Editing Third Battle of Panipat (section)

===Suraj Mal's advice to Sadashiv Rao Bhau===
Before Battle of Panipat a war council was formed by Maratha commander-in-chief Sadashiv Rao Bhau in which Maharaja Suraj Mal was invited to give advice for war strategy against Abdali.

Jat chief Surajmal provided following advice :

*  Women, children, old people, families of soldier and non combatants should either be left on the other side of Chambal in Maratha's stronghold of Jhansi and Gwalior or in protection of Suraj Mal’s one of 4 forts in Jat strongholds.<ref name="books.google.co.in">{{Cite book |last=Roy |first=Kaushik |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jpXijlqeRpIC&q=Suraj+Mal+&pg=PA82 |title=India's Historic Battles: From Alexander the Great to Kargil |date=2004 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-7824-109-8 |pages=82 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="archive.org">{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.505305/page/n132/mode/1up?view=theater | title=History of Jats | date=1925 }}</ref>
*  Large baggage and heavy artillery should not be taken as they will slow down Maratha movement in the battlefield against Durrani’s forces.<ref name="books.google.co.in"/><ref name="archive.org"/>
* If Marathas find themselves on losing ground then a quick moving force will be able to move backwards in friendly country easily and Abdali will not be keen on crossing Chambal.<ref name="books.google.co.in"/><ref name="archive.org"/>
*  Road for supply lines should be kept open so that Maratha army will not face problems in getting supplies during war <ref name="books.google.co.in"/><ref name="archive.org"/>
* One division of the Maratha army should be sent to Lahore and other to the east to destroy the supply lines so that Abdali will not be able to secure supplies from his allies for his army.<ref name="books.google.co.in"/><ref name="archive.org"/>
* A light cavalry guerrilla warfare will be suggested instead of conventional face-to-face warfare as Durrani will not be able to sustain a long warfare and when Monsoon will come both sides will find forces moving much slower, Durrani will be in much more disadvantage without supplies compared to Marathas and this will force Abdali to move back to his country.<ref name="books.google.co.in"/><ref name="archive.org"/>

Many of the Maratha generals found it good strategy as they themselves prefer guerrilla warfare but Sadashiv Rao Bhau found it dishonourable for a king and took this as result of Maratha general's old age and Suraj Mal's foolishness.

[[File:Portrait of Ahmad-Shah Durrani. Mughal miniature. ca. 1757, Bibliothèque nationale de France.jpg|160px|thumb|Portrait of [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]]]]