Mohammad Zahir Shah[a] (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the lastKing of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973.[2] Ruling for 40 years, Zahir Shah was the longest-serving ruler ofAfghanistan since the foundation of theDurrani Empire in the 18th century.
Zahir Khan was educated in a special class for princes at Elementary Primary, built in 1904 by the United Kingdom, andHabibia High School, where many subjects were taught in English. For his secondary education, he went to theAmaniya High School (built during the reign of King Amanullah by France, where many subjects were taught in French. This school was renamed by Nadir Shah asEsteqlal High School)[8] after the fall of King Amanullah. Zahir Khan studied at the Infanterie Military School in the winter (school year in Kabul, 21 March to November). He was then sent to France for further training.[9] He continued his education in France where his father had served as a diplomatic envoy, studying at thePasteur Institute and theUniversity of Montpellier.[10] When he returned to Afghanistan, he helped his father and uncles restore order and reassert government control during a period of lawlessness in the country.[11] He was later enrolled at an Infantry School and appointed a privy counsellor, later serving in the government positions of deputy war minister and minister of education.[9]
Zahir's father,Mohammad Nadir Shah, was the son of Sardar Mohammad Yusuf Khan. Born inDehradun,British India, Nadir's family had been exiled after theSecond Anglo-Afghan War. Nadir Shah was a descendant ofSardarSultan Mohammad Khan Telai, half-brother of EmirDost Mohammad Khan. His grandfather Mohammad Yahya Khan (father in law of Emir Yaqub Khan) was in charge of the negotiations with the British resulting in theTreaty of Gandamak. After the British invasion after the killing ofSir Louis Cavagnari during 1879,Yaqub Khan, Yahya Khan and his sons Princes Mohammad Yusuf Khan and Mohammad Asef Khan were taken captive by the British and transferred to the British Raj, where they remained forcibly until the two princes were invited back to Afghanistan byEmirAbdur Rahman Khan during the last year of his reign (1901). During the reign of Amir Habibullah they received the title of Companions of the King (Musahiban). Nadir assumed the throne after the execution of the self-proclaimed ruler of AfghanistanHabibullah Kalakani on 1 November 1929.[12]
Studio photograph of Zahir Shah in military uniform, seated in a heavy, carved armchair (1930s)
Zahir Khan was proclaimed king (shah) on 8 November 1933 at the age of 19, after the assassination of his fatherMohammad Nadir Shah. After his ascension to the throne he was given the regnal title,"He who puts his trust in God, follower of the firm religion of Islam".[9] For the first 20 years, he did not effectively rule, instead ceding power to his paternal uncles,Mohammad Hashim Khan andShah Mahmud Khan, who both served asPrime Ministers.[13] This period fostered a growth in Afghanistan's relations with the international community as during 1934, Afghanistan joined theLeague of Nations while also receiving formal recognition from the United States.[14] By the end of the 1930s, agreements on foreign assistance and trade had been reached with many countries, most notably with theAxis powers ofGermany,Italy, andJapan.[15]
Dinner in honour of King Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan hosted byPresident John F. Kennedy (1963)
Despite close relations to the Axis powers, Zahir Shah and his governments refused to take sides duringWorld War II and Afghanistan was one of the few countries in the world which remained neutral. From 1944 to 1947, Afghanistan experienceda series of revolts by various tribes.[17] After the end of World War II, Zahir Shah recognised the need for themodernisation of Afghanistan and recruited a number of foreign advisers to assist with the process.[18] During this period, Afghanistan's first modern university was founded.[18] A number of potential advances and reforms were derailed as a result offactionalism and political infighting.[19] Zahir Shah also requested financial aid from both theUnited States and theSoviet Union, and Afghanistan was one of few countries in the world to receive aid from both Cold War adversaries.[20] In a 1969 interview, Zahir Shah said that he is "not a capitalist. But I also don't want socialism. I don't want socialism that would bring about the kind of situation [that exists] inCzechoslovakia. I don't want us to become the servants of Russia or China or the servant of any other place."[21]
He was considered a relatively lenient leader compared to previous kings; Zahir Shah had never signed a warrant for the execution of anyone for political reasons during his reign. He also used his power several times to commute capital punishment sentences given to some convicted criminals.[4] At Zahir Shah's behest, anew constitution was promulgated in 1964, which made Afghanistan a modern democratic state by introducingfree elections, a parliament,civil and political rights,women's rights, anduniversal suffrage.[18]
At least five AfghaniPul coins during his reign bore the Arabic titleالمتوكل على الله محمد ظاهر شاه (AlMutawakkil 'āla Allah Muhammad Dhāhir Shāh),[22] which means "The leaner on God, Mohammad Zahir Shah". The honorific title of "leaner on God" is taken fromQuran 8:61.
