Maratha conquest of North-west India

In Punjab, Adina Beg Khan, along with the Sikhs, was already in revolt with Ahmad Shah Abdali who had invaded Punjab multiple times and had been repelled each time. He decided to call the Marathas for help. On 7 March, Raghunathrao had encamped at Rajpura where he received Adina Beg Khan’s envoys, and was informed that the latter, accompanied by 15,000 Sikh fighters, belonging to the bands (the jathas) of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Baba Ala Singh of Patiala had closed upon Sirhind from the other side of Satluj. A concerted attack on the fort of Sirhind was made by the Sikhs and Marathas on 8 March 1758. Ahmad Samad Khan, with his 10,000 Afghan troops, held out for about two weeks before his capitulation on 21 March. After the victory, the town was thoroughly sacked by the victors. After defeating the Afghan-Rohilla forces, the Marathas forced the Afghans into the Khyber Pass.[2] The Marathas then gave chase to the Pathans on horseback and were in quick pursuit of them in which they went on to capture Attock and then Peshawar from the Afghans.

Adina Beg's sudden death threw Punjab into turmoil. Many of his soldiers, particularly Afghan mercenaries deserted his army camp and added to the number of freebooters, thus creating chaos and anarchy everywhere. Sikhs started again to revolt against Muslim ruling elite, which had failed to make any permanent settlement with them. Khawaja Mirza who was now the Maratha governor of Punjab could not cope with the situation. He sent an express appeal to the Peshwa for reinforcements, alerted all the junior Maratha officers to help him restore law and order in the state and he also recalled Maratha detachments from Peshawar and Attock to safeguard his position in Lahore. Tukoji Holkar and Narsoji Pandit, the Maratha commanders of Peshawar and Attock had to withdraw their troops from the frontier posts. Sabbaji Patil was now given the charge of Peshawar.[2]

Raghunathrao and his deputy Malhar Rao were not interested in holding the position in the north for long. On their request, Peshwa had to find their substitutes. He gave supreme command of Dehli to Dattaji Scindia, while Jankoji Scindia was appointed his deputy. They proceeded towards Delhi separately at different times.[2]

A massive army of Marathas under their new commanders, Scindias reached Machhiwara in March 1759. Like Raghunathrao, Dattaji also didn't want to stay in Punjab for long. As there was no news of Abdali's invasion, Dattaji deferred the appointment of any permanent governor in Punjab and left it to the Peshwa for decision at his convenience. After deliberations with his advisors, Dattaji deputed Sabbaji to take care of Punjab and Nwfp, Peshawar and Attock along with assistance of Bapu Rao, Dadu Rao and Sena Pandit for time being and himself left Punjab for the suppression of Najib-ud-Daula in the Ganga valley. Bapu Rao took the charge of Rohtas Fort, while other officers were appointed on the frontier posts.[2]

Taking advantage of Sabbaji's absence from Peshawar post, the Afghans marched to Peshawar. The Peshawar fort was taken by Afghans with heavy losses to the besieged Maratha garrison. Thereafter the Afghan invaders, under Jahan Khan overran Attock and threatened the Rohtas Fort. By that time, Sabaji Patil (Sabaji Scindia) reached the place in the Battle of Lahore, (1759) with fresh troops and a large number of Sikh fighters, who had once again allied with the Marathas. The combined forces of the Marathas and Sikhs defeated the Afghan garrison in which Jahan Khan lost his son and was himself wounded. The Afghans quickly vacated the forts of Peshawar and Attock and retreated west to Afghanistan. So, Peshawar once again fell to Marathas.[2]

It was unbearable for Abdali to overlook this defeat. The Rohilla chief Najib Khan invited Abdali to avenge his defeat. He, along with his commander Jahan Khan invaded Punjab for the fifth time with a massive force of 60,000 accompanied by heavy field-guns. Trimbak Rao's 6000 strong Maratha garrison of Multan was massacred and only 500 of them could cross river Satlej. Lahore, the capital of Punjab, however, did not fall to the Afghans. The remaining Marathas retreated straight to Delhi from their northernmost posts at Sonipat. [2] On 24 December 1759, a battle was fought between Dattaji and Abdali in which Dattaji's general Bhoite was defeated with a loss of 2500 Maratha soldiers after the Mughal contingent fled from the Maratha side. As a consequence of victory, Abdali managed to join forces with Najib-ud-Daula.[1]

Najib's general Qutub Shah defeated and a Rohilla sniper killed Dattaji at Burari Ghat near Delhi in January 1760. Abdali followed him. Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao sent his cousin Sadashivrao Bhau to repel Abdali which ultimately resulted in the Third Battle of Panipat where Abdali decisively defeated Marathas.[3] Panipat debacle was such a blow to the Maratha Empire that it did not enter North-West India for a decade and could never really recover from the enormous losses they sustained during the whole campaign against the Durrani Empire.[3].After the Panipat war Maratha engaged with war with Sultan of Mysore Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan both were defeated. Maratha also engaged with war with Nawab of Hyderabad and defeated Nawab of Hyderabad. Maratha also fought war with East India Company in 1785 and defeated East India Company. There is also a crisis in Maratha Leadership after sudden deaths of two successive Peashwas.

The Marathas had failed to befriend the important party of Punjab, particularly Sikhs, even though they had not entered Punjab, they had got close enough to be aided by Sikh troops in numerous battles. They couldn't make any formal treaty with Sikhs, who along with Adina Beg had assisted them in their conquest of north-west. According to an assessment, the Sikhs were ever ready to co-operate with the Marathas, but it goes to the discredit of the Marathas that they could not make a proper confederacy with Sikhs due to their fear of the Sikhs tall statures. Kirpal Singh writes:[2]

Unlike Ahmad Shah Abdali who subsequently raised a cry of jihad, the Marathas couldn't mobilize their resources and make a common cause with the Sikhs in order to pay the Afghan Emperor in his own coin.

Finding the Maratha leadership completely off guard against their political foes, many Afghans who were earlier taken captives by Marathas quickly changed their loyalty towards Adina Beg and were recruited in his army. However, later on, they betrayed him and joined Abdali's forces during his fifth invasion.[2]

The Peshwa was alarmed by the growing French and British influence in the Deccan.[1] When Abdali invaded Punjab for the fifth time, the Marathas didn't try hard enough to save the frontier posts and instead started planning to save Delhi from another invasion.[2]