Turabaz Khan

Turabaz Khan (; 1885–1982) was a general who served in the Afghan National Army. He was born in Tagab, Kapisa Province to a Safi Pashtun family. Educated at a military academy in Kabul, Turabaz Khan emerged as a key security figure during the Musahiban era, a critical period of state-building in the Kingdom of Afghanistan. He served as a confidant and enforcer for the nation's Royal Prime Minister, Sardar Mohammad Hashim Khan, who was the uncle of King Mohammed Zahir Shah. Turabaz Khan's career culminated in his appointment as Kabul’s Police Commander and Chief of Security, a strategically vital position he leveraged to maintain order and protect the monarchy until his retirement in 1946.

Career

Military Education and Training

Turabaz Khan's career was launched at the turn of the 20th century, during a foundational period of military modernization within the Emirate of Afghanistan. He was admitted to the newly established Royal Military College (Madrasse-ye Ḥarbi-ye Sirājiyah, founded in Kabul by the reigning monarch, Emir Habibullah Khan (1901–1919). While the academy was created primarily for the sons of the Durrani nobility and high-ranking court officials, Khan's admission as a Safi Pashtun underscores his exceptional merit and promise from a young age, marking him as a standout candidate.

Under the direction of Ottoman-Turkish military advisors, the curriculum was designed to forge a professional officer corps loyal to the state. It provided a comprehensive education that blended traditional studies of the Quran with modern military doctrine, including logistics, drill, history, geography, and foreign languages. This foundational training was instrumental to his rise through the ranks and his subsequent career as a key security figure in the Kingdom of Afghanistan.

Service and appointments

Turabaz Khan began his career in military intelligence during the reign of Emir Habibullah Khan, an experience that provided him with first-hand knowledge of the tribal dynamics and frontier politics of eastern Afghanistan. When King Amanullah Khan's modernizing reforms led to widespread tribal unrest, Turabaz Khan was moved to a field command. In 1922, he was appointed commander of the Afridi Battalion, a prominent infantry unit composed of tribesmen from the volatile border region with British India. His responsibilities included defending the frontiers and managing the internal opposition to the king's policies. Following this service, he was appointed in 1924 as Sarhaddar of Dakka, a position that combined the roles of military governor and chief administrator for the strategic district bordering the Khyber Pass.

Following the collapse of Amanullah's government and the end of the Afghan Civil War (1928–1929), Turabaz Khan's loyalty and competence ensured his continued prominence under the new monarch, Mohammed Nadir Shah. In 1930, he was promoted to Ghund Mishar (a rank equivalent to battalion commander). This role was not merely a routine promotion; it made him a key figure in Nadir Shah's urgent project of rebuilding the national army, which had disintegrated during the war. He was responsible for instilling discipline and modern military doctrine into the new regular troops, a task crucial for the consolidation of the new regime.

From 1931 until 1939, he was Police Commander and Chief of Security in Kabul. As a key figure in the consolidation of the state under Mohammed Zahir Shah, his role as chief of security in Kabul was of paramount importance. This position is cemented in the historical record by the Salnama-ye Kabul (c. 1937), the official government yearbook, which lists him as Qūmāndān-e Kōtwālī—the commandant responsible for all policing and public order in the capital province.

His dual expertise in both internal security and military command cemented his status as a pillar of the Musahiban regime. In 1938, he was appointed to the Prison Committee. It placed him in charge of overseeing Kabul's prison system, a key instrument of state control that housed not only common criminals but also political dissidents who opposed the monarchy. This position was followed in 1939 by a major military advancement when he was promoted to Firqa Mishar (Major General), the rank of a divisional commander or Major General. This appointment gave him direct command over one of the country's primary military formations on the eve of World War II. While Afghanistan remained officially neutral during the war, this neutrality was under constant strain from Axis and Allied pressure, making his role as a top military commander critical for safeguarding national sovereignty.

Later in 1939, Turabaz Khan became Hakim-i-Ala (Governor) of the Eastern Province, until his retirement in 1946. Entrusted with senior civil, judicial, and military powers, he governed a vital and often restive border region, balancing the demands of state authority and local tradition.

Personal Life

Turabaz Khan was married and had four children: three sons and one daughter.

* Ghulam Sakhi Turabaz, who became Director of the Jabal Al Saraj Cement Factory in the 1960s and was among the first Afghan students to study in post-WWII West Germany (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich), later served as President of the Administrative Department at the Ministry of Mines and Industries during the Republic of Daoud Khan.
* Ghulam Farouk Turabaz, who served as Chargé d'Affaires at the Afghan Embassy in the United States in 1978.
* Ghulam Siddiq Turabaz, who served as an army general during President Mohammad Daoud Khan’s rule, was appointed as a member of the first Loya Jirga of the Republic of Afghanistan in 1973 by President Daoud Khan.
* Siddiqa Turabaz, who married Fazl Mohammad Khairzada, former Vice-President of Bank-i-Milli Afghanistan.

Turabaz Khan passed away in 1982 at his residence in Shahr-e-Naw, Kabul. A crossroads near his house (Char-Rahi Turabaz Khan) (چهارراهی طره بازخان – شهرنو، کابل) in the Shahr-e-Naw section of Kabul is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Turabaz
Pashtun military personnel
1885 births
Afghan military officers
1982 deaths
Afghan government officials
Afghan Civil War (1928–1929)