Balaji Baji Rao, also called Nanasaheb Peshwa, gave Dattaji Rao command of the subjugated
Lahore and
Multan provinces, with an army of 18,000 cavalry to stop the Afghan invasion led by
Ahmed Shah Durrani, also called Ahmad Shah Abdali. The Marathas had captured the forts of
Attock and
Peshawar in 1757–1758, and wanted to expand their rule up to
Kabul,
Kandahar and the Afghanistan-Iran border. After many centuries since 1020, when
Mahmud of Ghazni, head of the
Ghaznavids, had defeated the Hindu ruler
Trilochanpala and
Hindushahi of ancient Gandhar and Punjab regions, Hindu rule had returned to the entire
Indus River region. After the fiercest battles in Lahore and Multan area, the victorious
Raghunath Rao, returned to
Delhi and then to
Pune without appointing the range commanders, for the Lahore and Multan regions. He wasn't much interested to settle down and rule in this region permanently, away from the luxuries of Pune, their own seat and throne area. Eventually, this proved as a historical mistake of the Grand Maratha Confederation Army's top leadership. In March 1759, Dattaji Rao Shinde, reached
Machhiwara with a massive army, of approximate 40,000 cavalry men, but just like Raghunath Rao, Dattajirao also did not want to settle down in Punjab on permanent basis, as he was fully determined to root out the main enemy of the Maratha empire then, i.e.
Najib ad-Dawlah Rohilla. He wrote an intimation letter to the Nanasaheb Peshwa in Pune, and deployed Sabajirao Shinde to take over the
Maratha garrisons of
Punjab with the assistance of Bapu Rao and Dadu Rao Shinde. Dattajirao himself went to fight with Najib Khan Rohilla, in the
Doab, popularly known as the Antarvedi area. But due to the absence of Sabajirao Shinde in
Rohtas Fort, the Afghans under General Jahan Khan attacked and captured both
Attock and
Rohtas Fort and won those back again from the Marathas. Sabajirao Shinde and local
Sikhs rallied and defeated Afghans in Battle of Lahore, (1759). Afghan General Jahan Khan lost his only son in this battle and once again, Afghans retreated to Kabul. This victory of Marathas at Lahore, made Ahmad Shah Abdali more aggressive and hugely upset. Then Afghans and
Rohilla allied and sent Jahan Khan with the massive army of 60,000 cavalry. Jahan Khan captured
Attock and
Peshawar again by defeating the Maratha garrisons decisively. General Jahan Khan then defeated Triyambak Rao's platoon size army of 6,000 men stationed at
Dera Ghazi Khan and Abdali moved towards south
Punjab immediately. They captured
Lahore, capital of Punjab. Ahmad Shah Abdali attacked Dattaji's party of 2,500 men, outside Delhi, before the main battle. After this skirmish,
Abdali regrouped with
Najib ad-Dawlah, and Dattajirao retreated in to the Delhi fort, for rearranging the Maratha garrison for the main battle. Ahmad Shah Abdali then allied with the 60,000 army of Najib-ud-Daula, and together with approximately 1,20,000 men, they attacked on Dattajirao at final time. On 10 January 1760, in the Battle of Buradi Ghat, also known as the Burrari, or Barari Ghat, on the banks of river
Yamuna, near
Delhi, Dattaji's outnumbered army was totally defeated and then he was beheaded, by the
Mian Qutub Shah and
Najib ad-Dawlah Rohilla.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uPq640stHJ0C&dq=dattaji&pg=PA3 Today also, Dattaji is remembered in the popular Maratha history for his last words when Qutub Shah & Najib said, "Kyu Patil, aur ladenge" and Dattaji Shinde replied, "kyu nahi.. bachenge to aur bhi ladenge", which he said to the
Mian Qutub Shah &
Najib ad-Dawlah while dying. ==In popular culture==