Sher Ahmad Khan, known as Khan of Makhad, was the Chief of the Sagri
Khattak
The Khattak ( ps, خټک) tribe are a prominent Pashtun tribe located in the Khattak territory, which consists of Karak, Nowshera, Kohat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
History
Khushal Khan Khattak
A warrior poet by the name of ...
s. He was also a Jagirdar of Shakardara in
Kohat District
Kohat District ( ps, کوهاټ ولسوالۍ , ur, ) is a district in Kohat Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Kohat city is the capital of the district.
History Mughal era
From the early sixteenth century the history of Ko ...
. The Dynasty was started by Ghazi Khan in the early 16th century during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Ghazi Khan moved from Kohat to
Makhad after conquering the area. According to
Attock
Attock ( Punjabi and Urdu: ), formerly known as Campbellpur (), is a historical city located in the north of Pakistan's Punjab Province, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 61st lar ...
District Gazetteer, the Sagri Khattaks conquered the area up to East of
Jehlum
Jhelum (Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for pro ...
during Emperor Akbar's rein however this account is unsubstantiated. Khan of Makhad flourished under the rule of
Ahmed Shah Durrani
Ahmad Shāh Durrānī ( ps, احمد شاه دراني; prs, احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern Afghanistan. In July 1747, Ahma ...
due to his alliance with the ruler. Since Makhad lies in bank of
Indus River, its location was of great importance for the rulers.
Khans had a considerable Jagir and their income came from gold washings in River Indus, salt mines and agriculture. Ghulam Mustafa Khan, the great-grandfather of Sher Ahmed Khan was a man of great prominence. He resisted all
Sikh and
Afghan attempts to win him over. He not only held Makhad and Shakardara but also succeeded in an attack on fort of Jabi, garrisoned by Sikhs. Khan died in 1861 handing over the chieftainship to his eldest son Ghulam Mohammed Khan. He was one of three landed holders of
Rawalpindi who were exempt from most of the provisions of Arms Act as "''Great Sardars and Jagirdars of Punjab''" (The Gazetteer of Attock District 1895). Sher Ahmed Khan was maternal uncle of Chief of
Gakhars, Sultan
Raja Erij Zaman Khan.
Sher Ahmad Khan married an Irish lady who became known as Elsi Makhad. The couple had no children of their own and hence, the khan of Makhad adopted his sister's daughter Anjuman Ara who is the sister of the chief of Ghakhars Sultan Raja Erij Zaman. Anjuman married Arif Khanzada and the couple had five children, Ambreen Khanzada, Sher Afghan Khanzada, Nasira Khanzada, Sher Ahemed Khanzada and Nadia Khanzada who were also brought up by the Khan of Makhad and his wife.Anjuman Ara begum is also aunt of Present Ghakhars chief Sultan Raja Sheraz Haider zaman.
References
*Chiefs and Families of note in Punjab. By Sir
Lepel Griffin
Sir Lepel Henry Griffin, (20 July 1838 – 9 March 1908) was a British administrator and diplomat during the British Raj period in India. He was also a writer.
Early life
Lepel Henry Griffin was born in Watford, England on 20 July 1838. ...
*The Gazetteer of Attock District 1895. The last khan of Makhad was Shazi Khan who died in 2014. He studied in Cadet College, Abbotabad. He hunted in Bad-iwan.
1861 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Punjabi people
{{Pakistan-bio-stub