By the time he returned to Afghanistan in 2002, Zahir Shah's rule was characterized as a lengthy era of peace.[23]
In 1973, while Zahir Shah was abroad in Italy, his cousinMohammad Daoud Khan staged acoup d'état and established an autocratic republican government.[1] As a former Prime Minister, Daoud Khan had been forced to resign by Zahir Shah a decade earlier[23] and felt that Zahir Shah lacked leadership and that the parliamentary system prevented real progressivism.[24] In August 1973,[25][23] Zahir Shah sent a letter from Rome to Khan in Kabul declaring hisabdication, saying he respected "the will of my compatriots" after realizing the people of Afghanistan "with absolute majority welcomed a Republican regime".[26]
Zahir Shah lived in exile in Italy for 29 years alongside his wife QueenHumaira Begum and other royal family members. Initially, they lived in a three‐room apartment on Rome'sVia Cassia. Relatives of the 1920s KingAmanullah Khan, of the samehouse of Barakzai, also lived in Rome. President Daoud Khan continued to send money to them in Italy consisting of income from property and estates of the former royal family. After theSaur Revolution, the leftistKhalq government cut all funds to Italy.[27]
Zahir Shah eventually lived in avilla in the affluent community of Olgiata on Via Cassia, north of Rome, where he spent his time playing golf and chess, as well as tending to his garden.[11][28][29] He was financially supported by theShah of Iran since the new Afghan government failed to provide him a monthly salary. The Shah also supported his two sons who were studying in the United States and Canada.[30] He was prohibited from returning to Afghanistan during the late 1970s by the Soviet-assisted Communist government. In 1983 during theSoviet–Afghan War, Zahir Shah was cautiously involved with plans to develop a government in exile. Ultimately these plans failed because he could not reach a consensus with powerful Islamist factions.[9] It has also been reported that Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, and India had all tried to persuade Zahir Shah to return as chief of a neutral, possibly interim, administration in Kabul.[31] Both the Soviet Union and the United States sent representatives to meet him, and PresidentMohammad Najibullah supported Zahir Shah to play a role in a possible interim government in the quest for peace.[32] In May 1990, Zahir Shah issued a long statement throughVoice of America and theBBC calling for unity and peace among Afghans, and offering his services. This reportedly led to a spark of interest and approval among the Kabul populace. However, the idea of a revived political role for Zahir Shah was met with hostility by some, notably radical IslamistGulbuddin Hekmatyar.[33]
In 1991, Zahir Shah survived anattempt on his life by a knife-wielding assassin masquerading as aPortuguese journalist[23] who later revealed that the attempted assassination was ordered byOsama bin Laden. The assassin stated “Now I must kill you”, before stabbing Zahir Shah in his breast-pocket, the former king’s life being saved by a tin of Café Crèmecigarillos. The assassin then stabbed Zahir Shah in the neck several times, before being overpowered by former General Abdul Wali. Zahir Shah was rushed to hospital and later recovered, with the assassin being sentenced to 10 years in a high-security prison inRebibbia.[34] After the fall of the pro-Soviet government, Zahir Shah was favored by many to return and restore the monarchy to unify the country as he was acceptable to most factions. However, these efforts were blocked mostly by Pakistan'sISI, who feared his stance on theDurand Line issue.[35] In June 1995, Zahir Shah's former envoy Sardar Wali announced at talks inIslamabad, Pakistan, that Zahir Shah was willing to participate in peace talks to end theAfghan Civil War,[36] but no consensus was ever reached.
Zahir Shah is seated at the far right during theoath ceremony ofHamid Karzai on 7 December 2004.
