why Sikhs did not join Maratha forces? you answered it yourself. I think Sikhs considered Afghans and Marathas alike because of the fact that both were foreign invaders and were involved in plundering many areas of the Punjab region.
However, this was not the only reason for Sikhs to be neutral. Other possible reasons have already been discussed.
Fair enough.....
However you have to understand that the battle of Panipat was not to secure "Maratha Territory", in fact they had very little incentive to check the Afghan advances other than to gain power in South Asia which they already had....
However for the Sikhs and Jats, it was their homeland and it would have helped them consolidate their power and prevent losing to foreign invaders by aligning with Marathas....nevertheless its all powerplay and debatable to say the least....
PS: Sikhs and Marathas have had close relations since the time of Guru Gobind Singh if Im not mistaken.....Didnt the Guru spend his last days in Maharashtra...meaning his Samadhi is in Maharashtra?
Sikhs faced two big massacres and their groups were scattered. In addition, Marathas were not that friendly either and they had their ambitions to expand their regime towards Delhi and surrounding areas.
Agreed....Like I mentioned earlier, "Jungle Rule" is the term to describe the situation
That is not entirely correct. Abdali and his successors did attack the Punjab region after the Panipat war and were defeated by the Sikhs.
True, but you have to remember that Abdali lost his "punch" after the battle of Panipat, both Afghan and Maratha power diminished after this war with a loss of over 100,000 soldiers in total.....
This lead to the Sikhs becoming the potent force in Punjab.....
I suppose I didnt word my reply correctly.