The Sherpao family is a

cadet branch In history and heraldry, a cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets—realm, ti ...

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 Charsadda District ( ps, چارسدہ ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Peshawar Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Prior to its establishment as a separate district in 1998, it was a tehsil within Peshawar District. Pas ...

. 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 ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

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 Hayat Mohammad Khan Sherpao ( Urdu: حيات محمد خان شيرپاؤ; 1 February 1937 – February 8, 1975), simply known as Hayat Sherpao, was a left-wing intellectual and socialist, serving as the 15th Governor of North West Frontier P ...

was a founder of the

Pakistan People's Party The Pakistan People's Party ( ur, , ; PPP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third largest party in the National Assembly and second largest in the Senate of Pakistan. The party was founded ...

(PPP) and the youngest governor 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 ...

(current

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, ...

) before his life was cut short by a tragic assassination at

Peshawar University The University of Peshawar ( ps, د پېښور پوهنتون; hnd, پشور یونیورسٹی; ur, ; abbreviated UoP; known more popularly as Peshawar University) is a public research university located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pa ...

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 Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao (آفتاب احمد خان شېرپاؤ; born 20 August 1944) is a Pakistani politician who is the current chairman of the centre-left Pashtun nationalist Qaumi Watan Party, after previously being a member of the Pakis ...

, 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, emergenc ...

, 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 The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( ur, وزیر اعلیٰ خیبر پختونخوا) is the head of government of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The chief minister leads the legislative branch of the provincial government ...

.Riaz, Muhammad.
Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao
." Khyber.org. Accessed 8 Oct. 2010.

References

{{Pashtun tribes Sarbani Pashtun tribes

Background

Politics

See also

References