Exploring the Political-Military Acts of Ahmad Shah Durrani and Their Implications

Javad Musavi Dalini[1]

Abstract

Ahmad Shah Durrani (1134-1186 AH/1722-1772 CE) was the founder of Durrani dynasty. He took advantage of power lacuna after Nader Shah's death and attempted to stabilize the newly-established government of Durrani via the support of Pashtun tribes, establishment of Loya jirga, taking control of Nader Shah's public treasury, and taking advantage of the conflicts in the Indian Gurkanid government. Moreover, through political unity, he laid the foundations of an independent Afghanistan and minted coins in his name. Like Gurkanid rulers, he was keen on literature and poetry. The findings of the study reveal that Ahmad Shah initially did not entertain the idea of separating Afghanistan from Iran, and desired to rule over the entire territory or parts of the historical land of Iran; like rulers of other dynasties. Nonetheless, the existing socio-political conditions actually forced him to separate Afghanistan from Iran. Moreover, his political and military actions and his death paved the way for the Englishmen to increase their growing influence in India. The present study attempts to briefly introduce Abdalis, and clarifies the process through which Ahmad Khan Durrani ascended the throne, and his emulation of Nader Shah in legitimizing his government. His attempts for ruling over Iran and India and the implications of his frequent attacks to Afghanistan will also be elaborated in this paper. The present study follows a descriptive-analytic method and is based on library resources.