What was the immediate reason for Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade India and fight the Third Battle of Panipat?

1. He wanted to avenge the expulsion by Marathas of his viceroy Timur Shah from Lahore
2. The frustrated governor of Jullundhar Adina Beg Khan invited him to invade Punjab
3. He wanted to punish Mughal administration for non-payment of the revenues of the Chahar Mahal
4. He wanted to annex all the fertile plains of Punjab up to the borders of Delhi to his kingdom

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• The immediate cause was the expulsion of Abdali’s son Timur Shah from Lahore by the Marathas.
• This was perceived as a direct challenge to Afghan authority and triggered Abdali’s decisive invasion, culminating in the Third Battle of Panipat (1761).

Answer: (a) He wanted to avenge the expulsion by the Marathas of his viceroy, Timur Shah, from Lahore