Sultan Mohammad Khan

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Sultan Mohammad Khan, also known as "Sultan Muhammad Khan Telai" was an Afghan Aristocrat, Chief Minister and regent, who resigned in favor of his younger brother Amir Dost Muhammad Khan. His other brother was Fateh Khan died 1818. During the reign of his brother he was chief minister and governor of various regions of the Emirate. He was the first Musahiban, an ethnic Pashtun, and the 15th son of Sardar Payendah Khan (chief of the Barakzai tribe) who was killed in 1799 by Zaman Shah Durrani.^[1] Sultan Muhammad Khan's grandfather was Hajji Jamal Khan. His immense love for materialism, like clothes and golden cutlery led to his family giving him his nickname "Telai", meaning golden. The result was amongst other things no progress and social injustice. These cases of power abuses were well known in the Afghan monarchy, even during the regency of Sultan Muhammad Khan's descendants of the Musahiban branch.^[2][3]

Background and political power[]

Sultan Mohammad Khan was born to an influential family in Kandahar, Durrani Empire in the year 1795.^{[citation needed]} His father, Payinda Khan, was chief of the Barakzai tribe and an aristocrat with the title "Sarfraz Khan" in the Durrani dynasty. Their family can be traced back to Abdal (the first and founder of the Abdali tribe), through Hajji Jamal Khan, Yousef, Yaru, Mohammad, Omar Khan, Khisar Khan, Ismail, Nek, Daru, Saifal, and Barak. Abdal had four sons, Popal, Barak, Achak, and Alako.^[4] Sultan Muhammad Khan Telai was Emir of Afghanistan in the time of critical power vacuum in the Emirate of Afghanistan. However he has resigned in favor of his younger brother and became Chief minister or Crown Prince under him and simultaneously governor of various Regions of the Emirate. The regions, where he acted as governor, known by historians today, are Kabul from year 1823-1826, Peshawar year 1826-1828 and Kohat from year 1828-1834. He and the Muhammadzais in general were known for having a great number of wives, in order to unify the afghan tribes and ethnic groups.^{[citation needed]}

Notable descendants[]

• King Amanullah Khan through his mother, sister of Nadir Shah.
• H.M. Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan
• H.M. Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan
• H.R.H. Daoud Khan, Prince, Prime minister and first President of Afghanistan
• H.R.H. General Amir Muhammad Khan, Prince and General
• H.R.H. Prof. Dr. Sardar Abdul Khalek Khan, Prince of Afghanistan, Afghan Pioneer of Science, Afghan Ambassador to the UN, Minister of traffic of the Republic of Afghanistan

References[]