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{{Infobox_Monarch | name =Mohammed Zahir Shah
{{Infobox_Monarch | name =Mohammed Zahir Shah<br />
| title =[[King of Afghanistan|King of the God granted Kingdom of Afghanistan and its dependencies]]
| title =[[King of Afghanistan]]
| image =[[Image:Mohammed Zahir Shah.jpg|200px]]
| image =[[Image:Mohammed Zahir Shah.jpg|200px]]
| reign =[[8 November]] [[1933]] - [[17 July]] [[1973]]
| reign =[[8 November]] [[1933]] - [[17 July]] [[1973]]
| coronation =
| coronation =
| othertitles = Father of the Nation
| predecessor =[[Mohammed Nadir Shah]]
| predecessor =[[Mohammed Nadir Shah]]
| successor ='''Monarchy abolished''' [[Mohammed Daoud Khan]] as [[President of Afghanistan]]
| successor ='''Monarchy abolished''' [[Mohammed Daoud Khan]] as [[President of Afghanistan]]
| consort =[[Humaira Begum]]
| consort =[[Humaira Begum]] (deceased 2002)
| royal house =[[House of Barakzai|Barakzai]]
| royal house =[[House of Barakzai|Barakzai]]
| father =[[Mohammed Nadir Shah]]
| father =[[Mohammed Nadir Shah]]
Line 17: Line 16:
| place of burial=Maranjan Hill
| place of burial=Maranjan Hill
|}}
|}}
⚫
'''Mohammed Zahir Shah''' ([[16 October]] [[1914]] &ndash; [[23 July]] [[2007]]) was the last King (''[[Shah]]'') of [[Afghanistan]], reigning for four decades, from 1933 until he was ousted by a coup in 1973. Following his return from exile he was given the title "Father of the Nation" in 2002 which he held until his death.


⚫
'''Mohammed Zahir Shah''' ([[16 October]] [[1914]] &ndash; [[23 July]] [[2007]]) was the last King (''[[Shah]]'') of [[Afghanistan]], reigning for four decades, from 1933 to 1973.
==Family background and early life==
⚫
Zahir Shah was born in [[Kabul]] the son of [[Mohammed Nadir Shah]], a senior member of the [[Barakzai]] royal family and commander in chief of the army under former king [[Amanullah Khan]]. Nadir Shah assumed the throne after the execution of [[Habibullah Ghazi]] in October, 1929. Mohammed Zahir's father was born in [[Dehradun]], [[India]] his family having been exiled after the [[second Anglo-Afghan war]]. Nadir Shah was a descendant of Sardar Mohammad Yusuf Khan Telai, half-brother of [[Dost Mohammad Khan]]. His great grandfather Mohammad Yahya Khan was responsible for the mediation between Yaqub Khan and the British leading to the [[Gandamak Treaty]]. After the British invasion following the killing of Sir Louis Cavagnari in 1879, [[Yaqub Khan]] and Yahya Khan were seized by the British and transferred under custody to India, where they forcibly remained until invited back to Afghanistan by Amir Abdur Rahman in the last year of his reign (1901).


==Background==
⚫
Zahir Shah was sent to be educated in [[France]] at the [[Pasteur Institute]] and the [[University of Montpellier]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nysun.com/article/59025|title=Mohammad Zahir Shah, 92, Last King of Afghanistan}}</ref> He returned to Afghanistan in 1932 and was appointed minister of education. Zahir Shah was fluent in [[Pashto]], [[Persian language|Persian]], and spoke some [[French language|French]], [[English language|English]] and [[Italian language|Italian]].<ref name=war> {{cite news |first=Michael|last= McCarthy|title= War On Terrorism: Opposition - Exiled king declares himself ready to return|url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010924/ai_n14407892|work= [[The Independent]] (London) |publisher=Look Smart: Find Articles |date=2001-09-24 |accessdate=2007-07-23 }}</ref>
⚫
Zahir Shah was the son of [[Mohammed Nadir Shah]], a military officer under former king [[Amanullah Khan]]. Nadir Shah assumed the throne after he had [[Habibullah Ghazi]] executed. Mohammed Zahir's father was born in [[Dehradun]], [[India]] descending from a [[Pashtun]] family from [[Peshawar]]. Nadir Shah was a descendant of Colonel Sardar Mohammad Yusuf Khan Telai, the half-brother of [[Dost Mohammad Khan]]. His great grandfather Mohammad Yahya Khan was responsible for the mediation between Yaqub Khan and the British during the Gandomak Negotiations which is known as the [[Treaty of Gandomak|Gandomak Treaty]]. After the signing of the treaty, [[Yaqub Khan]] and Yahya Khan fled to British India.