On 18 April 2002, at the age of 87 and four months after theend ofTaliban rule, Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan, flown in on anItalian military plane, and welcomed at Kabul's airport byHamid Karzai and other officials.[37] His return was widely welcomed by Afghans, and he was liked by all ethnic groups.[38][39] There were proposals for a return to the monarchy –[23] Zahir Shah himself let it be known that he would accept whatever responsibility was given him by theLoya Jirga,[40] which he initiated in June 2002.[40] However he was obliged to publicly renounce monarchical leadership at the behest of the United States. As Pakistan would not accept Zahir as king due to fears regarding his stance on theDurand Line issue; the American government knew allowing him to be restored could result in Pakistan feeling threatened to the point they may cease cooperating with theinternational coalition and potentially even resume their support for the Taliban. At the time, most delegates to the Loya Jirga were prepared to vote for Zahir Shah and block the U.S.-backed leader of the Northern Alliance, Hamid Karzai.[40] While he was prepared to become chief of state Zahir made it known that it would not necessarily be as monarch: "I will accept the responsibility of head of state if that is what the LoyaJirga demands of me, but I have no intention to restore the monarchy. I do not care about the title of king. The people call meBaba and I prefer this title."[23] Karzai called Zahir Shah a "symbol of unity, a very kind man" and a "fatherly figure."[39]
Zahir Shah visited his father's tomb soon after arriving in Kabul and reportedly gasped after witnessing rocket holes and gunfire damage on the tomb caused by the civil war.[41]
Hamid Karzai, who was favored by Zahir Shah, became president of Afghanistan after the Loya Jirga.[42] Karzai, from the Pashtun Popalzai clan, provided Zahir Shah's relatives with major jobs in the transitional government.[43] Following the Loya Jirga he was given the title "Father of the Nation" by Karzai,[44] symbolizing his role in Afghanistan's history as a symbol of national unity. This title ended with his death.[45] In August 2002 he relocated back tothe Arg, his old palace, after 29 years.[42]
During an October 2002 visit to France, Zahir Shah bruised his ribs after slipping in a bathroom, and on 21 June 2003, while returning to France for a medical check-up, he broke hisfemur.
On 3 February 2004, Zahir Shah was flown from Kabul toNew Delhi, India, for medical treatment after complaining of anintestinal problem. He was hospitalized for two weeks and remained in New Delhi under observation. On 18 May 2004, he was brought to a hospital in theUnited Arab Emirates because of nose bleeding caused by heat.
Zahir Shah attended the 7 December 2004 swearing-in of Hamid Karzai as President of Afghanistan. During his final years, he was frail and required a microphone pinned to his collar so that his faint voice could be heard.[23] In January 2007, Zahir was reported to be seriously ill and bedridden.
Zahir Shah died on 23 July 2007 in the compound of the Arg in Kabul at the age of 92 after a long illness – 34 years after his abdication and nearly 74 years after he ascended the throne. His death was announced by President Karzai,[23][46] who said "He was the servant of his people, the friend of his people, he was a very kind person, kind hearted. He believed in the rule of the people and in human rights."[47] Karzai also declared three days of national mourning for the deceased king.[23]
His funeral, which was held the day after his death, began on the premises of the presidential palace, where politicians and dignitaries paid their respects; his coffin was then taken to a mosque before being moved to the royal mausoleum on Maranjan Hill in eastern Kabul.[48]
Obverse: Portrait of Mohammad Zahir Shah with lettering "* محمد ظاهر * دافغانستان" (Mohammad Zahir Afghanistan) on top and "۱۳۴۰-۱۳۸۱" (1340–1381) at bottom.
Reverse: Wheat ear flank on the side and denomination in the centre. Lettering "پنج" (five), "۵" (5) and "افغانی" (Afghanis).
Afghani coin from reign of Shah minted in c. 1962 corresponding to 1340 and 1381 in Lunar and Solar Hijri years respectively.
In January 2009, an article by Ahmad Majidyar of theAmerican Enterprise Institute included one of his grandsons, Mustafa Zahir, on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the2009 Afghan presidential election.[57] However, Mustafa did not become a candidate. His granddaughter, Princess Noal of Afghanistan, is the wife ofMuhammad Ali, Prince of the Sa'id, the heir apparent to the abolished thrones of Egypt and Sudan.
^Jentleson, Bruce W.; Paterson, Thomas G. (1997). "Encyclopedia of U.S. foreign relations".The American Journal of International Law. Oxford University Press: 24.ISBN0-19-511055-2.
^Dupree, Louis:Afghanistan, pp. 477–478. Princeton University Press, 1980[ISBN missing]
^abcDorronsoro, Gilles (2005). "The Return to Political Fragmentation".Afghanistan: Revolution Unending, 1979–2002. C. Hurst & Co. p. 330.ISBN1-85065-683-5.
^"The late King was always fondly referred to by all Afghans, cutting across ethnic boundaries, as "Baba-e-Millat" or 'Father of the Nation', a position given to him in the country's Constitution promulgated in January 2004, about two years after the collapse of Taliban rule. The title of the 'Father of the Nation' dissolves with his death.""Last King of Afghanistan dies at 92". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
^Ahmad Majidyar (January 2009)."Afghanistan's Presidential Election"(PDF).American Enterprise Institute. Archived fromthe original on 8 September 2009.Zaher is the grandson of the late King Muhammad Zaher Shah. He is currently head of Afghanistan's environment preservation department and a member of the UNF. There has been speculation that the UNF will nominate Zaher as its candidate for the upcoming election. Despite being an heir to the royal family, he lacks a popular base.
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