About Ahmad Shāh Durrānī Ahmad Shāh Durrānī (c.1722–1773) (Pashto/Persian: احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (Pashto/Persian: احمد شاه ابدالي) and born as Ahmad Khān Abdālī, was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded by many to be the founder of modern Afghanistan. After the death of Nader Shah Afshar in June 1747, Ahmad Shah Abdali became the Amir of Khorasan. Rallying Pashtun tribes and allies, he pushed east towards the Punjab in Mughal India and west towards the disintegrating Afsharid Empire. The Pashtuns of Afghanistan often refer to him as Ahmad Shah Bābā (Ahmad Shah the "father").