Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan
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Nawab Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian language, Persian, Punjabi language, Punjabi , Sindhi language, Sindhi, Urd ...
Khan Bahadur Khan Bahadur – a compound of khan ('leader') and bahadur ('brave') – was a formal title of respect and honor, which was conferred exclusively on Muslim and other non-Hindu natives of British India. It was one degree higher than the title of K ...
Sahibzada Sahib or Saheb (; ) is an Arabic title meaning 'companion'. It was historically used for the first caliph Abu Bakr in the Quran. The title is still applied to the caliph by Sunni Muslims. As a loanword, ''Sahib'' has passed into several langua ...
Sir Abdul Qayyum Khan KCIE (12 December 1863 – 4 December 1937), hailing from
Topi ''Damaliscus lunatus jimela'' is a subspecies of topi, and is usually just called a topi. It is a highly social and fast type of antelope found in the savannas, semi-deserts, and floodplains of sub-Saharan Africa. Names The word ''tope'' or '' ...
,
Swabi District Swabi District ( ps, سوابۍ ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in the Mardan Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It lies between the Indus and Kabul Rivers. Before becoming a district in 1988, it was a tehsil within t ...
,
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 ...
(modern day
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
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 ...
) was an educationist and politician. Qayyum Khan helped Mortimer Durand during his negotiation of the
Durand Line The Durand Line ( ps, د ډیورنډ کرښه; ur, ), forms the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, a international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to th ...
agreement with
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 ...
in 1893. Qayyum Khan became the first Chief Minister of 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 ...
on 1 April 1937. He is also known for establishing the Islamia College,
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
on the mould of
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan KCSI (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898; also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was an Indian Muslim reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British India. Though initially espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, he ...
's policy of educating Muslims. Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum started his career as a government servant but he eventually turned into an educationist and politician.


Early life

Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum was born into a well-known religious family of
Topi ''Damaliscus lunatus jimela'' is a subspecies of topi, and is usually just called a topi. It is a highly social and fast type of antelope found in the savannas, semi-deserts, and floodplains of sub-Saharan Africa. Names The word ''tope'' or '' ...
. His paternal family traces its lineage back to the
Lodhi dynasty The Lodi dynasty ( ps, لودي سلسله; fa, سلسله لودی) was an Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when h ...
. His maternal family traces their lineage back to Husain ibn Ali. His paternal grandfather was Sahibzada Qutb-e-Alam (born 1800/01). His father was Sahibzada Abdur Rauf (born 1837/38). Abdur Rauf married his maternal cousin Zainab, daughter of Syed Amir (Kotha Mulla). The couple had four children; three daughters and one son. Two of the daughters died in childhood, while Khair-un-Nisa (born 1860) and Abdul Qayyum survived. His mother died when he was 3 years old and his father was assassinated by rivals when he was 10 years old. After the death of his father, he and his sister were brought to Kotha by their maternal uncle, Syed Ahmed Bacha. He studied at the local madrassah where his uncle was a teacher. He was a bright student and caught the attention of a visiting Christian missionary Reverend Hughes. Rev. Hughes used to come to Kotha for religious discussion and propagation and had befriended Abdul Qayyums' uncles. Sensing that his nephew had more potential, Syed Ahmed Bacha was eventually convinced by Hughes to send him to Peshawar for modern education. Abdul Qayyum was admitted to the Municipal Board Middle School, Peshawar City from where he passed his Vernacular school exam in 1880. He subsequently gained admission to Edwards Mission High School, where he passed his English middle school examination in 1883. He took the examination for Naib-Tehsildar in September 1886 and passed on his first attempt.


Early career

Due to the non-availability of a Naib Tehsildar post, he applied for training in Settlement Work. He eventually joined the Commissioner's Office and was employed as a Translator and Reader. In 1887, Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum was appointed
Naib Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...
Tehsildar In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...
. During this time he was part of the Black Mountain expedition of 1888. This was a punitive expedition against certain Hazara clans for unsettled offences, including the murder of several British officers. During the expedition, Abdul Qayyum had the task of sending daily reports to the various government agencies. His work was highly commended and he was awarded a silver medal, 'Hazara 88'. He was sent to Sialkot in 1890 for settlement training. He subsequently held several administrative portfolios, i.e.,
Tehsildar In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...
, Chief Political Agent of Hazara, Revenue Assistant and Treasury Officer, Extra Assistant
Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
, Superintendent of the Commissioner's Vernacular Office, Assistant
Political Agent Political Agent or political agent may refer to: *Political Resident, a representative with consular duties and political contacts with local chiefs *Political officer (British Empire), an officer of the British imperial civil administration, also ...
Khyber, 'Assistant Political Agent' of
Chitral Chitral ( khw, , lit=field, translit=ćhitrār; ur, , translit=ćitrāl) is situated on the Chitral River in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Chitral District and before that as the capital of Chitral ...
, and then of
Khyber Agency Khyber District ( ps, خېبر ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Peshawar Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Until 2018, it was an agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas; with the merger of FATA with Khyber Pak ...
and then promoted to Assistant Political Agent of Khyber, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), during the period 1891 to 1919. In the year 1893 during the rule of Amir
Abdur Rahman Khan Abdur Rahman Khan GCSI (Pashto/Dari: ) (between 1840 and 1844 – 1 October 1901) was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to his death in 1901. He is known for uniting the country after years of internal fighting and negotiation of the Durand Line Ag ...
of Afghanistan a Royal Commission for demarcating the Indo-Afghan Boundary, the
Durand line The Durand Line ( ps, د ډیورنډ کرښه; ur, ), forms the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, a international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to th ...
between
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 British Indian Empire, was set up and the two parties camped at
Parachinar Parachinar ( ps, پاړه چنار; ur, ) is a small Pashtun ( Turi and Bangash tribe) town which is the capital of Kurram District in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Parachinar is situated on a neck of Pakistani territory west ...
, 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 Sayyid Abdul Latif (1853 – July 14, 1903) or Sahibzada Abdul Latif among the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, was the Royal Advisor to Abdur Rahman Khan and Habibullah Khan, the father and son kings of Afghanistan between the late 19th century a ...
and the Governor
Sardar Shireendil Khan Sardar Shireendil Khan was a former governor of Khost, Afghanistan, who took part in the Royal Commission for setting up of Boundary which was set up in 1893, during rule of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan, to negotiate terms with the Britis ...
representing the King Amir Abdur Rahman Khan.


