The Sherpao family is a
cadet branch of the
Kheshgi family.
Background
As their name suggests, they are found in the village of Sherpao in the
Hashtnagar
Hashtnagar (Pashto: هشتنګر, more commonly known as اشنغر in Pashto) is one of the two constituent parts of the Charsadda District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The name Hashtnagar is derived from the Sanskrit अष्टनगरम् ''A ...
area of
Charsadda District, Pakistan. Sherpao, the common ancestor of the family, was the grandson of Muhammad, the common ancestor of the
Muhammadzai branch of the
Kheshgi family. According to
Captain E. G. G. Hastings in 1878, the Sherpao had only one high-land
hamlet named Dakai, as their other lands were lost to surrounding tribes.
[
Hastings, E. G. G.,
]
Report of the Regular Settlement of the Peshawar District of the Punjab
'.
Lahore: Central Jail Press,
1878. 103-108.
Politics
The Sherpao family has played a very prominent role in Pakistani politics.
Khan Bahadur Ghulam Haider Khan Sherpao
Khan may refer to:
* Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan
* Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name
*Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used b ...
was a prominent leader in the Pakistan movement. His son
Hayat Sherpao was a founder of the
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the youngest governor of the
North-West Frontier Province (current
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) before his life was cut short by a tragic assassination at
Peshawar University on February 8, 1975. His assassination has had a profound effect on the political landscape of Pakistan and still continues to be relevant in the politics of the country. His younger brother,
Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, is one of the most senior and recognized political leaders of the country and continues to play an active role in politics in his neo-nationalist party
Qaumi Watan Party
Qaumi Watan Party ( ps, قومي وطن ګوند or ; ur, قومی وطن پارٹی), abbreviated as QWP and formerly called Pakistan Peoples Party–Sherpao (PPP–S), is one of the prominent political parties in Pakistan, that split away from t ...
. In the past he has served as Pakistan's
Interior Minister
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
, Pakistan's
Minister for Water & Power, besides being Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas and States and Frontier Regions, before having twice served as the
Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
[Riaz, Muhammad.]
Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao
." Khyber.org. Accessed 8 Oct. 2010.
See also
*
Shodago Baba Ji
References
{{Pashtun tribes
Sarbani Pashtun tribes