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After the death of Muhammad Shah, his son Ahmad Shah ascended the throne on April 29, 1748. At the time of his accession, he was 23 years old and had no experience in the field of administration. Although Ahmad Shah was the hero of the battle of Sarhind, in which Ahmad Shah Abdali was defeated, he lacked qualities of leadership and was unable to manage the affairs of the state. As a result the administration fell into the hands of his Wazir, Safdar Jang. Safdar Jang was also unable to run the administration proficiently and spent most of his time in internal strife and self-aggrandizement. Safdar Jang later joined the Marhattas against Ahmad Shah in 1750.
Ahmad Shah's short reign was a period of great disturbance. The Rohillas rose in rebellion and Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded Punjab for the second time and marched towards Delhi. In order to avoid the destruction of Delhi, Ahmad Shah made peace with Ahmad Shah Abdali by ceding Punjab and Multan.
Considering Ahmad Shah unfit to rule, Imad-ul-Mulk Ghazi-ud-Din, the grand son of Asaf Jah, assumed the office of Wazir. In 1754, Ahmad Shah was captured, blinded and imprisoned with the help of Marhattas, and the second son of Jahandar Shah, Aziz-ud-din Alamgir was put on the throne. Ahmad Shah died under confinement on January 1, 1775, at Delhi.
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