On their journey back to Kabul, which commenced on 22 March 1761, Abdali’s troops, loaded with plunder and booty, were once more molested by groups of Sikhs who followed Abdali ‘all the way’.27 During the Panipat battle, the Sikhs had been perfectly content ‘to watch the Afghans and Marathas destroy one another’s hopes of dominance’.28 But Abdali’s prestige had soared.