⚫
Mohammed Zahir Khan was born in [[Kabul]] on October 15, 1933. Zahir Khan was sent to be educated in [[France]] at the [[Pasteur Institute]] and the [[University of Montpellier]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nysun.com/article/59025|title=Mohammad Zahir Shah, 92, Last King of Afghanistan}}</ref> He spoke fluent [[Pashto]], [[Persian language|Persian]],[[French language|French]], [[English language|English]] and [[Italian language|Italian]].<ref name=war> {{cite news |first=Michael|last= McCarthy|title= War On Terrorism: Opposition - Exiled king declares himself ready to return|url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010924/ai_n14407892|work= [[The Independent]] (London) |publisher=Look Smart: Find Articles |date=2001-09-24 |accessdate=2007-07-23 }}</ref>
⚫
His preference of the Persian language gave him credibility with the most important group of the country: the elite citizenry of [[Kabul]].<ref>[[Ahmed Rashid|A. Rashid]], ''"Kabul"'', 2002, ([http://www.kabulguide.net/kbl-articles.htm LINK]) :''"... The last time Zahir Shah saw Kabul it was an international diplomatic backwater, but a thriving, bustling town where the elite..."''</ref>


⚫
His preference of the Persian language gave him credibility with the most important group of the country: the Persian-speaking elite of [[Kabul]].<ref>[[Ahmed Rashid|A. Rashid]], ''"Kabul"'', 2002, ([http://www.kabulguide.net/kbl-articles.htm LINK]) :''"... The last time Zahir Shah saw Kabul it was an international diplomatic backwater, but a thriving, bustling town where the elite..."''</ref>
⚫
==Rule==
⚫
Zahir Khan was proclaimed King (Shah) on [[8 November]] [[1933]], after the assassination of his father [[Mohammed Nadir Shah]]. For the first thirty years he did not effectively rule, ceding power to his paternal uncles, [[Sardar Mohammad Hashim Khan]] and [[Sardar Shah Mahmud Khan]].<ref name=Chesterman>{{cite book |title=Making States Work: State Failure And The Crisis Of Governance |last=Chesterman |first=Simon |authorlink= |coauthors=Michael Ignatieff, Ramesh Chandra Thakur |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=V7EibJ74C-UC |year=2005 |publisher=United Nations University Press |location= |isbn=928081107X |pages=400 }}</ref> This period fostered a growth in Afghanistan's relations with the international community as in 1934, Afghanistan joined the [[League of Nations]] while also receiving formal recognition from the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The American Journal of International Law |last=Jentleson |first=Bruce W. |coauthors=Paterson, Thomas G. |year=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0195110552 |pages=24 }}</ref> Throughout the 1930s, agreements on foreign assistance and trade had been reached with many countries, most notably Germany, Italy, and Japan.<ref>Dupree, Louis: "Afghanistan", pages 477-478. Princeton University Press, 1980</ref>


