Descendants of Maratha prisoners of war (1761)

After the Third Battle of Panipat of 1761 in northern India, the historical record states that a large number of prisoners, mostly female civilians fleeing the battle, were taken as slaves to Afghan Kingdom, which included parts of northern and western modern Pakistan. People in Maharashtra state in India feel that some of the Maratha prisoners could have survived and settled in Afghanistan.

The theory

They believe, that the descendants of prisoners of war can still be found at least in Balochistan, in the Bugti, Marri and Gorchani tribal areas. Moreover, the belief holds that the descendants of Maratha prisoners among Bugtis, Marris and Gorchanis tribes in Balochistan have become a separate social group - perhaps even a dedicated caste - under Islamic rule. The believe that this ethnic group would claim descent from Marathas captives of war brought back by members of the Bugti tribe, who served the armies of Ahmad Shah Durrani after Panipat. In time these descendants most likely intermarried and converted to Islam. This theory is considered a myth since there is no ethnic group in Pakistan and particularly in Balochistan province that claims ancestry from Maratha prisoners. There are no historical reports of Maratha prisoners in modern Pakistan region. The Hindu minority in Balochistan is Sindhi speaking that migrated from Sindh province.

Current position

After independence of Pakistan, access to the Punjab province was restricted, and confirmation of any Sikh-Marathas lineage became difficult. Nonetheless, several Ror Maratha(Ror) families acknowledge some mixing of Maratha lineage, especially those settled around Panipat, Kunjpura, Kurukshetra and Karnal.

See also

• Ror
• Maratha Empire
• Third Battle of Panipat
• Maratha Light Infantry