Political career

In 1921, he went to visit his old friend
George Roos-Keppel Sir George Olaf Roos-Keppel, (7 September 1866 – 11 December 1921) was a British military officer who served in the capacities of Political Agent to the Governor-General in Kurram and Khyber, and later as Chief Commissioner, North West Fron ...
who was severely ill at the time. He was shown a letter from the British government wanting to appoint Roos as Viceroy of India. Roos had replied that he would accept the position on the condition that Abdul Qayyum be made Chief Commissioner of 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 ...
(NWFP). However, Ross Keppel died shortly afterwards. In 1924 he was nominated as a non-official member of the Indian Legislative Assembly and remained a member until 1932. In November 1928 he was appointed as a member of a committee to examine the educational conditions in NWFP, Delhi and Ajmer-Merwara. The committee submitted a report in 1930, with an in-depth analysis, general recommendations and specific stress on female education, sanitation and necessary changes in curricula. He represented NWFP at the
Round Table Conferences (India) 1931-33 The three Round Table Conferences of 1930–1932 were a series of peace conferences organized by the British Government and Indian political personalities to discuss constitutional reforms in India. These started in November 1930 and ended in De ...
. The 1st NWFP Legislative Council was established in 1932 and Abdul Qayyum was appointed the first and sole Minister of Transferred Departments. As a consequence of the
Government of India Act 1935 The Government of India Act, 1935 was an Act adapted from the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It originally received royal assent in August 1935. It was the longest Act of (British) Parliament ever enacted until the Greater London Authority ...
, the NWFP status was upgraded to a governors' province, hence requiring a separate Legislative Assembly. Following the first elections in NWFP in 1937, no single political party was able to gain a majority. Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum became the first
Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
of the
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
on 1 April 1937. However, this government could not last more than 6 months. Owing to
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
's opposition who considered him to be the 'spokesman of British imperialism', a vote of no-confidence was passed against him in September 1937. He was replaced by the Congress ministry headed by Dr Khan Sahib. A. Qayyum died 92 days after his ouster from the office on 4 December 1937. The achievements of his short-lived government included: * Provision of 2.4 million rupees for the Malakand Thermal Power plant * Establishment of a government training school in
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
* Special measures were taken for the growth and expansion of educational facilities, especially Islamia College * Removal of ban on political activities in the province, and the cancellation of 1935 administrative circular that made Urdu or English as mandatory language for instruction in government-aided schools


Death

A delegation from Islamia College, headed by the then Principal Mr R.L. Holdsworth came to visit Abdul Qayyum at his residence in
Topi ''Damaliscus lunatus jimela'' is a subspecies of topi, and is usually just called a topi. It is a highly social and fast type of antelope found in the savannas, semi-deserts, and floodplains of sub-Saharan Africa. Names The word ''tope'' or '' ...
on 3 December 1937. They were discussing the Silver Jubilee plans of the college, scheduled for the spring of 1938. After seeing his guests off, while walking back home he became dizzy, vomited and was about to fall down, but was supported by those around him. He was sat down on a chair. He told his kinsmen that the life was ebbing out of his limbs on one side. He soon fell into a coma and died at around 1.30am the next morning. It was 4 December and also Eid. His funeral was held the same day at 4pm and was attended by the Governor of NWFP and many high-ranking officials. The ''Eastern Times'' reported "... He was incomparably the greatest man that the Province had ever produced.". After the death of Sir A. Qayyum, most of the members of his party (United Muslims Nationalist Party) joined the newly formed Muslim League, electing Saradar Aurangzeb Khan as its party leader in the assembly.


Monuments

In dedication to his services, there are numerous monuments named after him, including * Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Road in
Sector I-8 Sector may refer to: Places * Sector, West Virginia, U.S. Geometry * Circular sector, the portion of a disc enclosed by two radii and a circular arc * Hyperbolic sector, a region enclosed by two radii and a hyperbolic arc * Spherical sector, a po ...
,
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
(from Khayaban-e-Johar Metro Station to I-8 Interchange on Islamabad Expressway) * Qayyum Manzil at Islamia College * Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan Road in
University Town A college town or university town is a community (often a separate town or city, but in some cases a town/city neighborhood or a district) that is dominated by its university population. The university may be large, or there may be several smal ...
,
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
* Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan Archaeological Museum, Peshawar University * Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan Road in
GIKI The Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology ( ur, ; commonly referred as GIKI), is a private research university located in Topi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. The institute has a campus that is located in the vici ...


References


External links

*
Death anniversary of Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan observed on December 4
, Radio Pakistan, December 4, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum 1863 births 1937 deaths Chief Ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Durand Line Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian knights Founders of Indian schools and colleges All India Muslim League members Pashtun people People from Swabi District