⚫
==Rule==
Following the end of the [[Second World War]], Zahir Shah recognised the need for the [[modernisation]] of Afghanistan and recruited a number of foreign advisers to assist with the process.<ref name=10/01/> During this period Afghanistan's first modern university was founded.<ref name=10/01>{{cite news | title = Profile: Ex-king Zahir Shah | publisher = [[BBC]] | date = [[2001-10-01]] | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1573181.stm | accessdate =2008-02-01 }}</ref> During his reign a number of potential advances and reforms were derailed as a result of [[factionalism]] and political infighting.<ref>{{cite news | last = Judah | first = Tim | title = Profile: Mohamed Zahir Shah | publisher = [[The Observer]] | date = [[2001-09-23]] | url = http://observer.guardian.co.uk/waronterrorism/story/0,,556614,00.html | accessdate =2008-02-01 }}</ref>
⚫
Zahir Khan was proclaimed King (Shah) on [[8 November]] [[1933]], after the assassination of his father [[Mohammed Nadir Shah]]. For the first thirty years he did not effectively rule, ceding power to his paternal uncles; Mohammed Hashim Khan and Shah Mahmoud Khan.<ref name=Chesterman>{{cite book |title=Making States Work: State Failure And The Crisis Of Governance |last=Chesterman |first=Simon |authorlink= |coauthors=Michael Ignatieff, Ramesh Chandra Thakur |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=V7EibJ74C-UC |year=2005 |publisher=United Nations
University Press |location= |isbn=928081107X |pages=400 }}</ref> This period fostered a growth in Afghanistan's relations with the international community.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} In 1934, Afghanistan joined the League of Nations while also receiving formal recognition from the United States.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Throughout the 1930s, agreements on foreign assistance and trade had been reached with many countries, most notably Germany, Italy, and Japan.<ref>Dupree, Louis: "Afghanistan", pages 477-478. Princeton University Press, 1980</ref>


Zahir Shah was able to govern on his own in 1963<ref name=Chesterman/> and despite the factionalism and political infighting a new constitution was introduced in 1964 which turned Afghanistan into a modern democratic state by introducing [[free elections]], a parliament, [[civil rights]], [[Women's rights|liberation for women]] and [[universal suffrage]].<ref name=10/01/>
Zahir Shah was able to govern on his own in 1963.<ref name=Chesterman/> Zahir Shah enforced anti-Persian and ethno-centric policies in Afghanistan.<ref>[http://www.sarnavesht.com/main/index.php/weblog/extended/2022/ Hamayoun Baha's article on the Anti Persian policies which were enforced during Zahir khan's rule]
</ref><ref>Mir Ghulam Mohammad Ghobar, P: "Afghanistan dar Maseer Tarikh", page 35. ,1999</ref>


By the time he returned to Afghanistan in the twenty-first century, his rule was characterized by a lengthy span of peace, but with no significant progress.<ref name=NYTobit>Barry Bearak, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia/23cnd-shah.html Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92], ''The New York Times'', [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref>
By the time he returned to Afghanistan in the twenty-first century, his rule was characterized by a lengthy span of peace, but with no significant progress<ref name=NYTobit>Barry Bearak, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia/23cnd-shah.html Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92], ''The New York Times'', [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref>


==Exile==
==Exile==
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Zahir Shah lived in [[exile]] in [[Italy]] for twenty-nine years in a [[villa]] in the affluent community of [[Olgiata]]<ref name=war/> on [[Via Cassia]], north of the city of [[Rome]]. He was barred from returning to Afghanistan during Soviet-backed Communist rule in the late 1970s.
Zahir Shah lived in [[exile]] in [[Italy]] for twenty-nine years in a [[villa]] in the affluent community of [[Olgiata]]<ref name=war/> on [[Via Cassia]], north of the city of [[Rome]]. He was barred from returning to Afghanistan during Soviet-backed Communist rule in the late 1970s.


In 1991, Zahir Shah survived an attempt on his life by a knife-wielding assassin who pretended to be a [[Portuguese]] journalist.<ref name=NYTobit>Barry Bearak, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia/23cnd-shah.html Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92], ''The New York Times'', [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref>
In 1991, Zahir Shah survived an attempt on his life by a knife-wielding assassin who pretended to be a Portuguese journalist.<ref name=NYTobit>Barry Bearak, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia/23cnd-shah.html Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92], ''The New York Times'', [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref>

During the regime of the [[Taliban]], he remained secluded in exile and refused to speak out against the Taliban. Rather, when the Taliban managed to capture the northern city of [[Mazari Sharif]] in 1998, the exiled Zahir Shah sent the Taliban a letter of congratulations.


