Major (Retd.) Muhammad Nawaz Khan (, pronounced ; 23 November 1943 – 3 October 2015), was a Pakistani writer, historian, columnist, and poet of the English,

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

languages. His work had mostly been focused on history of the

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

, the

Gandhara Gandhara () was an ancient Indo-Aryan people, Indo-Aryan civilization in present-day northwest Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan. The core of the region of Gandhara was the Peshawar valley, Peshawar (Pushkalawati) and Swat valleys extending ...

civilization and the British legacy in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

(specifically, the North Western Region).

Military career

Muhammad Nawaz joined the

Pakistan Military Academy Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) is a military academy located nearby Kakul village in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Established in October 1947, it is the only service academy in Pakistan that trains cadets to serve as army of ...

as a cadet in the 2nd War Course, right after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He graduated from the academy after a year and joined the 5th FF Regiment as a Second Lieutenant. Nawaz served in the Pakistan Army for twenty five years, from 1966 till 1991. He retired as a Major. During his service with Pakistan Army, he served as 2IC (Second in Command) of his unit. Nawaz also joined the Command and Staff College,

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

, graduating in 1977. He served as the Wing Commander at Balahisar Fort in Peshawar, Pakistan, the Headquarters of

Frontier Corps The Frontier Corps (, reporting name: FC) are a group of four paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's b ...

. During this time, he was also the official historian of Frontier Corps. Nawaz also wrote little bits of history about the Balahisar Fort, which have been placed on twelve plaques at different locations in the Fort. The plaques give visitors a brief history as well as provide interesting trivia about early life in and around the Fort.

Writing career

Nawaz was also a student editor of Pashto section of Khirman, the journal of the College of Agriculture, Peshawar University. He was also a member of National Heritage Foundation and member executive committees of the Kalash Environment Protection Society, Pakistan Heritage Society and Irfan Society. He was also a member of the NWFP government's Roundtable on Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Development and member of NWFP government's Experts Committee for assisting and advising Departments of Archaeology and Culture regarding protection, preservation and development of cultural, archaeological and architectural heritage of the province. He was also a member of the Task Force on Tourism of the NWFP government. He participated in many seminars, workshops, conventions, conferences and meetings about cultural heritage and tourism. He also managed Gandhara Markaz, which publishes books/brochures. He started work on the Major Nawaz Research Trust from 20 December 2003, for the help of researchers and scholars. Major Nawaz worked on a number of history and tourism projects for the

(KPK),

Frontier Constabulary The Frontier Constabulary () is a federal paramilitary force of Pakistan under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, which is largely drawn from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but operates in several districts of Pakistan. It is res ...

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

Frontier Corps Foundation A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, the ...

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

Pearl Continental Hotel Pakistan Services Limited, trading as Pearl-Continental Hotels & Resorts (also abbreviated to PC Hotels), is a Pakistani hotel chain based in Islamabad. It owns properties in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Bhurban, Muzaffarabad and Malam Jabba, ...

, Peshawar and

Sarhad Tourism Corporation Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa set up as a limited company in 1991 to develop Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a province of Pakistan. Loc ...

''The Gandhara Times''

From 1992 to 1996, Major Nawaz, as the proprietor and editor, launched the ''Gandhara Times'', a fortnightly newspaper focusing primarily on the preservation of cultural heritage and promotion of tourism in Pakistan. All copies of the newspaper have been preserved for reference purposes.

Death

Nawaz had been suffering from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

since the mid 1990s. His health deteriorated significantly though, after he fell down and suffered from a broken elbow, in May 2014. The long drawn out fight with Parkinson's disease had made him weak and this injury proved to be a very serious challenge. Nawaz was bedridden for over a year due to weakness. Finally, after fighting Parkinson's Disease for almost 20 years, Nawaz died in

Risalpur Risalpur (Pashto/) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 316 meters abo ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

on 3 October 2015.

Publications

* Goluna au Azghi (ګُلُونا او ازغۍ) (Pashto Poetry) 1965 * Khush Qismata Gadba (خوش قسمَتَ ګډبه) (Pashto Folk Poetry) 1968 * Shum (شُوم) (Pashto Novel) 1968 * Ishq-e-Rasul (عِشقِ رسوُل ) (Pashto Naat), 1968 * History of the 5th Battalion the Frontier Force Regiment 1969 * Hasad Ki Aag (حَسَد کۍ آگ) (Urdu Novelette) 1969 * Tarikh-e-Shahbaz Garhi (تاريخِ شهباز گڑھی) (Urdu) 1910 * The Bala Hisar Fort Peshawar 1987 * The Frontier Constabulary (Major Write Up) 1993 * The Guardians of the Frontier (The Frontier Crops NWFP) 1994 * Malakand A Journey through History. 1995 * Kund National Park (Tourist Guide) 1996 * Malakand, Dir, Swat & Chitral (Tourist Guide) 1996 * The Glorious Piffers 1996 * Hazara (Tourist Guide) 1996 * Shuhada-e-Tirwanja (شُهَدَاعِ تِروَنجا) (Urdu) 1997 * The Valiant Scouts (Frontier Corps NWFP) 1997 * Ali Mardan Khan's Garden Villa and The Flag Staff House in Peshawar Cantonment * The Historic Khyber Pass (Tourist. Guide) 1999 * Chakdara. (Tourist Guide). 1999 * The Historic BaIahisar Fort, Peshawar (Tourist Guide) 1999 * De Mataloono Dialai (دَ مَتَلُونو ډالئ) (Pashto) 2001 * Da Nawe Zamane Tapae (دَ نَوی َزمانې ټَپے) (Pashto) 2001 * Peshawar City (Joint Effort) (Tourist Guide) 2001 * Rohtas, The symbol of Sher Shah's Power 2002 * Pakhtun Roots & Pakhtunkhwa: A study in Retrospect 2002 * Peshawar Valley: The Heart of Gandhara (Tourist Guide) 2002 * Southern Areas of NWFP: The Treasure land of Cultural Heritage (Tourist Guide) 2002 * The Tribal Areas (Frontier) Glorious History & Gallant People (Tourist Guide) 2002 * The Malam Jaba Tourist Resort (Tourist Guide) 2002 * The Shandur Pass & Polo (Tourist Guide) 2002 * The Khattaks: A Restless People 2004 * The British and the Pathans 2004 * 48 Years of Literary Madness 2004 * The Khyber: The Treasure Land of History 2004 * Peshawar: The Unwritten History, 2004 * Ancient Names (Regions, Cities, Towns, Rivers, People & Places) 2004 * The Forts of Pakistan (North Western Region) 2005 * Da Mataloono Guldasta (دَ مَتَلُونو ګُلدَسته) (Pashto) 2005 * The British Cemeteries in Pakistan (North Western Region) 2005 * The Gandhara Times, Fortnightly was regularly published from: 1992 to 1996 and all the copies have been preserved for reference.

References

External links

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About the Author
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Historian Muhammad Nawaz Khan passes away
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Muhammad Nawaz 1943 births 2015 deaths Pashtun male writers 20th-century Pakistani historians Pakistani military historians Pakistani military writers Pakistan Military Academy alumni 21st-century Pakistani historians Pashtun academics