afghanistanand several Durrani and Ghilzai chiefs, plotted to assassinate the king
and Wafadar Khan and place Shuja‘ al-Mulk, Shah Zaman’s younger full
brother, on the throne. 19 The conspirators allegedly met at the home of
a local shaikh under the pretext of performing zikr, but Wafadar Khan’s
spies infiltrated the meetings and informed him of their plans. Wafadar
Khan then told the king what was afoot and produced witnesses who
swore to the truth of the alleged conspiracy. Payinda Khan’s heirs, on
the other hand, claim that he and his associates were victims of a sting
instigated by Wafadar Khan to bring about the Barakzai chief ’s down-
fall. Whatever the truth of these claims, Payinda Khan and other leading
conspirators were arrested, beheaded and their bodies put on public
display in the Kandahar chauk.
The execution of Payinda Khan ended the Saddozai–Barakzai alli-
ance and Fateh Khan, Payinda Khan’s eldest son, and his brothers vowed
to avenge their father’s death. They fled to the Persian court, where they
pledged loyalty to Mahmud Mirza. When Shah Zaman set out for Lahore in
the spring of 1800 to campaign against a rebellious Ranjit Singh, Mahmud
Mirza and Fateh Khan went to Girishk, raised an army of several thou-
sand Barakzais and marched on Kandahar. Shah Zaman then proceeded
to make more powerful enemies. ‘Abd Allah Khan Alakozai, the governor
of Kashmir, had rebelled but was induced to come to Peshawar to tender
his submission after having received a pledge of safe conduct, only to
be arrested, tortured and executed. When his brother Saidal Khan, who
commanded the defence of Kandahar, heard what Shah Zaman had done,
he opened the city gates to Mahmud Mirza. Mahmud then marched on
Ghazni, whereupon Shah Zaman belatedly returned to Kabul but left most
of his troops and artillery in Peshawar. It was only when he reached the
Afghan capital that he realized the extent of the revolt and the unpopularity
of Wafadar Khan. Even the Jawanshir Qizilbash had declared for Mahmud
in retaliation for the execution of Arsala Khan.
The armies of Shah Zaman and Fateh Khan finally met at the old
Mughal frontier post of Muqur, between Kandahar and Ghazni. Even
before battle commenced Ahmad Khan Nurzai, whose brother Wafadar
Khan had imprisoned, defected to Mahmud’s side and the Ghilzais around
Ghazni cut off Shah Zaman’s line of retreat. Panic quickly spread in the
ranks and his army fell apart.
Shah Zaman, Wafadar Khan and a few faithful retainers fled to the
Shinwari country, where they claimed asylum with Mullah ‘Ashiq, a local
pir. Mullah ‘Ashiq welcomed the refugees, but sent a confidential messen-
ger to Mahmud Mirza to inform him of the king’s whereabouts and made