Zain-ud-Din Khan known as Zain Khan Sirhindi (died 14 January 1764) was the Mughal Faujdar of Sirhind, he was a serviceman of Shah Alam II, an ally of Najib-ud-Daula and Ahmad Shah Durrani. Zain Khan Sirhindi fought during the Third Battle of Panipat and strengthened Mughal rule in the region.
Zain Khan was a Sipah Salar and a great noble at the court of Ahmed Shah Durrani (Abdali). After the conquest of Delhi by that monarch, Zain Khan held the Subahdarship of Sirhind.
In Ahmad Shah Durrani's reign, Zain Khan, one of the leading men in the Mohmand tribe and the ancestor of the Morcha Khel (family) section, was recognized as Khan of Lalpura, and had 12 villages made over to him.
In January 1764, Ahmad Shah Durrani led his sixth expedition to assist Sadat Yar Khan of Doab and Zain Khan Sirhindi and his Mughal Army which was later overrun outside Sirhind, by 36,000 Sikh rebels led by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, who plundered Lahore and the upper Doab. [1] [2]
Zain Khan Sirhindi was defeated and killed by the Sikhs in the Battle of Sirhind (1764). [3] [4]
Zain Khan was originally from the Khan Khel (family) of Lalpura Mohmands. His direct descendants are traced in the book "The Mohmands" by W. R. H. Merk. Most influential of them are the ones descended from the four sons of Nauroz Khan, who migrated to Peshawar.
Most influential member of the family is Khan Tahir Zaman Khan, who is living in Peshawar and has khani over lalpura. [ citation needed ]
The Durrani Empire or the Afghan Empire, also known as the Sadozai Kingdom, was an Afghan empire that was founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, that spanned parts of Central Asia, the Iranian plateau, and the Indian Subcontinent. At its peak, it ruled over the present-day Afghanistan, much of Pakistan, parts of northeastern and southeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India. Next to the Ottoman Empire, the Durrani Empire is considered to be among the most significant Islamic Empires of the 18th century.
The Yusufzai or Yousafzai, also referred to as the Esapzai, or Yusufzai Afghans historically, are one of the largest tribes of ethnic Pashtuns. They are natively based in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to which they migrated from Kabul during the 16th century, but they are also present in parts of Afghanistan, including Kunar, Kabul, Kandahar and Farah. Outside of these countries, they can be found in Ghoriwala District Bannu, Balochistan Sibi (Akazai), Chagai (Hassanzai) and Rohilkandh.
The Mohmand or Momand is a prominent tribe of Pashtun people.
The Marwat is a Pashtun tribe, a branch of the Lohani tribe and belong to Lodi section. The Marwats were named for their ancestor Marwat Khan Lodi.
Shah Alam II, also known by his birth name Ali Gohar, or Ali Gauhar, was the seventeenth Mughal emperor and the son of Alamgir II. Shah Alam II became the emperor of a crumbling Mughal Empire. His power was so depleted during his reign that it led to a saying in the Persian language, Sultanat-e-Shah Alam, Az Dilli ta Palam, meaning, 'The empire of Shah Alam is from Delhi to Palam', Palam being a suburb of Delhi.
Raghunathrao Bhat, also known as Ragho Ballal or Ragho Bharari, was the younger son of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as the 11th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire for a brief period from 1773 to 1774. He succeeded his Nephew Narayanrao.
The Durrani dynasty was founded in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani at Kandahar, Afghanistan. He united the different Pashtun tribes and created the Durrani Empire. which at its peak included the modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, as well as some parts of northeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India including the Kashmir Valley.
Sultan-ul-Qaum Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was a Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy, being the Supreme Leader of the Dal Khalsa. He was also Misldar of the Ahluwalia Misl. This period was an interlude, lasting roughly from the time of the death of Banda Bahadur in 1716 to the founding of the Sikh Empire in 1801. He founded the Kapurthala State in 1772.
Sirhind is the older name of Fatehgarh Sahib, a city and Sikh pilgrimage site in Punjab, India. It is situated on the Delhi to Lahore Highway. It has a population of about 60,851 . It is now a district headquarters in the state of Punjab; the name of the district is Fatehgarh Sahib.
Sardar Charat Singh, also romanised as Charhat Singh, was the founder of Sukerchakia Misl and father of Mahan Singh, and the grandfather of Ranjit Singh. He distinguished himself at an early age in campaigns against Ahmad Shah Abdali and along with 150 horsemen split from the Singhpuria Misl to establish the Sukerchakia Misl.
The Afghan–Sikh wars spanned from 1748 to 1837 in the Indian subcontinent, and saw multiple phases of fighting between the Durrani Empire and the Sikh Empire, mainly in and around Punjab region. The conflict's origins stemmed from the days of the Dal Khalsa, and continued after the Emirate of Kabul succeeded the Durrani Empire.
The Afghan-Maratha War was fought between the Afghan Empire under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Maratha Empire and the Sikh Confederacy between 1758 and 1761. It took place in north-west India, primarily the region around Delhi and Punjab.
Timur Shah Durrani, also known as Timur Shah Abdali or Taimur Shah Abdali was the second ruler of the Afghan Durrani Empire, from November 1772 until his death in 1793. An ethnic Pashtun, he was the second eldest son of Ahmad Shah Durrani.
The Battle of Sialkot took place on 12 November 1763, between the Durrani Empire, led by Jahan Khan, and the Sukerchakia Misl, led by Charat Singh, as part of the Afghan-Sikh wars which concluded with Sikh victory.
Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the Durrani Empire, invaded Indian subcontinent for eight times between 1748 and 1767, following the collapse of Mughal Empire in the mid-18th century. His objectives were met through the raids and deepened the political crisis in India.
The Battle of Manupur was fought between the Mughal Empire and the Durrani Empire in March 1748 near Sirhind which ended in victory for the Indian coalition.
Ahmad Shah Durrani raided India for the fifth time in 1759, initiating a series of conflicts with the Marathas and Sikhs. The Pashtuns, preparing for armed struggle, quickly advanced into Punjab, capturing a Maratha garrison at Peshawar and later overrunning Attock. General Jahan Khan played a key role in the advance but was met with resistance from the Marathas and their Sikh allies, led by Sabaji Shinde and the armies of the Sukerchakia and Ahluwalia Misls. In a fierce battle, the combined forces of the Marathas and Sikhs defeated the Afghans, killing 2,000 and wounding Jahan Khan. Despite being outnumbered, Sabaji managed to defend Lahore and inflicted a severe defeat on Jahan Khan, who retreated to Peshawar. This defeat angered Ahmad Shah Durrani and prompted him to take action.
The Battle of Sirhind was fought between Durrani Empire and Sikh Misls on 14 January 1764.
The Battle of Harnaulgarh was fought between the Durrani Empire and the Sikh Misls of Dal Khalsa in 1762.
The Sikh Invasion of Ganga-Yamuna was the first Sikh Incursion in the neighbouring Doab. It took place right after the Sikh Conquest of Sirhind 1764, where the Durrani Governor Zain Khan Sirhindi was killed. Driven by this victory, Sikhs under the leadership of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia invaded the Upper Doab.
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5. The Sikh Encyclopedia
6. A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West ..., Volume 3 Page 126
7. W R H Merk - "The Mohmands"
8. Captain E.G.G. Hastings - Page 112 of Report of the regular settlement of the Peshawar district of the Punjab 1878
9. State and Tribe in Nineteenth-Century Afghanistan
10. Hari Ram Gupta - Page 168 of History of the Sikhs: Evolution of Sikh confederacies, 1708-1769 (3rd rev. ed. 1978)