Shah Shujah

Shah Shujah was hoped to become a British puppet in Kabul. He did have a valid claim on the throne but had been in captivity of Ranjit Singh and the British for many years. Lord auckland and William Macnaghten believed that he was the perfect candidate to keep back Russian influence from spreading to the frontier with India. Unfortunately, he lacked the strong leadership qualities of Dost Mohammed and had no appreciable support in Afghanistan whatsoever.