On his return to Afghanistan in 2002, he vowed not to challenge [[Hamid Karzai]] for the presidency.<ref name="died">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6911260.stm "Former king of Afghanistan dies"], BBC News, [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref>
On his return to Afghanistan in 2002, he vowed not to challenge [[Hamid Karzai]] for the presidency.<ref name="died">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6911260.stm "Former king of Afghanistan dies"], BBC News, [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref>


==Return==
==Return==
⚫
In April 2002, while the country was under American occupation, he returned to [[Afghanistan]] to open the [[Loya jirga]], which met in June 2002. After the fall of the Taliban, there were open calls for a return to the monarchy.<ref name=NYTobit>Barry Bearak, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia/23cnd-shah.html Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92], ''The New York Times'', [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref> Zahir Shah toyed with the idea of becoming president, however he made clear he did not want to return as king: "I will accept the responsibility of head of state if that is what the loya jirga demands of me, but I have no intention to restore the monarchy. I do not care about the title of king. The people call me Baba and I prefer this title."<ref name=NYTobit>Barry Bearak, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia/23cnd-shah.html Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92], ''The New York Times'', [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref> He was given the ceremonial title "Father of the Nation" in the current [[Constitution of Afghanistan]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://president.gov.af/english/constitution.mspx#Transitional|title=The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan}}</ref> symbolizing his role in Afghanistan's history as a nonpolitical symbol of national unity. The title of the 'Father of the Nation' dissolved with his death.<ref>"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 passed in January 2004, about two years after the collapse of Taliban rule. The title of the 'Father of the Nation' dissolves with his death."
[[Image:King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan.jpg|thumb|A portrait of Zahir Shah]]
⚫
In April 2002, while the country was under American occupation, he returned to [[Afghanistan]] to open the [[Loya jirga]], which met in June 2002.<ref name=Dorronsoro>{{cite book |last=Dorronsoro |first=Gilles |title=Afghanistan: Revolution Unending, 1979-2002 |publisher=C. Hurst & Co |isbn= 1850656835|pages=330 |chapter=The Return to Political Fragmentation}}</ref> After the fall of the Taliban, there were open calls for a return to the monarchy.<ref name=NYTobit>Barry Bearak, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia/23cnd-shah.html Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92], ''The New York Times'', [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref> Zahir Shah himself let it be known that he would accept what ever responsibility was placed on him by the Loya Jirga.<ref name=Dorronsoro/> However he was obliged to publicly step aside at the behest of the United States as a majority of delegates of Loya Jirga were prepared to vote for Zahir Shah and block the US backed Hamid Karzai.<ref name=Dorronsoro/> While he was prepared to become head of state he 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 loya jirga demands of me, but I have no intention to restore the monarchy. I do not care about the title of king. The people call me Baba and I prefer this title."<ref name=NYTobit>Barry Bearak, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia/23cnd-shah.html Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92], ''The New York Times'', [[July 23]], [[2007]].</ref> He was given the ceremonial title "Father of the Nation" in the current [[Constitution of Afghanistan]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://president.gov.af/english/constitution.mspx#Transitional|title=The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan}}</ref> symbolizing his role in Afghanistan's history as a nonpolitical symbol of national unity. The title of the 'Father of the Nation' dissolved with his death.<ref>"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 passed in January 2004, about two years after the collapse of Taliban rule. The title of the 'Father of the Nation' dissolves with his death."
{{cite web|url=http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=384525&archisec=WOR&archisubsec=|title=Last King of Afghanistan dies at 92}}</ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=384525&archisec=WOR&archisubsec=|title=Last King of Afghanistan dies at 92}}</ref>


