Chaudhry Sultan Muhammad Khan had a unique association with imperial

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

while being a British Indian subject, as an advisor to King Abdur Rahman Khan, record-keeper and translator to/from English and later, ambassador of Afghanistan to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He was the father of author, poet, educator and revolutionary

Faiz Ahmad Faiz Chaudhry Faiz Ahmad Faiz (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984) was a Pakistani poet and author of Punjabi language, Punjabi and Urdu literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated, popular, and influential Urdu writers of his time, and his ...

Biography

Studying part-time, he finished middle school in 1873 placing top in the examinations and earned a high school scholarship of two rupees a month from the Education Department of the Government of Punjab. A polyglot, he was fluent in Urdu, Punjabi, Persian, Arabic, English, Pashto and Russian, which would help him for his later career. In 1897, Sultan Muhammad fled Afghanistan and after a brief imprisonment and stay in British India, left for England. After studying law at Cambridge, he was called to the Bar. He also earned a Master's degree in English. In 1898, Sultan Muhammad Khan was named the ambassador of Afghanistan in London. He served in the post until 1905. Sultan Muhammad returned from British India and settled in Sialkot in 1908.Jamil, M., Zakir Faiz. (Urdu). Sindh Cultural Board, Government of Sindh, Karachi 2014, p11.

Marriage and children

Sultan Muhammad married four times in Afghanistan and his living wives and children eventually joined him in

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

. He married for a fifth time on his return from England and had children: * Tufail Ahmed, judge *

, teacher and eminent poet * Inayat, Major in British Indian Army * Bashir, disabled from birth

Death

Sultan Muhammad Khan died in 1931 in Sialkot.

Published works

* "The Constitution and Laws of Afghanistan", comprising 164 pages, published in London, in 1900 by Jon Marry Printing press * "The Life of Amir Abdur Rahman vol: I & II", printed in 1900, by John Murray, Albemarle Street London, reprinted, in 1980, by Oxford University Press, Karachi

References

{{reflist 1931 deaths Ambassadors of Afghanistan to the United Kingdom