Battle of Nowshera (1674)
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| Battle of Nowshera (1674) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mughal–Afghan Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Afghans Khattak Afridi Mohmand |
Mughals Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Khushal Khan Khattak Darya Khan Afridi Aimal Khan Mohmand |
Pir Paie † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8,000 | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | ||||||
The Battle of Nowshera (1674) was a major confrontation between the Afghan tribal alliance under Khushal Khan Khattak and the forces of the Mughal Empire stationed at the fort of Nowshera. The engagement marked one of the earliest coordinated tribal uprisings against Mughal authority in the frontier region.
Following rising discontent among the Pashtun tribes, Khushal Khan Khattak, who had once served the Mughals, became disillusioned with their policies and imprisonment of tribal leaders. Around this time, Darya Khan Afridi sought Khushal’s counsel over reconciliation with the Mughals, which led Khushal to exploit the divisions between Darya Khan and the imperial authorities. Supported by the Afridis and Mohmands, Khushal redirected his efforts toward open resistance against Mughal rule.[1]
As internal disputes within the Khattak tribe weakened Khushal’s local standing, he reached out to the Afridis and Mohmands to forge a united front. A jirga held at Rajgarh formalized their alliance, and it was agreed that the campaign would begin with an assault on the Mughal fort at Nowshera.[2]