King Amanullah Khan
[05.Sep.2016 - 17:39]King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan
Amanullah Khan, the 27-year-old prince, who was the governor of Kabul, proclaimed himself the new king of Afghanistan in the capital city immediately after his father and then-ruler, Emir Habibullah Khan, was assassinated on February 20, 1919, in Kalagush, Laghman Province, while he was on vacation.
Amanullah Khan, in an address in the palace in April 1919, announced that Afghanistan was now totally free and independent. He said he would not allow anyone to meddle in the internal or external affairs of Afghanistan. Since Great Britain still exercised a significant influence on Afghanistan’s foreign policy, the declaration of independence led the English and Afghans into the third Anglo-Afghan war in May 1919. Finally, the month-long war gained Afghans the control of their own foreign policy and a peace treaty recognizing the independence of Afghanistan was also signed in Rawalpindi (a city in contemporary Pakistan) in August of that same year.
Amanullah Khan’s 10-year rule (1919-1929) was marked by dramatic social and political changes. The patriotic and liberal king soon initiated revolutionary reforms. He was the first Afghan ruler who attempted to modernize Afghanistan on Western designs. Early education was made compulsory and a number of Afghan students were sent abroad for higher education. In addition, a number of developmental projects were launched in the infrastructure and communication sectors. Print media blossomed during his era, including special magazines aimed at women. His era introduced the first-ever constitution of Afghanistan in February 1923 where a grand council (Loya Jirga) comprising 872 representatives from all over the country approved its draft in Jalalabad city of eastern Nangrahar Province.
The young king wished to travel to European countries to introduce Afghanistan to the world and to seek mutual cooperation in various sectors. He traveled from Afghanistan on August 10, 1927, and returned on June 20, 1928. During his six-month journey, the reformist king and his wife, Queen Soraya, were warmly welcomed not only by the leaders and officials of the host countries but by a large number of ordinary citizens. Amanullah Khan traveled via highway to Karachi and then by boat to Mumbai from where he boarded a ship, along with his cabinet members and queen, toward Port Said in Egypt. He visited Egypt, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Russia, Turkey, and Iran, before heading back to Afghanistan by road. During his tour, he signed a number of agreements in the industrial, educational, and technological fields with his host countries.
The King’s long absence and his legislative and liberal social reforms just after his arrival to the country met with reactions from conservative elements. The destructive rumors regarding the King and Queen also travelled rapidly across the country that resulted in a chaotic situation during which a notorious bandit leader, Habibullah Kalakani known as Bacha Saqqaw seized Kabul and declared himself the ruler. King Amanullah Khan resigned in January 1929 and left Afghanistan for permanent exile in Italy that May. He died on April 25, 1960, in Zürich, Switzerland at the age of 68.