Mohammed Zahir Shah

Mohammed Zahir Shaw married Humaira Begum, his first cousin, on 7 November, 1931. The couple had 9 children, seven sons and two daughters.

Mohammad Zahir Shah died on 23 July 2007 in his residence in Kabul at the age of 92. He had been suffering from illness for some time.

Mohammed Zahir Shah was born in Kabul, Afghanistan on 15 October, 1914 to Mohammad Nadir Shah and Mah Parwar Begum. Shah’s family belonged to the Barakzai royal family of Afghanistan and his father also served as the head of the Afghan Army during the reign of Amanullah Khan.

Mohammad Zahir Shah was initially educated at the Habibia High School located in Kabul, where he studied in segregation for being a prince and after that he continued his education in France, where he was sent in the capacity of diplomatic envoy. At first he studied at the Pasteur Institute and then went on to study at the University of Montpellier.

Upon his return to Afghanistan as a teenager, Zahir Shah helped his father and family members in their quest in ensuring that the country did not spiral out of control in the 1920s when wanton lawlessness was an everyday issue. Shah served as the education minister as well as a deputy to the war minister during those years.

In 1933, when Mohammad Zahir Shah was only 19 years old, he became the King of Afghanistan following the assassination of his father Mohammad Nadir Shah. However, Shah did not have an active role in governing the country as he played a peripheral role in governance. Mohammad Hashim Khan and Shah Mahmud Khan, his uncles were the ones who ruled the country.

Mohammad Zahir Shah was instrumental in modernising Afghanistan during his time as the king and in 1934 the country was inducted into the League of Nations. A few years later, the country also signed pacts with countries like Germany, Japan as well as Italy with regards to foreign aid. He also helped the cause of the Uighur and Kirghiz rebels in Turkestan by sending soldiers, weaponry and money but the rebellion was crushed.

Mohammad Zahir Shah was a modernist and after the conclusion of the Second World War, he employed the services of foreign advisors in order to usher in a modern Afghanistan. In 1963, Zahir Shah decided to become the primary ruler of Afghanistan and the following year he was instrumental in introducing the new constitution. The constitution brought in democracy with a constitutional monarchy, established a parliament and introduced elections.

During Zahir Shah’s reign, Afghanistan became a country that adopted a neutral stance as far as international politics was concerned and despite his efforts to reenergise the country with his reforms there was little to show for his efforts in terms of economic progress.

In 1973, his cousin Mohammad Daoud Khan overthrew Zahir Shah’s government when he had been in Italy for eye surgery and a new conservative government was established. For 29 years, Mohammed Zahir Shah lived in Italy in exile.

Mohammed Zahir Shah tried to turn Afghanistan into a modern democratic state. He gave Afghanistan a new constitution, introduced free elections, civil rights, women's rights and universal suffrage.