Sardar Abdul Wahab Khan

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Abdul Wahab Khan
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Born1848
Kandahar, Emirate of Afghanistan
DiedJuly 13, 1920(1920-07-13) (aged 72)
Kabul, Emirate of Afghanistan
Spouse(s)3 wives - Sakina, Sahib Sultan, Mariam
Children9 sons, 3 daughters
Parents
  • Sardar Mir Afzal Khan (father)
  • Hazara (mother)

Sardar Abdul Wahab Khan (سردار عبدالوهاب خان) (1848 - 13 July 1920) belonged to the Mohammadzai tribe of Kandahar. He was the son (from fourth wife - a Hazara[1]) of Sardar Mir Afzal Khan (Governor of Kandahar when the Second Anglo-Afghan War began[2][3]) and great-grandson (from fifth wife - a Ghilzai[1]) of Sardar Payendah Khan. He is also a second cousin of Sher Ali Khan|Amir Sher Ali Khan[4] (Abdul Wahab Khan's grandfather, Sardar Pur Dil Khan was a half brother of Sher Ali Khan's father, Amir Dost Mohammad Khan.[5] Abdul Wahab Khan's half sister was also married to Sher Ali Khan and was his favourite wife.[3]). When Abdur Rahman Khan was invited by the British to become the new Amir after the defeat of Ayub Khan during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, Abdul Wahab Khan lived in exile for many years in Persia (now Iran) then in British India before returning to Kabul with his son in 1903.[6]

He was the Governor of the following provinces and districts at various times:

  • Grishk
  • Ghor
  • Farah
  • Herat
  • Balkh

Second Anglo-Afghan War

Abdul Wahab Khan was allied with Sher Ali Khan then later with Sher Ali's successor and son Ayub Khan. This alliance made him a natural opponent of Abdur Rahman Khan who battled both Sher Ali and Ayub Khan for power when they each were rulers of Afghanistan. During the Second Anglo-Afghan War Abdul Wahab Khan participated in the Battle of Maiwand with Ayub Khan in 1880 which resulted in the defeat of the British.

Once Rahman Khan became the ruler of Afghanistan with the help of the British, Wahab Khan together with his family fled to Persia (now Iran) as political refugees. The British offered him a monetary allowance on the condition that he relocate to British India, to eliminate any possibility of him rebelling with Ayub Khan against Rahman Khan in Herat, he accepted.

Exile in Persia and British India

Abdul Wahab Khan was the Governor of Herat during Ayub Khan's rebellion against the British during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. When Ayub Khan was defeated in the Battle of Kandahar (1880) both Ayub Khan and Abdul Wahab Khan took refuge in Persia and was receiving 100 tomans a month pension from the British Government. Some time later, Ayub Khan fled Tehran and Abdul Wahab Khan was arrested on Sir Arthur Nicolson's orders who at the time was the British Chargé d'affaires to Iran.

Abdul Wahab Khan requested Nicolson to write him a referral[7], which he did on 14 October 1887 promising him proper treatment if Abdul Wahab Khan relocated to British India on the condition that he conducts himself well and did whatever the Government of India asked of him. It was common British policy to take Afghan Sardars to British India and provided them with pensions, and hence out of potential rebellion against British interests in Afghanistan during the rein of Abdur Rahman Khan.

Abdul Wahab Khan arrived in Karachi soon after and was paid 80 to 100 Rupees a day to support his family, and then after four months a pension of 250 Rupees a month (pre-tax) was allocated to him. However it soon became clear the amount wasn't sufficient for his large family of over 30 people to live comfortably. Some time later he moved his family to Lahore, living in a house outside Mochi Gate[8]. He lived for 10 years in British India, lodging multiple petitions to have his pension increased and all being denied. He resorted to borrowing and incurred debts of 10,000 Rupees before finally deciding to flee British India on 18 February 1898 and returning back to Persia, leaving his family behind in Lahore with his eldest son Sardar Abdul Habib Khan in charge of their family matters in British India. The government approved a reduced pension of 150 Rupees a month for his family in Lahore which was even more difficult for them.

Abdul Habib Khan complained to the Government of India that other Afghan refugees were getting 2-3 Rupees for every Kiran (Iranian currency) they held when they migrated from Persia to British India, but his father who held 700 Kirans was given only 250 Rupees. On top of that further income tax was deducted, while other Afghans from Persia were exempted from the income tax.

