After Babur's defeat at the Battle of Kul Malek, he applied for assistance from Biram Khan Karamanlu, the commander serving the Safavid Persian Shah Ismail I at Balkh.
On reaching Balkh, Najm resolved to march in person into Mawarannahr, taking with him the governor of Herat, the Amirs of Greater Khorasan|Khurasan, and Biram Khan of Balkh.