The Battle of Lahore was fought between Afghan forces under Ahmad Shah Durrani and Mughal forces under Shah Nawaz on 11 January 1748. Zakriya Khan, the Mughal Governor of Lahore, died in 1745 and was succeeded by his son, Yahya Khan. Yahya Khan's governorship over Lahore was soon challenged by his brother, Shah Nawaz, who was the governor of Multan. This resulted in a war between the two brothers, lasting from November 1746 to March 1747. The war was won by Shah Nawaz, who soon usurped the governorship of Lahore. Shah Nawaz would go on to appoint Kaura Mal as his diwan and recognized Adina Beg Khan as the Faujdar of the Jalandhar Doaba. Shah Nawaz used his captive brother as a bargaining tool in order to get recognition from the Delhi government. However, following Yahya Khan's escape from captivity, Shah Nawaz sought help from abroad. He turned to Ahmad Shah Durrani, who had just taken the city of Kabul from the Mughals. Ahmad Shah agreed to assist him, and left Peshawar in December 1747. However, Shah Nawaz then changed his allegiance back to the Mughals, and fought a battle against Ahmad Shah near Lahore. The battle was won by the Afghans, who briefly occupied the city of Lahore.
Background
Following the death of Zakariya Khan, the governor of Lahore, in July 1745, the Mughal Wazier Qamaruddin Khan appointed his two sons as governors of Lahore and Multan. Yahya Khan was appointed governor of Lahore, and Shah Nawaz was appointed governor of Multan. Yahya Khan's administration was challenged by his brother, who soon arrived in Lahore on November 1746. Shah Nawaz demanded an equal division of their dead father's property. This dispute resulted in a war between the two brothers which lasted from November 1746 to March 1747.
On 17 March 1747, Shah Nawaz defeated Yahya Khan and held him in captivity. Shah Nawaz usurped the governorship of Lahore, appointed Kaura Mal as his diwan, and recognized Adina Beg Khan as faujdar of the Jalandhar Doaba. Shah Nawaz began negotiating with the Delhi government to secure its reognition of his governorship, and using his captive brother as a bargaining tool. However, the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah threatened direct military action against Shah Nawaz, and Yahya Khan escaped from Shah Nawaz's captivity and fled towards Delhi. Shah Nawaz soon began looking for foreign help. Shah Nawaz had heard of the military exploits of Ahmad Shah Durrani, who had just taken Kabul and Peshawar from the Mughal governor Nasir Khan. On the advice of Adina Beg, Shah Nawaz decided to ask Ahmad Shah for military assistance. Ahmad Shah agreed to his request on the condition that Shah Nawaz accept Afghan suzerainty, and began his invasion from Peshawar on December 1747.
Battle
Adina Beg soon informed the Delhi government of Shah Nawaz's agreement with Durrani. Qamaruddin Khan was disappointed on hearing the news, and wrote a letter to Shah Nawaz in which he agreed to recognize his control over Lahore on the condition that he oppose Ahmad Shah's forces. Shah Nawaz agreed to the wazir's request and turned hostile against the Afghans. The Afghan Jahan Khan had crossed the Indus river with 8,000 of his men. Shah Nawaz fought them off, forcing Jahan Khan to retreat towards Peshawar, where Jahan Khan waited for Ahmad Shah's forces to arrive. Ahmad Shah entered the Punjab and occupied the fort of Rohtas. When he heard that Shah Nawaz had switched his allegiance back to the Mughals, he sent Sabir Shah and Muhammad Yar Khan to Lahore, where Shah Nawaz ordered Sabir Shah executed following what he perceived as insults against him. On hearing that Sabir Shah had been executed, Ahmad Shah began to march towards Lahore. During the journey, he gave Rawalpindi to Muqarrab Khan, a Gakkhar chief.
Some historians have suggested that Ahmad Shah Durrani had around 18,000 Afghan soldiers under his command, one third of which were from his own tribe. J. L. Mehta estimates that Ahmad Shah had around 40,000 under his command, while the Cambridge History of India, suggests he had 30,000 cavalry. Durrani's army had no artillery, and was much smaller than that of the Mughals. Shah Nawaz had around 70,000 soldiers under his command in addition to artillery. On January 10, 1748, Durrani and his army camped near the Shalamar gardens. The Afghan and Mughal forces would fight one another on January 11, 1748.