In Tehran on 15 March 1899, Abdul Wahab Khan wrote a petition[4] for a pension to pay his debts and support his family in British India to Sir H. Mortimer Durand who at the time was the British Ambassador to Iran. Durand replied on 24 April 1899 stating that he had no power in the matters raised by Abdul Wahab Khan, but will send his request to the Government of India for a decision. On 7 November 1899 the Government of India wrote back and refused his petition.

Return to Afghanistan

With the death of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan, and under the new rein of his successor and son Amir Habibulllah Khan, Abdul Wahab Khan and other Sardars who were exiled during the rein of Abdur Rahman Khan returned to Kabul in 1903 under the invitation of the new Amir.

Under Amir Habibullah Khan he held the position of Secretary in Charge of Correspondence and rank of Civil Brigadier and was involved in the negotiations of a new treaty between the British and Habibullah Khan during the "Dane Mission" lead by Sir Louis W. Dane[9]. He also accompanied the Amir during his Herat tour in 1907. He served on Boundary Commission in 1910 and was appointed Governor of Turkestan and rank of Civil General in 1911. He was reported to be both popular and energetic as a Governor in Mazar-i-Sharif in 1914.[6] He was present at the Amir's hunting party in February 1919 during which he was assassinated.

Under Amir Amanullah Khan he resumed his duties as Secretary in Charge of Correspondence after returning from Turkestan and left for Bukhara in April 1919 with Muhammad Wali Khan who the Emir had sent on a diplomatic mission abroad. He was later reported to have been appointed as the Minister for Education in December 1919. Two of his sons from his first wife Sakina: Abdur Rahman Khan (was at one time residing in Kashmir in 1925[10]) who was an envoy to India, and Abdul Habib Khan (was at one time residing in Lahore in 1899) were both appointed Ministers of Education in succession after him.[6][1]

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Adamec, Ludwig W. (1975). Historical and political who's who of Afghanistan. Hauptbd: Historical and political Who's who. Graz: Akad. Druck- u. Verlagsanst. pp. 477, 481. ISBN 978-3-201-00921-8.
  2. ↑ Trousdale, William; Allen, Mitchell; Maurer, Cyndi (2021). Kandahar in the nineteenth century. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-43305-2.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "1. Petition from Sardar Abdul Habib, an Afghanistan refugee, praying for an increase to his allowance, refused. Decision that it should have effect from the date on which his father ceased to draw his stipend on leaving India in Feb 1898. II. Petition from Sardar Abdul Wahab Khan, Praying for a pension" (PDF). Indian Culture (National Archives of India). 1899. p. 49. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "1. Petition from Sardar Abdul Habib, an Afghanistan refugee, praying for an increase to his allowance, refused. Decision that it should have effect from the date on which his father ceased to draw his stipend on leaving India in Feb 1898. II. Petition from Sardar Abdul Wahab Khan, Praying for a pension" (PDF). Indian Culture (National Archives of India). 1899. p. 23. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  5. ↑ Adamec, Ludwig W. (1975). Historical and political who's who of Afghanistan. Hauptbd: Historical and political Who's who. Graz: Akad. Druck- u. Verlagsanst. pp. 388, 481. ISBN 978-3-201-00921-8.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Adamec, Ludwig W. (1975). Historical and political who's who of Afghanistan. Hauptbd: Historical and political Who's who. Graz: Akad. Druck- u. Verlagsanst. p. 101. ISBN 978-3-201-00921-8.
  7. ↑ "1. Petition from Sardar Abdul Habib, an Afghanistan refugee, praying for an increase to his allowance, refused. Decision that it should have effect from the date on which his father ceased to draw his stipend on leaving India in Feb 1898. II. Petition from Sardar Abdul Wahab Khan, Praying for a pension" (PDF). Indian Culture (National Archives of India). 1899. p. 26. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  8. ↑ "1. Petition from Sardar Abdul Habib, an Afghanistan refugee, praying for an increase to his allowance, refused. Decision that it should have effect from the date on which his father ceased to draw his stipend on leaving India in Feb 1898. II. Petition from Sardar Abdul Wahab Khan, Praying for a pension" (PDF). Indian Culture (National Archives of India). 1899. p. 19. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  9. ↑ Adamec, Ludwig W. (1967). Afghanistan 1900-1923 - A Diplomatic History. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. p. 49.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ↑ "Application for an interview with the foreign secretary made by Sirdar Abdul Aziz Khan, an Afghan refugee in Calcutta. In either the Indian States or British India, he requested a grant for the leasing of agricultural land.- Refused" (PDF). www.abhilekh-patal.in (National Archives of India). 1933. Retrieved 2024-02-15.

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