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{{about|the educationist and politician of Pashtun origin|the politician of Kashmiri origin|Abdul Qayyum Khan Kashmiri}}
{{short description|Indian politician}}
[[Nawab]] [[Khan Bahadur]] [[Sahibzada]] '''Sir Abdul Qayyum Khan''' KCIE (12 December 1863 – 4 December 1937), hailing from [[Topi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Topi]], [[Swabi District]], [[British India]] (modern day [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] [[Pakistan]]) was an educationist and politician. Qayyum Khan helped [[Mortimer Durand]] during his negotiation of the [[Durand Line]] agreement with [[Afghanistan]] in 1893. Qayyum Khan became the first Chief Minister of the [[North-West Frontier Province]] on 1 April 1937. He is also known for establishing the [[Islamia College (Peshawar)|Islamia College]], [[Peshawar]] on the mould of [[Sir Syed Ahmad Khan]]'s policy of educating Muslims.<ref>Ghaffar Khan: nonviolent Badshah of the Pakhtuns p112 Gandhi - 2008 "Ominously for the Raj, Khudai Khidmatgar candidates humbled four titled khans, Sahibzada Sir Abdul Qayyum (who, before the elections, had been nominated to serve as the Frontier's First Minister),"</ref>

Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum started his career as a government servant but he eventually turned into an educationist and politician.<ref>http://eprints.hec.gov.pk/2858/1/2553H.htm</ref>

==Early life==
Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum was born into a well-known religious family of [[Topi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Topi]]. His paternal family traces its lineage back to the [[Lodhi dynasty]].<ref>Legislative Assembly debates India 1928, Vol 1, p681</ref><ref>Nasr, Nasrullah Khan, Sir Shahibzada Abudl Qayyum Khan, Peshawar 1949, p28</ref><ref>Islamia College Library Record Tazkira Sahibzada Abdur Rauf Mussanafir Kitab</ref>
His maternal family traces their lineage back to [[Husain ibn Ali]].<ref>Kosar, Abdul Razik, Al Haj,'Dur-i-Israr'</ref>

His paternal grandfather was Sahibzada Qutb-e-Alam (born 1800/01). His father was Sahibzada Abdur Rauf (born 1837/38). Abdur Rauf married his maternal cousin Zainab, daughter of Syed Amir (Kotha Mulla). The couple had four children; three daughters and one son. Two of the daughters died in childhood, while Khair-un-Nisa (born 1860) and Abdul Qayyum survived.<ref>S.idrees 'Yadasht'</ref>
His mother died when he was 3 years old and his father was assassinated by rivals when he was 10 years old.<ref>(Hilali, Toryali p.29)</ref>
After the death of his father, he and his sister were brought to Kotha by their maternal uncle, Syed Ahmed Bacha.<ref>yadasht, nasr</ref>
He studied at the local madrassah where his uncle was a teacher. He was a bright student and caught the attention of a visiting Christian missionary Reverend Hughes. Rev. Hughes used to come to Kotha for religious discussion and propagation and had befriended Abdul Qayyums' uncles. Sensing that his nephew had more potential, Syed Ahmed Bacha was eventually convinced by Hughes to send him to Peshawar for modern education. Abdul Qayyum was admitted to the Municipal Board Middle School, Peshawar City from where he passed his Vernacular school exam in 1880.<ref>Archives 1887-1901, Cunningham, F.D.</ref><ref>Archives Comm. Rec.2256</ref>

He subsequently gained admission to Edwards Mission High School,<ref>S.IDREES YADASHT p.6</ref> where he passed his English middle school examination in 1883.<ref>Archives Comm. Rec.2256</ref> He took the examination for Naib-Tehsildar in September 1886 and passed on his first attempt.<ref>Archives Comm. Rec.2256</ref>

