New History of the Marathas v2.c26.56

v2.c26.56

controlling the Emperor who remained immersed in the pursuit of pleasure to the detriment of the State, so that the Wazir Safdar Jang soon discovered that he had no authority to act. He could not prevail upon the Emperor to start personally with forces to defend the Punjab and prevent further invasions by Ahmad Shah Abdali. At the end of November 1748 Safdar Jang discovered a plot for attempting his life by means of an explosion of gunpowder as he entered the palace gate. The Emperor wishing to deprive Safdar Jang of his Wazirship, invited Nasir Jang from the Deccan for this purpose. The latter started for Delhi in March 1749. In this extremity Safdar Jang tried through the Hingnes, the Maratha agents at Delhi, to secure the Peshwa’s help in maintaining his position. Upon this the Peshwa at once asked Sindia and Holkar to march southward and prevent Nasir Jang from crossing the Narmada for Delhi. Safdar Jang collected armies in Delhi and tried to maintain his position even by force against the Emperor, who got so frightened at the Wazir’s move that he at once wrote an autograph letter to Nasir Jang to return to the Deccan and not to proceed to Delhi. Nasir Jang, therefore, was compelled to return from the Narmada in May. But Safdar Jang’s position did not materially improve. On the contrary the Jats, the Rohillas and the Pathans of the Doab made a common cause against him and started an open aggression on his territory.