Abdus Salim Khan, also known as Khan Sahib (28 December 1907 – 12/13 July 1957) was an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Civil Servant who later joined Pakistani Civil Service to become a

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. He served as an ambassador to several countries representing Pakistan.

Background

Abdus Salim Khan was born on 18 December 1907, at

Talokar (village) Talokar is a village in the Haripur, Pakistan, Haripur area of Hazara, Pakistan, Hazara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province) in Pakistan. History Talokar was founded during the 12th or 13th century AD by the Talokar is kh ...

, near Haripur, NWFP,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, as the eldest son to

Abdul Majid Khan Tarin Khan Abdul Majid Khan Tarin (also spelt Abdul Majeed Khan) (1877–1939), Khan-Sahib, OBE, was a prominent magistrate, MLA and philanthropist of the North West Frontier Province of former British India. Early life and education He was born ...

, Khan-sahib, OBE. After completion of his early education at

Aitchison College Aitchison College ( ur, ایچیسن کالج) is an independent, semi-private boys school for boarding and day students from grade 1–13 in Lahore, Pakistan. It has a tradition of providing an education that uses academics, sports, and co-curri ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, he went on to take higher degrees from the Government College Lahore. In 1934, he was married to Begum Mahmooda Salim Khan, the eldest daughter of then

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

governor

Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan ''Khan Bahadur'' Captain Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, (5 June 1892 – 26 December 1942), also written Sikandar Hyat-Khan or Sikandar Hyat Khan, was an Indian politician and statesman from the Punjab who served as the Premier of the Punjab, among ...

Career

Having joined the British Indian Civil Service in 1933, Khan served as a magistrate and a Political Officer in the

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served as a director of the War Supply Department of the then Government of India. After the establishment of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1947, he was inducted into the country's fledgling

Foreign Service of Pakistan The Foreign Service of Pakistan ( ur, ) is part of the Central Superior Services of Pakistan. It was formally created in October 1952, after having been an improvised organization since the creation and independence of Pakistan in 1947. Its old ...

and sent first as the country's first Trade Commissioner to Ceylon (now

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

) and was thereafter appointed as Pakistan's formal representative (High Commissioner) there, a few months later. He was one of the members of Pakistani delegation at

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

Conference at

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

, 1950, which framed the

Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri L ...

. Between 1951 and 1953 he held diplomatic postings in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and the United States; and in 1953, he was appointed as Pakistan's Chargé d'Affaires in Japan. and then ambassador, playing an instrumental role in firmly establishing positive Japan-Pakistan relations. In 1955, he was posted away as Pakistan Consul-General at

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, USA. In May 1957, he was then posted as Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Britain. He died there suddenly of heart failure between 12/13 July 1957 and his body was flown back and buried in his native village.Obituary, Dawn 1957

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Abdus Salim 1907 births 1957 deaths People from British India People from Haripur District Hindkowan people Ambassadors of Pakistan to Japan High Commissioners of Pakistan to Sri Lanka All articles lacking reliable references Articles with unsourced statements from January 2020 All articles needing expert attention Aitchison College alumni Government College University, Lahore alumni Hayat Khattar family

Background

Career

See also

References