== Early career ==
Due to the non-availability of a Naib Tehsildar post, he applied for training in Settlement Work. He eventually joined the Commissioner's Office and was employed as a Translator and Reader.<ref>Archives, 1888, Qaiyum Sahibzada to Waterfield, W.G.Col.Com. Rec.2256</ref>
In 1887, Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum was appointed [[Naib]] [[Tehsildar]]. During this time he was part of the Black Mountain expedition of 1888. This was a punitive expedition against certain Hazara clans for unsettled offences, including the murder of several British officers.<ref>Archives, 1888, Black Mountain Expedition, Com. Rec.S. No.531</ref> During the expedition, Abdul Qayyum had the task of sending daily reports to the various government agencies.<ref>Archives, Black Mountain Expedition, 'Diaries on Black Mountain Expedition, S. No. 530</ref> His work was highly commended and he was awarded a silver medal, 'Hazara 88'.<ref>Archives,'Medal for Black Mountain Expedition to Sahibzada Abdul Qaiyum and Habib, S. No.1450</ref>

He was sent to [[Sialkot]] in 1890 for settlement training.<ref>Archives, 1890, Dunlopsmith, J.R.Captain, Com. Rec.2256</ref>

He subsequently held several administrative portfolios, i.e., [[Tehsildar]], Chief Political Agent of [[Hazara, Pakistan|Hazara]], Revenue Assistant and Treasury Officer, Extra Assistant [[Commissioner]], Superintendent of the Commissioner's Vernacular Office, Assistant [[Political officer (British Empire)|Political Agent]] Khyber, 'Assistant Political Agent' of [[Chitral]], and then of [[Khyber Agency]] and then promoted to Assistant Political Agent of Khyber, [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]] (FATA), during the period 1891 to 1919.

In the year 1893 during the rule of [[Amir]] [[Abdur Rahman Khan]] of Afghanistan a Royal Commission for demarcating the Indo-Afghan Boundary, the [[Durand line]] between [[Afghanistan]] and the [[British Indian Empire]], was set up and the two parties camped at [[Parachinar]], now part of FATA Pakistan, which is near [[Khost]] Afghanistan.

From the British Indian side the camp was Attended by Sir Henry [[Mortimer Durand]] and Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, then Assistant Political Agent Khyber. Afghanistan was represented by [[Sahibzada Abdul Latif]] and the Governor [[Sardar Shireendil Khan]] representing the King Amir Abdur Rahman Khan.<ref>http://www.aaiil.org/aaiil/ra/jalsa/2003/sahibzadaabdullatifshaheed100anniversary/08sahibzadazahoorahmad_sahibzadaabdullatifshaheed.mp3</ref>

== Political career ==
In 1921, he went to visit his old friend [[George Roos-Keppel]]<ref>P.C.L. 1920, A.P.Trevor p47</ref> who was severely ill at the time. He was shown a letter from the British government wanting to appoint Roos as Viceroy of India. Roos had replied that he would accept the position on the condition that Abdul Qayyum be made Chief Commissioner of the [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|North West Frontier Province]] (NWFP).<ref>Ghafur, Arbab Abdul, Khalil, Mss. 'Tehkal'.</ref> However, Ross Keppel died shortly afterwards.

In 1924 he was nominated as a non-official member of the Indian Legislative Assembly<ref>Archives, 1924 'Gazette of India' (Jan to June), Part 1.</ref> and remained a member until 1932. In November 1928 he was appointed as a member of a committee to examine the educational conditions in NWFP, Delhi and Ajmer-Merwara. The committee submitted a report in 1930, with an in-depth analysis, general recommendations and specific stress on female education, sanitation and necessary changes in curricula.<ref>ICP 'Report of the Primary Education Committee'</ref>

He represented NWFP at the [[Round Table Conferences (India) 1931-33]].

The 1st NWFP Legislative Council was established in 1932 and Abdul Qayyum was appointed the first and sole Minister of Transferred Departments. As a consequence of the [[Government of India Act 1935]], the NWFP status was upgraded to a governors' province, hence requiring a separate Legislative Assembly. Following the first elections in NWFP in 1937, no single political party was able to gain a majority.<ref>Indian Annual Register 1937, Vol. I, 166.</ref> Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum became the first [[Chief Minister]] of the [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]] on 1 April 1937. However, this government could not last more than 6 months. Owing to [[Indian National Congress]]'s opposition who considered him to be the 'spokesman of British imperialism', a vote of no-confidence was passed against him in September 1937.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shah |first1=Sayed Wiqar Ali |title=Ethnicity, Islam and Nationalism: Muslim Politics in the North-West Frontier Province 1937-47 |date=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press. |location=Oxford |pages=58 |isbn=9780195790504 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=av5tAAAAMAAJ |accessdate=13 May 2020}}</ref> He was replaced by the Congress ministry headed by [[Dr Khan Sahib]].<ref>http://pscpesh.org/PDFs/PJ/Volume_50/13_Sir.pdf</ref> Sir A. Qayyum died 92 days after his ouster from the office on 4 December 1937.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shah |first1=Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah |title=Ethnicity, Islam and Nationalism: Muslim Politics in the North-West Frontier Province, 1937-1947 |date=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |pages=61 |isbn=9780195790504 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=av5tAAAAMAAJ |accessdate=13 May 2020}}</ref>

