Khan Bahadur Sher Jang

Khan Bahadur Sher Jang was born at Dhok Aziz near Chhab, a small village in Attock District, Pakistan. His father, Aziz Khan was a farmer. Khan Bahadur Sher Jang joined Coke's Rifles in 1887. He joined the Survey of India as a Soldier-Surveyor in 1895. From 1895 to 1899 he served on the N.W.Frontier, taking part on the Waziristan Expedition of 1894-95, in the Tochi, Tirah and Mohmand Expeditions of 1897-98, and in Dir and Chitral in 1899, when he was granted the title of Khan Sahib. In 1901-02 he was attached to the Abyssinian Boundary Commission and was awarded the title of Khan Bahadur at the early age of 32.

He was employed on the Baluchistan-Afghan frontier in 1909 and with the Afghan Mission in 1910, when he was awarded the McGregor Memorial Medal.

When the Great War broke out in 1914, Khan Bahadur Sher Jang was engaged on survey work with this Commission in the neighbourhood of Urumieh. He brought his companion back through Persia by way of Mianeh, Tehran, Qum, Isfahan and Sheraz to Bushire.

In 1917-18 he served in Waziristan and on the Mahsud frontier, and towards the end of 1918 proceeded again to Mesopotamia. He was now employed under the Political authorities on an important diplomatic mission, owing to his intimate knowledge of conditions in Persian Kurdistan.

At this time, the tribes of Central Kurdistan were in an appalling condition of destitution as the result of the war. Their chieftains were seeking the protection of the British. In the north, Sayyid Taha, who was in a position to control the tribes under British administration, had been invited to meet the Political Officer, but being influenced by Turkish propaganda, had so far remained aloof. Khan Bahadur Sher Jang received orders to go to Urumieh and to negotiate with Sayyid Taha. He left Rowanduz with four Indian Khalasis on 9th March 1919, forced a way over the snow bound Guru-i-Shaikh Pass on the Persian frontier, traversed the desolate Lahijan country, and reached Urumieh after much hardship on 20th March. Sayyid Taha was six stages away at Chahari, and owing to the attitude of the Persian Governor, Sher Jang was unable to leave Urumieh. He wrote a letter to the Sayyid persuading the latter to visit him in Urumieh, and they met five days later. All through the night of the 25th March the tow men discussed the situation, and as last dawn was breaking Sher Jang won he case and prevailed upon Sayyid Taha to accompany him back to Baghdad. The success of this mission had a large share in maintaining tranquility on the Rowanduz district during the subsequent rising of Shaikh Mahmud in Southern Kurdistan.

During this rebellion, Sher Jang served as a political officer in the Sulaimani area. In 1920-21 he was appointed representative of Iraq in the resettlement of the Iraq-Persian frontier. His work in this connection was highly appreciated by the Right Hon.Sir Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for the Colonies, in his dispatch dated 21st September 1921. He returned to Persia in 1923 with a detachment of the Survey of India which was employed in survey work for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

He was promoted to the Upper Subordinate Service on 1st August 1909. He is in possession of 12 war medals and decorations with 8 clasps; he has been awarded honoraria for his service on several occasions, and has received an assignment of land revenue from the Government of India. In 1902 the Royal Geographical Society awarded him a Sword of Honour (the Black Memorial) in recognition of his valuable services to geography, and in 1916 he was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind medal (2nd Class). During the visit of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales to India in 1922, Sher Jang had the honour of being personally presented to His Royal Highness, who evinced a keen interest in his services.

There was also another fine side of his character which was only realised by those who knew him well, namely for his compassion for the weak. When he was on sick leave at the end of 1918, the virulent epidemic of influenza was ravaging the homes in his country. Sher Jang devoted his three months' hard-earned rest to nursing the sick and burying the dead; and he is recorded in a letter than he "regarded this duty greater than his active service". On another occasion, in Urumieh in 1919, when he was by no means in a pleasant situation himself, he exercised all his personal influence in urging the protection of the hapless Christian women and children, whose lives were at times threatened by the fanatical Kurds.

It is not easy to summarize such varied services in a brief note of appreciation. Sher Jang succeeded in winning the admiration and affection of all officers with whom he served, both in the Survey of India and outside it, and he carried with him the best wishes of all ranks of the Department on his retirement.

He was retired from survey of India on 15th June 1925. Sher Jang returned to his home, after being employed almost continuously during his service of over 30 years in the Department either on or beyond the Frontiers on India.