Ahmed Shah Durrani (1724 – 23.10. 1772), son of Zaman Khan, was a member of Saddozai family of Abdali tribe of Afghanistan. His first name was Ahmed Khan Abdali. He started his career as a petty soldier of Nadir Shah. In 1739, he accompanied Nadir Shah, during the latter’s invasion of the Indian sub-continent. After the assassination of Nadir Shah, on June 19, 1747, He was elected the leader of the Afghan soldiers and eventually the chief of Afghanistan. Since that day, he assumed the title Durr-i-Durran (Durrani means a pearl) and became Ahmed Shah Durrani. He invaded the Punjab several times between 1747 and 1769. He was dreaded by the residents of Punjab and India. He killed more than one hundred thousand Marathas at Panipat in January 1761 and more than twenty-five thousand Sikhs in February 1762 (the Sikh massacre is known as Great Holocaust). He was dreaded as a terrorist invader. He pillaged the whole of the sub-continent several times. During his life time, he killed about a million people in different parts of the sub-continent. He looted property worth trillions and took thousands of prisoners, including several thousand young girls. The Sikhs released most of the prisoners and relieved him much of his booty several times. He demolished Darbar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib, in April 1762. His empire comprised of Punjab, Kashmir, Sindh, Balauchistan, Khurasan, Qandhar, Kabul, Balkh etc. He was defeated by the Sikhs, near Amritsar, on October 16 1762. This was the beginning of his fall. He died in 1772. He was known as Abdali by the Sikhs. Before 1762, the people of the Punjab dreaded him so much that it was the faith of the people that they should save nothing and if any one made any type of savings, that shall be looted by Ahmed Shah Durrani.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)