Ahamad Shah Abdali

Ahamad Shah Abdali or Ahamad Shah Durrani was an afghan chief belonging to the Durrani clan. He occupied the throne of Afghanistan in 1747 after the assassination of Nadir Shah. He ruled from 1747 till his death in 1773. During this period he invaded India eight times, occupied the Punjab, and won a tremendous victory over the Marathas in the Third Battle Of Panipat in 1761.

The refusal of his afghan soldiers to proceed ahead Mathura where four years ago they had suffered heavily from an outbreak of cholera and other disorders compelled him to withdraw to Afghanistan soon after this victory. This was the reason that he shelved his scheme of seizing the empire of India. The menace of his invasion continued till 1767 and greatly influenced Anglo-Indian politics for several years. Ahmad shah abdali died in 1773.