[[Hamid Karzai]], a prominent figure from the Popalzai clan, became the president of Afghanistan and Zahir Shah's relatives and supporters were handed key posts in the transitional government. He moved back into his old palace, but the Loya Jirga refused to give him the throne. In an October 2002 visit to France, he had slipped in a bathroom, bruising his ribs, but on [[21 June]] [[2003]], while in [[France]] for a medical check-up, he broke his [[femur]] by slipping in a [[bathroom]].
[[Hamid Karzai]], a prominent figure from the Popalzai clan, became the president of Afghanistan and Zahir Shah's relatives and supporters were handed key posts in the transitional government. He moved back into his old palace, but the Loya Jirga refused to give him the throne. Criticisms include his over-zealous attempts to modernize Afghanistan, often putting his policies against traditional values, and his failure to come to a working and stable agreement with neighbouring Pakistan, which also contains a significant Afghan and Pashtun population.


In an October 2002 visit to France, he had slipped in a bathroom, bruising his ribs, but on [[21 June]] [[2003]], while in [[France]] for a medical check-up, he broke his [[femur]] by slipping in a [[bathroom]].
[[Image:Inauguration of President Hamid Karzai in December 2004.jpg|thumb|Mohammed Zahir Shah, seen sitting down at the far right, during Karzai's swearing in ceremony on [[7 December]] [[2004]].]]


On [[3 February]] [[2004]], Shah was flown from Kabul to [[New Delhi]], [[India]], for medical treatment after complaining of an [[intestine|intestinal]] 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 the [[United Arab Emirates]] because of nose bleeding caused by heat.
On [[3 February]] [[2004]], Shah was flown from Kabul to [[New Delhi]], [[India]], for medical treatment after complaining of an [[intestine|intestinal]] 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 the [[United Arab Emirates]] because of nose bleeding caused by heat.
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==External links==
==External links==
⚫
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2795838.ece Robert Fisk on Zahir Shah: The last king of Afghanistan]
{{commonscat|Mohammed Zahir Shah}}

⚫
*[http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2795838.ece Robert Fisk on Zahir Shah: The last king of Afghanistan]
* [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/waronterrorism/story/0,,556614,00.html Profile from The Observer]
* [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/waronterrorism/story/0,,556614,00.html Profile from The Observer]
*[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~royalty/afghan/i56.html#I56 Genealogy of Mohammed Zahir Shah]
*[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~royalty/afghan/i56.html#I56 Genealogy of Mohammed Zahir Shah]



{{start box}}
{{start box}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Barakzai]]|16 October|1914|23 July|2007}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Mohammed Nadir Shah|King Mohammed Nadir Shah]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Mohammed Nadir Shah]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of leaders of Afghanistan|King of Afghanistan]]|years=[[8 November]] [[1933]] – [[17 July]] [[1973]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Afghanistan]]|years=1933 — 1973}}
{{s-vac|reason=[[Daoud's Republic of Afghanistan|Monarchy overthrown]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mohammed Daoud Khan]]|as=President of Afghanistan}}
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{{s-pre}}
|-
|-
{{s-new|loss|reason=[[Daoud's Republic of Afghanistan|Republic declared]]}}
{{s-non|reason=Monarchy abolished}}
{{s-tul|title=[[King of Afghanistan]]|years=[[17 July]] [[1973]] – [[23 July]] [[2007]]}}
{{s-tul|title=[[King of Afghanistan]]|years=1973 — 2007}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ahmad Shah Khan|Crown Prince Ahmad Shah]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ahmad Shah Khan|Crown Prince Ahmad Shah]]}}
{{end}}
{{end}}



{{Heads of State of Afghanistan since 1919}}
{{Heads of State of Afghanistan since 1919}}


{{-}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
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[[ksh:Mohammed Sahir Schah]]
[[ksh:Mohammed Sahir Schah]]
[[ru:Закир-Шах]]
[[ru:Закир-Шах]]
[[simple:Mohammed Zahir Shah]]
[[sr:Мохамед Захир]]
[[sr:Мохамед Захир]]
[[fi:Mohammed Zahir Shah]]
[[fi:Mohammed Zahir Shah]]

