Abdali's Attack on Punjab (1751)

Why War Became Inevitable

The Situation Escalates

The tension between the Marathas and Afghans (Abdali's forces) was reaching its peak - things were becoming very predictable. War was clearly coming.

The Peshwa Was Sleeping 💤

Problem: Down in Pune (deep south compared to Delhi), the Peshwa had no inkling this was coming.

• He wasn't giving the northern situation proper attention
• Totally oblivious that this massive struggle was about to break out
• While everyone up north could see war was inevitable, the Peshwa was clueless

The Rohilla Problem: An Existential Crisis

Who Are the Rohillas?

Rohillas = Afghan soldiers of fortune who had developed their own kingdom in Rohilkhand (region in northern India)

Their Ambitions:

• Saw the power vacuum in the Mughal Empire
• The Emperor was just a puppet (everyone knew this)
• Wanted to establish their own power and have their own viziers
• Were getting increasingly ambitious

The One Problem: Marathas

The Realization:

1. Safdar Jung was vizier (temporary figure)
2. When Marathas sided with him, they defeated the Rohillas at several places around Delhi
3. Rohillas realized: "We are no match for the Marathas"
4. Bigger realization: "There is NOBODY in the north who can match Maratha power"

The Existential Crisis

The Muslim Perspective:

• Muslims had ruled India for 200-300 years (first various Sultans, then Mughals)
• They had developed a complete stranglehold on all of North India
• Now they realized: "We are about to lose this entire thing"
• The Marathas were too powerful
• The Rohillas (Afghan army) saw themselves as the last safeguarding army for Islam

The Math:

• If Rohillas can't match Marathas → Muslims lose everything
• Mughals will be evicted eventually
• What happens to us then?

The Only Solution: Invite Abdali

Why Abdali Was Perfect

The Rohillas' Strategy:

• Look to Ahmad Shah Abdali for help
• Rohillas were originally from Afghanistan anyway - natural allies
• Critical advantage: If they invite Abdali, he's not coming as a complete outsider without allies

Abdali's Calculation:

• Without internal allies: High risk, might face lots of pushback
• With internal allies (Rohillas + internal Mughals): Much more secure, fearless
• He LOVES having internal allies

The Inevitable Conclusion:

• Internal Mughals and Rohillas could not handle Marathas
• They could only look up to ONE man and one man only
• That was Abdali
• Marathas were becoming stronger by the day
• Abdali was the only fair match - everyone else was going to fall

What About the Rajputs?

The Rajputs had become weak - basically "jokers" at this point. They were Hindus, so they wouldn't really fight with the Marathas anyway.

Conclusion: It was becoming apparent that Abdali and Marathas were going to battle - it was just a matter of time.

Chapter: Abdali's Attack on Punjab

Why Punjab?

Geographic Context:

• Punjab = "Land of Five Rivers"
• Four rivers empty into the Sindhu River (Indus)
• Once they merge, Sindhu becomes massive
• Creates tremendously fertile land all around it

Strategic Value:

• Extremely fertile province
• Prosperous agriculture
• Lots of taxes levied on farmers
• Westernmost province of the Mughal Empire
• Closer to Afghanistan - "doable distance"

Abdali's Goal: Make Punjab an Afghan province, even though it was squarely within Mughal territory.

Abdali's Justification

His Quote:

"For the last four months, Muslims have been killing each other. Will Allah accept this?"

Abdali was positioning himself as concerned about Muslim infighting.

Abdali Consolidates Afghanistan First: The Herat Campaign

Background on Afghanistan

Herat:

• Westernmost city of Afghanistan
• Lots of Shia Afghans living there (deeply influenced by nearby Iran)
• Kabul and Kandahar were far from Iran - had Pashtun tribes (majority of Afghan population)

Historical Context:

• Iran at one time controlled about half of Afghanistan
• Under Nadir Shah, Iran had total reign
• At that time, Afghanistan wasn't even a separate nation
• Western side was controlled by Nadir Shah

Abdali's Consolidation (September 1748 - 1751)

What He Did:

• Spent about 3 years taking over Herat
• Put Afghanistan together as a unified nation
• Claimed Herat as part of Afghanistan
• Kicked out all Iranian influence from the region

Result: By 1751, Herat was squarely within his control.

His Thinking: "Okay, west is secured. Now let me go east and take over Punjab."

The Reparations Dispute

Background: The Previous Agreement

The Players:

• Mir Manu = Mughal commander/Subedar of Punjab
• Diwan Kaura Mall = Hindu Subedar of Multan (small town in Punjab)

The Deal:

• Last time Abdali came, he demanded taxes from Punjab
• Wazir said: "I'm not coming to help you, do whatever you want"
• Mir Manu had to negotiate a truce
• Agreed to pay khandani (reparations/yearly sum) to Abdali
• Like what Germany had to pay after WWI

The Problem: Mughals Went Back on Their Word

What Happened:

• When Mughals felt stronger, they'd say "we didn't agree to anything"
• They kept going back and forth
• Diwan Kaura Mall advised Mir Manu: "Don't give it to Abdali"
• Mir Manu stopped paying

Abdali's Response:

• Got irate - "It was agreed upon, now it's not coming?"
• "Okay, let me go teach them a lesson about who's boss"
• Also had to deal with Nasir Khan (previous Subedar) and Mughal attempts to retake Kabul
• Realized they were doing "hanky-panky"

The Military Campaign Begins: November 1751

Abdali's Strategy

The Approach:

1. Sent two commanders forward (Jahan Khan and Samad Khan)
2. He himself led the main force through the Khyber Pass

The Khyber Pass

Geographic Importance:

• Famous mountain pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Big mountain range with this pass cutting through
• Once you cross through → you reach the plains at Peshawar
• Today Peshawar is in Pakistan
• At that time: contested between Afghans and Mughals (but mostly in Mughal hands)

What Happened:

• Abdali crossed through Khyber Pass
• Came to Peshawar in November 1751
• Ready to fall upon the Mughals

The Final Negotiation Attempt

One Last Chance

Haroon Khan (Abdali's representative) met with Muin ul-Mulk (Mughal commander)

The Ask: Pay the reparations you owe to Abdali

Muin's Response:

• ⌠REJECTED the reparation offer completely
• Immediately started war preparations
• The war was now unavoidable (ataar)

Smart Prep Move

Before war breaks out:

• Muin moved his mother, wife, and daughter into a mountainous area where they'd be secure
• Smart thinking - don't have to worry about family when fighting

The Confrontation Setup

The Standoff at Ravi River

The Position:

• Ravi River = one of the tributaries that empties into Sindhu
• Muin was coming from the Mughal side
• He crossed Ravi River
• Dug in his position on the other side with his entire army
• Waiting for Abdali to confront him

Key Players

Timeline

The Big Picture

Why This All Matters

1. The Rohillas' Existential Crisis made Abdali's invitation inevitable
2. Muslim rulers' vulnerability to rising Maratha power created desperation
3. Internal allies transformed Abdali from foreign raider to welcomed champion
4. Punjab's wealth and fertility made it the perfect prize
5. Mughal weakness (going back on agreements) invited aggression
6. The Peshwa's obliviousness meant Marathas weren't preparing for what was coming

The Setup Is Complete

• Abdali has secured his western flank (Herat)
• He has internal allies (Rohillas + disgruntled Mughals)
• He has legitimate grievances (unpaid reparations)
• He has his army at Peshawar
• The Mughal forces are dug in at Ravi River
• The Marathas down south have no idea what's brewing

The collision course is set. War is unavoidable.