Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum

Khan Bahadur Sahibzada Sir Abdul Qayyum Khan KCIE (1863 – 3 December 1937), hailing from Topi, Swabi District, British India, was a distinguished educationist and politician. He is perhaps best known for establishing the Islamia College, Peshawar on the mould of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's policy of educating Muslims.^[1]

Sahibzada Sahib started his career as a government servant but he eventually turned into a great educationist and respected politician.

Early career

In 1887, Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum was appointed Naib Tehsildar and subsequently held several administrative portfolios i.e. Tehsildar, Chief Political Agent of Hazara, Revenue Assistant and Treasury Officer, Extra Assistant Commissioner, Superintendent of the Commissioner's Vernacular Office, Assistant Political Agent Khyber, 'Assistant Political Agent' of Chitral, and then of Khyber Agency and then promoted to Assistant Political Agent of Khyber, FATA, during the period from 1891 to 1919. The Political Agents were Sir Robert Warburton until 1897, and subsequently Sir George Roos-Keppel, until 1908.

In the year 1893 during the rule of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan a Royal Commission for demarcating the Indo-Afghan Boundary, the Durand line between Afghanistan and the British Indian Empire, was set up and the two parties camped at Parachinar, now part of FATA Pakistan, which is near Khost Afghanistan.

From the British Indian side the camp was Attended by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand and Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, then Assistant Political Agent Khyber. Afghanistan was represented by Sahibzada Abdul Latif and the Governor Sardar Shireendil Khan representing the King Amir Abdur Rahman Khan.^[2]

Political career

Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum became the first Chief Minister of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 1937. But after a few months Dr. Khan Sahib of the Congress Party became the Chief Minister after Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum lost a vote of no confidence. He was however instrumental in the formation of the Frontier branch of the Muslim League.

References

1. Ghaffar Khan: nonviolent Badshah of the Pakhtuns p112 Gandhi - 2008 "Ominously for the Raj, Khudai Khidmatgar candidates humbled four titled khans, Sahibzada Sir Abdul Qayyum (who, before the elections, had been nominated to serve as the Frontier's First Minister),"
2. http://www.aaiil.org/aaiil/ra/jalsa/2003/sahibzadaabdullatifshaheed100anniversary/08sahibzadazahoorahmad_sahibzadaabdullatifshaheed.mp3

External links

• "Death anniversary of Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan observed on December 4", Radio Pakistan, December 4, 2012