Revision as of 21:19, 15 March 2008

Mohammed Zahir Shah
King of Afghanistan
File:Mohammed Zahir Shah.jpg
Reign8 November 1933 - 17 July 1973
PredecessorMohammed Nadir Shah
SuccessorMonarchy abolished Mohammed Daoud Khan as President of Afghanistan
Burial
Maranjan Hill
HouseBarakzai
FatherMohammed Nadir Shah
MotherMah Parwar Begum

Mohammed Zahir Shah (16 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King (Shah) of Afghanistan, reigning for four decades, from 1933 to 1973.

Background

Zahir Shah was the son of Mohammed Nadir Shah, a military officer under former king Amanullah Khan. Nadir Shah assumed the throne after he had Habibullah Ghazi executed. Mohammed Zahir's father was born in Dehradun, India descending from a Pashtun family from Peshawar. Nadir Shah was a descendant of Colonel Sardar Mohammad Yusuf Khan Telai, the half-brother of Dost Mohammad Khan. His great grandfather Mohammad Yahya Khan was responsible for the mediation between Yaqub Khan and the British during the Gandomak Negotiations which is known as the Gandomak Treaty. After the signing of the treaty, Yaqub Khan and Yahya Khan fled to British India.

Mohammed Zahir Khan was born in Kabul on October 15, 1933. Zahir Khan was sent to be educated in France at the Pasteur Institute and the University of Montpellier.[1] He spoke fluent Pashto, Persian,French, English and Italian.[2]

His preference of the Persian language gave him credibility with the most important group of the country: the Persian-speaking elite of Kabul.[3]

Rule

Zahir Khan was proclaimed King (Shah) on 8 November 1933, after the assassination of his father Mohammed Nadir Shah. For the first thirty years he did not effectively rule, ceding power to his paternal uncles; Mohammed Hashim Khan and Shah Mahmoud Khan.[4] This period fostered a growth in Afghanistan's relations with the international community.[citation needed] In 1934, Afghanistan joined the League of Nations while also receiving formal recognition from the United States.[citation needed] Throughout the 1930s, agreements on foreign assistance and trade had been reached with many countries, most notably Germany, Italy, and Japan.[5]

Zahir Shah was able to govern on his own in 1963.[4] Zahir Shah enforced anti-Persian and ethno-centric policies in Afghanistan.[6][7]

By the time he returned to Afghanistan in the twenty-first century, his rule was characterized by a lengthy span of peace, but with no significant progress[8]

Exile

In 1973, while Mohammed Zahir Shah was in Italy undergoing eye surgery as well as therapy for lumbago, his cousin and former Prime Minister Mohammed Daoud Khan staged a coup d'état and established a republican government. As a former prime minister, Daoud Khan had been fired by Zahir Shah a decade earlier.[8] In the August following this coup, Zahir Shah abdicated rather than risk an all-out civil war.[8]

Zahir Shah lived in exile in Italy for twenty-nine years in a villa in the affluent community of Olgiata[2] on Via Cassia, north of the city of Rome. He was barred from returning to Afghanistan during Soviet-backed Communist rule in the late 1970s.

In 1991, Zahir Shah survived an attempt on his life by a knife-wielding assassin who pretended to be a Portuguese journalist.[8]

During the regime of the Taliban, he remained secluded in exile and refused to speak out against the Taliban. Rather, when the Taliban managed to capture the northern city of Mazari Sharif in 1998, the exiled Zahir Shah sent the Taliban a letter of congratulations.

