Ahmad Shah Abdali belonged to the lineage of Sado, alongside some known families of Multan and others settled throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan.
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] He succeeded his father as chief of the Habibzai section of the tribe, but due to his "bravery and ability" he was selected by the Abdalis (later known as Durrani), then living between Kandahar and Herat, to be their overall leader in 1598.
[8] Shadi Khan, the governor of the Emperor Akbar at Kandahar, was hostile to Saddu Khan, resulting in Saddu supporting the rivaling Abbas I of Persia, whom had previously lost Kandahar in 1594 to the Mughals and was intriguing for its recovery.
This culminated in the Safavid recapture of Kandahar in 1621, in which Saddu aided Abbas.
Ahmad Shah Durrani founded the Durrani Empire, which the Saddozais ruled until their expulsion from power and subsequent replacement by Dost Mohammad Khan of the Barakzai.