Jahan Khan was a general of Ahmed Shah Durrani. He was the deputy Governor of Lahore from 1756 to 1757 (Ahmed Shah’s son Taimur Khan was the governor). Under the instructions from Ahmed Shah and his son Taimur Khan, he demolished Darbar Sahib and the other shrines of Amritsar. In 1759, he again attacked the Punjab. This time, during a battle against the Sikhs he was badly wounded. On 4 November 1763, the Sikhs came to know that he was proceeding towards Kabul. The Sikhs chased him and killed several hundred soldiers of the Afghan army. Though Jahan Khan himself escaped but his horse was killed. Again on 16 January 1767, he had to face tough fight against the Sikhs. In this battle he lost 5 to 6 thousand soldiers. His last battle with the Sikhs, held in May 1767 made him fear the Sikhs. He died on 14 March 1770.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)