The achievements of his short-lived government included:<ref>Mir Abdul Samad Khan, Loai Pakhtoon: Sir Syed-i- Sarhad Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum
Khan (Urdu), Peshawar: University Book Agency, 1982, 365.
</ref>

* Provision of 2.4 million rupees for the Malakand Thermal Power plant
* Establishment of a government training school in [[Peshawar]]
* Special measures were taken for the growth and expansion of educational facilities, especially [[Islamia College University|Islamia College]]
* Removal of ban on political activities in the province, and the cancellation of 1935 administrative circular that made Urdu or English as mandatory language for instruction in government-aided schools<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shah |first1=Sayed Wiqar Ali |title=Ethnicity, Islam and Nationalism: Muslim Politics in the North-West Frontier Province, 1937-1947 |date=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |pages=59, 85 |isbn=9780195790504 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=av5tAAAAMAAJ |accessdate=13 May 2020}}</ref>

== Death ==
A delegation from [[Islamia College University|Islamia College]], headed by the then Principal Mr R.L. Holdsworth came to visit Abdul Qayyum at his residence in [[Topi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Topi]] on 3 December 1937. They were discussing the Silver Jubilee plans of the college, scheduled for the spring of 1938.<ref>I.C.P.'Khyber', Op.Cit. Holdsworth/</ref> After seeing his guests off, while walking back home he became dizzy, vomited and was about to fall down, but was supported by those around him.<ref>S.Idrees, 'Yadasht'</ref> He was sat down on a chair. He told his kinsmen that the life was ebbing out of his limbs on one side. He soon fell into a coma and died at around 1.30am the next morning. It was 4 December and also [[Eid prayers|Eid]].<ref>T.R.Cell, 'Appointment of Sir A.Q as Minister'</ref>
His funeral was held the same day at 4pm and was attended by the Governor of NWFP and many high-ranking officials.
The ''Eastern Times'' reported "... He was incomparably the greatest man that the Province had ever produced.".<ref>'The Eastern Times p.14'</ref> After the death of Sir A. Qayyum, most of the members of his party (United Muslims Nationalist Party) joined the newly formed Muslim League, electing Saradar Aurangzeb Khan as its party leader in the assembly.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shah |first1=Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah |title=Ethnicity, Islam and Nationalism: Muslim Politics in the North-West Frontier Province, 1937-1947 |date=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |pages=61 |isbn=9780195790504 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=av5tAAAAMAAJ |accessdate=13 May 2020}}</ref>

== Monuments==
In dedication to his services, there are numerous monuments named after him,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1033883|title = Islamia College and Sir Syed of Sarhad|date = 4 August 2013}}</ref> including

* Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Road in [[Sector I-8]], [[Islamabad]] (from Khayaban-e-Johar Metro Station to I-8 Interchange on Islamabad Expressway)
* Qayyum Manzil at [[Islamia College University|Islamia College]]
* Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan Road in [[University Town]], [[Peshawar]]
* Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan Archaeological Museum, [[Peshawar University]]
* Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan Road in [[GIKI]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* "[https://archive.today/20130416073229/http://www.radio.gov.pk/newsdetail-33394 Death anniversary of Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan observed on December 4]", [[Radio Pakistan]], December 4, 2012

{{s-start}}
{{s-aca}}
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]|years=1 April 1937 – 7 September 1937}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dr. Khan Sahib]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Pakistan Movement}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum}}
[[Category:1863 births]]
[[Category:1937 deaths]]
[[Category:Chief Ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
[[Category:Durand line]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Indian knights]]
[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]
[[Category:All India Muslim League members]]
[[Category:Pashtun people]]
[[Category:People from Swabi District]]

Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum - Revision history

Scopex: improved article further and cleaned formatting

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