During Aurangzeb's reign, Zulfiqar Khan led several military campaigns in pursuit of the emperor's ambitions in the Deccan and South India, notable of which is the Siege of Jinji.

He held the post of mir bakhshi (paymaster general), appointed towards the later part of Aurangzeb's reign, and was made governor of the Deccan by emperor Bahadur Shah I.

During this emperor's brief reign, Zulfiqar Khan served as wazir (prime minister) and acted as effective ruler of the empire, before being executed in 1713 by claimant to the throne Farrukhsiyar.

Patrilineally, Muhammad Ismail belonged to an Iranian family - his grandfather Khanlar had moved to India after his great-grandfather Zulfiqar Khan, the beglar begi of Safavid Shirvan, was executed around 1600 by Iran's emperor Shah Abbas I.

On the other hand, Itiqad Khan did manage to capture the family of Sambhaji, Rajaram's predecessor; his young son Shahu would become a key asset in the Mughal struggle against the Marathas.

[7] The siege proved difficult due to the strength of the fort and frequent supply line disruptions by the Marathas, resulting in slow progress.

[18] Zulfiqar Khan (along with other nobles) was invited to the court and reconciled, despite siding with Azam in the war of succession, in keeping with Mughal tradition.

These posts were highly influential and lucrative, giving Zulfiqar Khan unprecedented power for a noble, and making him one of the most significant men in the Mughal empire.

Zulfiqar Khan prevented the emperor from appointing a wazir for the remainder of his reign, and the duties of the post lay split between multiple officials.

Historian Munis Faruqui uses these examples to point out Zulfiqar Khan's rising power, at the expense of Bahadur Shah's regnal authority.

The most powerful prince was Azim-us-Shan, who had wielded considerable influence at Bahadur Shah's court, and commanded significant wealth as governor of Bengal.

By single-handedly engineering the accession of the weakest prince at the expense of the strongest, Zulfiqar Khan had made Jahandar Shah's claim to the throne completely dependent on himself.

According to Richard Eaton, this set the precedent for the practice of power brokers hoisting Mughal puppet rulers onto the throne, such as the example of the Sayyid brothers and Farrukhsiyar.

Due to Jahandar Shah's dependence on Zulfiqar Khan, the latter wielded effective power over the empire, marking the first time in Mughal history that the emperor relinquished control.

[28][4][26] As effective ruler, Zulfiqar Khan attempted to build bridges with the Rajputs, Sikhs, and Marathas, who had become increasingly estranged from the empire.

[30] Zulfiqar Khan's power and authority caused the emperor Jahandar Shah himself to conspire against him out of fear, as the latter attempted to appoint his own associates to key positions of the empire.

[32] Jahandar Shah's reign, and Zulfiqar Khan's administration, was brief; a son of the deceased prince Azim-us-Shan named Farrukhsiyar launched a rebellion with the support of the Sayyid brothers.