afghanistanMuhammad Khan, who argued that it was more important to take Kabul
and depose Shah Mahmud. Dost Muhammad Khan was eventually allowed
to march on the Durrani capital with a small force of Qizilbash, while
Muhammad ‘Azim Khan retained the greater part of the army in Peshawar
to pursue his war with Ranjit Singh.
When Shah Mahmud heard that Dost Muhammad Khan was advanc-
ing on Kabul, he quit Kandahar and set out to defend his capital, but when
he reached Ghazni he heard that Kandahar had fallen to Sher Dil Khan.
Undecided as to the best course of action, Shah Mahmud remained in
Ghazni and sent Kamran’s son Jahangir Mirza and ‘Ata Muhammad Khan
Bamizai to Kabul, unaware that ‘Ata Muhammad was secretly in commu-
nication with Dost Muhammad Khan. He had offered to change sides on
condition all of Payinda Khan’s sons swore on the Qur’an not to put him to
death for having put out Wazir Fateh Khan’s eyes. Dost Muhammad Khan
sent him the required oaths whereupon ‘Ata Muhammad marched out of
Herat, the Timurid
shrine of Khwaja
Abu Isma’il Ansari
(1006–1088) at
Guzargah. Ansari
is known locally
as the pir of Herat.