Ayub Khan (Afghan commander)
Encyclopedia
Ghazi Mohammad Ayub Khan (Kabul
1857 - April 7, 1914 in Lahore
) was also known as The Victor of Maiwand
or The Afghan Prince Charlie and was, for a while, the governor of Herat Province
in Afghanistan
. He was Emir of Afghanistan from October 12, 1879 to May 31, 1880 and was also the leader of Afghans in the Second Anglo-Afghan War
. He is today remembered as National Hero of Afghanistan and is buried in Peshawar
.
and his mother was the daughter of an influential Mohmand
chief of Lalpura, Saadat Khan.
of George Burrows at the Battle of Maiwand
. This was the biggest defeat for the Anglo-Indian army in the second Anglo-Afghan war. He went on to besiege the British forces at Kandahar
but did not succeed. On September 1, 1880, he was defeated and routed by General
Frederick Roberts
at the Battle of Kandahar
, which saw the end of the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
but again failed.
In 1888 Ayub Khan left Persia
(now Iran
), where he had escaped to, and became a pensioner
in British India
until his death in 1914.
of Sheikh Habib at Durrani graveyard in Peshawar
. His mausoleum was unfortunately vandalized and his tomb tablet stolen. Efforts are being made by one of his family members, Asim Khan Effendi to reconstruct and restore the monument in consultation with cultural conversationalist of International repute Hameed Haroon and leading Architect Mujeeb Khan.
, commanding a division in the 1965 War. Effendi also raised the Pakistani border police "Rangers
" and served as its first Director General, besides being an avid polo
player.
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
1857 - April 7, 1914 in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
) was also known as The Victor of Maiwand
Battle of Maiwand
The Battle of Maiwand in 1880 was one of the principal battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Under the leadership of Malalai Anaa, the legendary woman of Afghanistan, the Afghan followers of Ayub Khan defeated the British Army in one of the rare nineteenth-century victories of an Asian force...
or The Afghan Prince Charlie and was, for a while, the governor of Herat Province
Herat Province
Herat is one the 34 provinces of Afghanistan; together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the South-western region of the country...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. He was Emir of Afghanistan from October 12, 1879 to May 31, 1880 and was also the leader of Afghans in the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
. He is today remembered as National Hero of Afghanistan and is buried in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
.
Early life
His father was Sher Ali KhanSher Ali Khan
Sher Ali Khan was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was the third son of Dost Mohammed Khan, founder of the Barakzai Dynasty in Afghanistan....
and his mother was the daughter of an influential Mohmand
Mohmand
The Mohmand are a clan of Sarban Pashtuns, living primarily in the FATA & Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan & northeastern Afghanistan.- Demographics :...
chief of Lalpura, Saadat Khan.
Second Anglo-Afghan war
On July 27, 1880, with the help of Malalai of Maiwand he defeated the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
of George Burrows at the Battle of Maiwand
Battle of Maiwand
The Battle of Maiwand in 1880 was one of the principal battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Under the leadership of Malalai Anaa, the legendary woman of Afghanistan, the Afghan followers of Ayub Khan defeated the British Army in one of the rare nineteenth-century victories of an Asian force...
. This was the biggest defeat for the Anglo-Indian army in the second Anglo-Afghan war. He went on to besiege the British forces at Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
but did not succeed. On September 1, 1880, he was defeated and routed by General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Frederick Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
at the Battle of Kandahar
Battle of Kandahar
The Battle of Kandahar, 1 September 1880, was the last major conflict of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The battle in southern Afghanistan was fought between the British forces under command of General Roberts and the Afghan forces led by Ayub Khan, inflicting nearly 3,000 casualties in...
, which saw the end of the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
After second Anglo-Afghan war
A year later Ayub again tried to take Kandahar, this time from Amir Abdur Rahman KhanAbdur Rahman Khan
Abdur Rahman Khan was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901.The third son of Mohammad Afzal Khan, and grandson of Dost Mohammad Khan, Abdur Rahman Khan was considered a strong ruler who re-established the writ of the Afghan government in Kabul after the disarray that followed the second...
but again failed.
- "Ayub Khan had an opportunity of realizing his strength as an independent ruler in Afganistan [sic]. Certain tribes in Kushk district having revolted, he desired to send a force from Herat to punish them; but when he asked his men to march they refused, because he had not paid them for a long time." From The Twillingate Sun, Thursday, February 3, 1881.
In 1888 Ayub Khan left Persia
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
(now Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
), where he had escaped to, and became a pensioner
Pensioner
In common parlance, a pensioner is a person who has retired, and now collects a pension. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom and Australia where someone of pensionable age may also be referred to as an 'old age pensioner', or OAP. In the United States, the term retiree is more...
in British India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
until his death in 1914.
Death and legacy
He is today remembered as National Hero of Afghanistan and his body was interred near the shrineShrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
of Sheikh Habib at Durrani graveyard in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
. His mausoleum was unfortunately vandalized and his tomb tablet stolen. Efforts are being made by one of his family members, Asim Khan Effendi to reconstruct and restore the monument in consultation with cultural conversationalist of International repute Hameed Haroon and leading Architect Mujeeb Khan.
Sardar Hissam Mahmud el-Effendi
One of his grandsons namely Brigadier Sardar Hissam Mahmud el-Effendi was later a Brigadier General in the Pakistan ArmyPakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
, commanding a division in the 1965 War. Effendi also raised the Pakistani border police "Rangers
Pakistan Rangers
The Pakistan Rangers are part of the Paramilitary forces of Pakistan, and consists of members of the Pakistan Army under the direct control of the Ministry of the Interior of the Pakistan Government. The Rangers are an internal security force with the prime objective to provide and maintain...
" and served as its first Director General, besides being an avid polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
player.