On his return to Afghanistan in 2002, he vowed not to challenge Hamid Karzai for the presidency.[9]

Return

In April 2002, while the country was under American occupation, he returned to Afghanistan to open the Loya jirga, which met in June 2002. After the fall of the Taliban, there were open calls for a return to the monarchy.[8] Zahir Shah toyed with the idea of becoming president, however he made clear he did not want to return as king: "I will accept the responsibility of head of state if that is what the loya jirga demands of me, but I have no intention to restore the monarchy. I do not care about the title of king. The people call me Baba and I prefer this title."[8] He was given the ceremonial title "Father of the Nation" in the current Constitution of Afghanistan[10] symbolizing his role in Afghanistan's history as a nonpolitical symbol of national unity. The title of the 'Father of the Nation' dissolved with his death.[11]

Hamid Karzai, a prominent figure from the Popalzai clan, became the president of Afghanistan and Zahir Shah's relatives and supporters were handed key posts in the transitional government. He moved back into his old palace, but the Loya Jirga refused to give him the throne. Criticisms include his over-zealous attempts to modernize Afghanistan, often putting his policies against traditional values, and his failure to come to a working and stable agreement with neighbouring Pakistan, which also contains a significant Afghan and Pashtun population.

In an October 2002 visit to France, he had slipped in a bathroom, bruising his ribs, but on 21 June 2003, while in France for a medical check-up, he broke his femur by slipping in a bathroom.

On 3 February 2004, Shah was flown from Kabul to New Delhi, India, for medical treatment after complaining of an intestinal 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 the United 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.

In his final years, he was frail and required a microphone pinned to his collar so that his faint voice could be heard.[8] In January 2007, Shah was reported to be seriously ill and bedridden. On 23 July, 2007, he died in the compound of the presidential palace in Kabul after prolonged illness. His death was announced on national television by President Karzai.[8] His funeral was held on July 24. It began on the premises of the presidential palace, where political figures and dignitaries paid their respects; his coffin was then taken to a mosque before being moved to his tomb on Maranjan Hill.[12]

Family

He married Homairah Begum (1918-2002) on 7 November, 1931 and had six sons and two daughters:[13]

  1. Princess Bilqis Begum (born 17 April 1932)
  2. Crown Prince Muhammed Akbar Khan (4 August 1933 - 26 November 1942)
  3. Crown Prince Ahmad Shah (born 23 September 1934)
  4. Princess Maryam Begum (born 2 November, 1936)
  5. Prince Muhammed Nadir Khan (born 21 May, 1941)
  6. Prince Shah Mahmoud Khan (15 November 1946 - 7 December, 2002)
  7. Prince Muhammed Daoud Pashtunyar Khan (born 14 April, 1949)
  8. Prince Mir Wais Khan (born 7 January, 1957)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mohammad Zahir Shah, 92, Last King of Afghanistan".
  2. ^ a b McCarthy, Michael (2001-09-24). "War On Terrorism: Opposition - Exiled king declares himself ready to return". The Independent (London). Look Smart: Find Articles. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  3. ^ A. Rashid, "Kabul", 2002, (LINK) :"... The last time Zahir Shah saw Kabul it was an international diplomatic backwater, but a thriving, bustling town where the elite..."
  4. ^ a b Chesterman, Simon (2005). Making States Work: State Failure And The Crisis Of Governance. United Nations University Press. p. 400. ISBN 928081107X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); line feed character in |publisher= at position 15 (help)
  5. ^ Dupree, Louis: "Afghanistan", pages 477-478. Princeton University Press, 1980
  6. ^ Hamayoun Baha's article on the Anti Persian policies which were enforced during Zahir khan's rule
  7. ^ Mir Ghulam Mohammad Ghobar, P: "Afghanistan dar Maseer Tarikh", page 35. ,1999
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Barry Bearak, Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92, The New York Times, July 23, 2007.
  9. ^ "Former king of Afghanistan dies", BBC News, July 23, 2007.
  10. ^ "The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan".
  11. ^ "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 passed 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".
  12. ^ "Afghanistan's King Mohammad Zahir Shah Laid to Rest", Associated Press (Fox News), July 24, 2007.
  13. ^ Royal Ark

External links


Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Afghanistan
1933 — 1973 		Succeeded byas President of Afghanistan
Titles in pretence
Monarchy abolished — TITULAR —
King of Afghanistan
1973 — 2007 		Succeeded by


Template:Heads of State of Afghanistan since 1919

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