle of Katra Miranpur in April 1774 AD, and thus removed the last straw from the path of the British to usurp power in Hind. Ahmad Shah Abdali had actually given a lease of one hundred years to the Mughal throne by defeating the Marathas who in 1757 had captured Delhi up to the Punjab.
The writer is author of "History of the Pathans" published in 2002.