# Amir Mohammad Khan

Nawab of Kalabagh Malik Amir Mohammad Khan (نواب کالا باغ; 20 June 1910 – 26 November 1967) was the hereditary ruler of Kalabagh Estate and a prominent feudal lord, politician of Pakistan. He was also the Chief or Sardar of the Awan tribe. Nawab of Kalabagh has been a ruling title for tribal estate of Kalabagh, in Mianwali District of north western Punjab, Pakistan.

## Early life

Nawab Malik Amir Mohammad Khan received his college education at Aitchison College, Lahore and then went on to finish his education at Oxford University in England.

## Career

Nawab Malik Amir Mohammad Khan served as a member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab from 1956 – 1958. He also served as Governor of West Pakistan from 1960 to 1966. He was appointed chairman Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation with the rank of a Central Minister in 1959, and subsequently Governor of West Pakistan on 12 April 1960 by Pakistan President General Ayub Khan.
His role during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 is praised, as he kept the law and order, controlled the prices, trafficked the raw material, and prevented smuggling.
Among the guests to his famous Kalabagh guest house, the Bohr Bangalow were Eleanor Roosevelt in 1952 and former Pakistani Presidents Iskander Mirza, Ayub Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
General Jahandad Khan, who was military secretary to Nawab Malik Amir Mohammad Khan, the then governor of West Pakistan, wrote a book, Pakistan Leadership Challenges. In that book Nawab Malik Amir Mohammad Khan comes across as a sound, no-nonsense administrator, firmly wedded to the values and traditions of the feudal class. He was also considered "brutal," "ruthless" and "harsh" in both his public and private life. British assessment of the Nawab of Kalabagh was very similar. In his book Jahandad, Nawab Malik Amir Mohammad Khan's military secretary dismisses alleged rumours about a somewhat sinister aspect of the Ayub regime.
In 1963, the regime faced strong opposition from the political party Jamaat-i-Islami. Ayub himself "felt gravely threatened by its head, Maudoodi." "Some sycophants" sought to persuade Ayub that "the physical elimination" of Maulana would bring peace to the country and that Malik Amir Mohammad Khan would help execute this attempt. Khan dismisses this as a baseless rumour in his above book.

## Controversies

In 1965, he summoned Neelo, to dance on stage for the Shah of Iran during his official visit to Pakistan; but she refused to do it for her own reasons. Harassed and threatened, Neelo faced dire consequences for refusing to obey official orders. She was allegedly gang molested and attempted suicide on the way to the Malik Amir's House and was taken to a hospital instead, where the doctors saved her life.
News of the incident generated widespread public backlash against the Nawab. The renowned leftist poet Habib Jalib, on hearing of the incident, expressed his anguish in his poem over her attempted suicide: "Tu kay nawaqif-e-aadab-e-ghulami hae abhi...raqs zanjeer pehan ker bhi kya jata hae" (meaning: "unaware art thou yet of the rites of enslavement...dance can be performed even while enchained".) Later this poem was used in the film Zarqa (1969) with slight changes in the words and ended up becoming a super-hit film song in Pakistan.

## Death

It was widely reported in Pakistani news media that his third youngest son Asad Khan killed him over a family property dispute on 26 November 1967.

## Descendants

His eldest son Nawab Malik Muzaffar Khan had been a member of National Assembly from Mianwali for 3 consecutive term in 1962-1964, 1965-1969 and 1970-1977.
Nawab Malik Muzzafar Khan had three sons: the eldest Malik Idrees Khan, the second Malik Fareed khan and the youngest Malik Waheed Khan. Nawab Malik Idrees Khan became the Nawab of Kalabagh after his father’s death. He died without issue. After his death, his second Brother Nawab Malik Fareed Khan became Nawab. Nawab Malik Fareed Khan died in a vehicle accident. Thus his only son Nawab Malik Mohammad Ali Khan became Nawab of Kalabagh, a position he holds to this day.
Nawab Malik Amir Muhammad Khan's second son Malik Allahyar also remained a member of Majlis-e-Shoora during General Zia-ul-Haq's military regime from 1981 to 1985. Malik Allahyar's daughters, Sumaira Malik and Ayla Malik, both were members of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2002 until 2013.
Amir Mohammad Khan's third son was Malik Asad Khan. Malik Asad's son Malik Amad Khan, won the National Assembly of Pakistan seat from NA-71 Mianwali-I in the February 2008 elections as an independent candidate. He also served as state minister of Foreign Affairs Pakistan from 2008 to 2013.
Nawab Malik Amir Mohammad Khan's fourth and youngest son Malik Azam Khan was murdered in 1995. Malik Azam died without issue.