afghanistanJahan Khan but, when Muhammad Shah’s wazir heard of the agreement, he
offered to confirm Shah Nawaz as governor on condition he opposed the
Afghan invasion. As a result, Shah Nawaz tore up his treaty with Ahmad
Shah and marched out to confront Sardar Jahan Khan.
Shah Nawaz’s sudden change of allegiance left Jahan Khan exposed. He
had already crossed the Indus but had only around 8,000 men under his
command and hardly any artillery, so he beat a hasty retreat to Peshawar
to await the arrival of Ahmad Shah with reinforcements. Once he arrived
in the city, Ahmad Shah sent envoys to Shah Nawaz but for some reason
Ahmad Shah included Sabir Shah as part of this delicate mission. Instead
of observing the normal diplomatic protocols and presenting himself to
the governor, Sabir Shah took up residence with a local religious leader.
Shah Nawaz, suspecting that the faqir, who was a native of Lahore, was an
agent provocateur, sent trusted agents to interrogate him, only for Sabir
Shah to grossly insult the Nawab. Sabir Shah and his host were thrown
in prison, but when Shah Nawaz went in person to question the dervish
he continued to hurl insults at him, telling the Nawab that he was a mere
servant while Ahmad Shah was ‘king of Khurasan’ and rebuked the Nawab
for breaking the treaty. After enduring several days of this invective, Shah
Nawaz had had enough and ordered his executioner to pour molten lead
down the dervish’s throat, silencing Sabir Shah once and for all. 5
Having disposed of the troublesome faqir, Shah Nawaz broke off nego-
tiations and marched out against Ahmad Shah. Despite commanding a
The Kabul Gate, Peshawar, gateway to the Khyber Pass, late 19th-century postcard.