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Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan- His Policies, Civil War and GAAK Award for UPSC!

Last Updated on Nov 17, 2022
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Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan was the ruler of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, first as the Emir of Afghanistan (1919-1926) and then as the King of Afghanistan (1926-1929). He is known for leading a successful attack in the third anglo afghan war in 1919 which eventually led to the independence of Afghanistan from British rule. He, thereafter, became the first Emir of independent Afghanistan and then the first king of Afghanistan.

Rule of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan is known for the remarkable political and social changes that took place during his reign. He tried to modernize Afghanistan along the western lines in the domains of education, culture, economy, and administration. However, due to an uprising led by Habibullah Kalakani – a leader of the Saqqawists, Amanullah Khan’s rule came to an end in 1929 and he had to flee Afghanistan. He later lived in exile in British India, Italy, and Switzerland for the rest of his life.

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan is an important topic for UPSC IAS Examination. It falls under the History section of General Studies paper 1 for UPSC Preliminary examination and General Studies Paper 1 syllabus for the UPSC IAS Mains examination. In this article, we shall discuss Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan’s anti British activities, social reforms, civil war of Afghanistan and GAAK Award.

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Also, read this article on Decolonization of Middle East here!

Download the PDF on Ghazi Amanullah Khan History Notes for UPSC Exam!

About Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan (1892-1960) was the first ruler of independent Afghanistan who took over the throne of Emir in 1919 and later became the first king of Afghanistan in 1926. His rule lasted for around 10 years (1919-1929), after which he was forced to flee due to an uprising against his rule. He later lived in exile in British India, Italy, and Switzerland.

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan is known for leading Afghanistan to defeat the British forces in the third Anglo Afghan war in August 1919. Prior to that, Afghanistan was a British protectorate state, declared under the Treaty of Gandamak– signed after the second Anglo Afghan war of 1879.

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan’s rule was marked by remarkable social, political, and cultural changes. He was inspired by the western way of living while implementing these changes. This eventually led to a huge uprising against his rule, primarily led by Habibullah Kalakani, a leader of the Saqqawists armed group.

Also, read this article on India-Afghanistan relations here!

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Facts about GAAK for UPSC

Various facts related to Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan (GAAK) are listed below.

Facts about Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan for UPSC
Born 1 June, 1892
Birthplace Paghman, Afghanistan
Died 25 April, 1960
Burial Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Positions held
  1. Emir of Afghanistan (28 February 1919 – 9 June 1926)
  2. King of Afghanistan (9 June 1926 – 14 January 1929)
Important war fought Third Anglo Afghan war in 1919 against Britain.

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan: Anti- British Activities

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan was fiercely anti-British and eventually led Afghanistan to gain complete independence from Britain, which until now had a British protectorate status. A few of the Anti-British activities of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan are listed below.

  • Invasion of British India in May 1919, amid the civil unrest in Punjab following the Jallianwala bagh massacre in Amritsar.
  • Attack by Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan came at a time when the recently ended first world war had left British Indian troops tired and many of them had not even returned from overseas.
  • The third anglo afghan war quickly ran into a stalemate and came to an end in August 1919 after the signing of a treaty that granted complete independence of Afghanistan and a neutral relation between the two countries

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan: Social Reforms and Policies

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan is known for the tremendous efforts he made to modernize Afghan society on the western lines. He undertook various social reforms and policy changes, some of which are listed below.

  • Adoption of a modern constitution which granted equal rights to every citizen.
  • Liberalisation of the economy to increase exports and reduce imports, while promoting industrialization.
  • Established modern schools for both boys and girls.
  • Relaxed centuries old strict dress code for women.
  • Promotion of the Pashto language, despite Dari being the official language.
  • Established Afghan air force to deal with the rising air power of Britain and other nations.

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan: Civil War

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan was the official king of Afghanistan when the Afghan Civil War broke out in 1928, primarily against Amanullah’s modern policies in the sphere of religion and women’s rights.

  • Civil war in Afghanistan started out as a revolt and besieging of Jalalabad city by the Shinwari Pashtun tribe in November 1928.
  • While reconciliation with the Shinwari tribe was going on, forces led by a Tajik leader – Habibullah Kalakani besieged Jabal al-Siraj, a town in the north of Kabul.
  • Later, the forces led by Kalakani attacked Kabul in December 1928 which saw Afghans refusing to take up arms to defend Amanullah Khan’s territories.
  • Due to prevailing discontent against himself and support for Kalakani’s mission, Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan surrendered and went into a temporary exile in British India in January 1929.
  • Later, in March 1929, Amanullah returned to Afghanistan to regroup the army against Kalakani for a fresh attack but his forces failed to advance to Kabul.
  • Amanullah Khan, in May 1929, fled again to India and never returned to his country again.

Check out this article on American Civil War here!

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan: Fall and End of Life

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan’s rule came to an end in January 1929 when Habibullah Kalakani forced him to flee the country.

  • Amanullah Khan made an attempt to regroup the forces again in March 1929 in order to dispose of Kalakani when he returned back from India from a short exile there.
  • Though, he gave up on this mission in May 1929 when he returned back to India and lived in exile for the rest of his life in Italy.
  • Kalakani’s rule lasted for just nine months and he was replaced by Nadir Khan – a general in Amanullah’s army in October 1929.
  • Amanullah saw this as an opportunity to return to Afghanistan but due to little support from the people and continuous propaganda by Nadir Khan against Amanullah, his return was made impossible.
  • Later, various attempts were made by Amanullah’s loyalists in the 1930s and 1940s to bring back him to power. But none of them saw any fruitful results.
  • Amanullah Khan sought asylum in Italy and lived in Rome for the rest of his life.
  • He was buried in Jalalabad, Afghanistan after his death in 1960.

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan: GAAK Award

The Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan award or GAAK Award or Amir Amanullah Khan award is the highest civilian award of Afghanistan.

  • It was instituted in 2006 by Afghanistan government.
  • It is given to Afghan or foreign nationals in reognition of their services to Afghanistan.
  • Notable receipents of this awards include -Narendra Modi (Indian prime minister), George W Bush (US President), Sibghatullah Mujaddedi (Afghan president and spiritual leader).

Conclusion

Ghazi Amir Amunallah Khan is an integral part of Afghanistan’s modern history, his anti-british policies led to the complete independence of Afghanistan. But this independence was soon to be took over by radical islamic groups led by Habibullah Khan and Nadir Khan.

In the recent political instability and takeover of Taliban in Afghanistan, it becomes even more important to learn about the circumstances which led to the present political scenario. The idea of a modern Afghanistan which Ghazi Amir Amunallah Khan envisaged in 1919 is still very far from reality and people of Afghanistan, especially the women, still look for a leader who as visionary as Ghazi Amir Amunallah Khan was.

We hope that all your doubts regarding the topic Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan have been addressed after going through this article. Testbook offers a standard quality of study material for various competitive exams. Download the Testbook App now and be successful in your UPSC preparations.

Read this article on Afghanistan Crisis here!

गाजी अमीर अमानुल्लाह खान – उनकी नीतियां, गृहयुद्ध और यूपीएससी के लिए GAAK पुरस्कार के बारे में हिंदी में जानें!

More Articles for IAS Preparation

Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan FAQs

Ghazi Amir Amunallah Khan was the Emir and later king of Afghanistan who led Afghanistan to independence from British.

Tribals of Afghanistan revolted against Ghazi Amir Amunallah Khan due to his liberal and modern policies in religious and women related matters.

Third Anglo Afghan was was fought in 1919.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India was awarded GAAK award in 2016.

Afghan Civil war began in November 1928 and lasted untill October 1929

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