Khan Roshan Khan
Khan Roshan Khan Yousafzai was a Pashtun historian, educationalist, and writer from Pakistan known primarily for being president of the All India Muslim League in Swabi and for writing books on the history of the Pashtun people.
Biography
Roshan Khan was born in the village of Nawa Killi, Swabi in 1914 and died on 19 November 1988 in the United States. He was the son of Muhammad Zaman Khan. He wrote many books on the history of Pashtuns. He was a major figure in contemporary Pashto literature. Roshan Khan was an active member of the movement Khudai Khidmatgar. He was very energetic in the Pakistan Movement and was the president of the Muslim League in Swabi. An area in Swabi, called Roshan Pura is named after him, where his tomb is also located.Career
Khan received his primary education from the Islami School Uthmanzai in Charsadda. Later on, he could not pursue further education due to the worsening conditions during the time of the British Government of India. The changing circumstances diverted his attention towards history. He wrote books on the history of Pashtuns. These books are Tazkira, Pathanon ki Tareekh aur in ki asliat which describes the races of Pashtun tribes and their origins. In addition, he wrote Yousafzai qaum ki sarguzisht, which details the various tribes of Pashtuns. Khan also authored Afghano ki nasli tarikh, which describes the origin of Afghans from Bani Israel,. Other booklets include Malika-Sawat, Baba-e-qaum Sheikhmali among others. His most important work is Tawarikh-e-Hafiz Rehmat Khani, which includes details about the biographies of prominent Pashtun leaders and elders like Hafiz Rehmat Khan, Hafiz Alpuri of Shangla, Ahmed Shah Abdali, Sardar Mohammad Khan, Dost Muhammad Khan and many others. It also sheds light on the important events and wars of Pashtuns with other empires and tribes. Moreover, all the family trees of Pashtun tribes are also discussed in this book. He also discussed the brief history of a famous Pashtun tribe, Shalmani.Books written by Roshan Khan
- Tawarikh-e Hafiz Rehmat Khani, 3rd Edition, 1977, Peshawar Pushtu Academy, Peshawar University.
- Tazkarah , 1st Edition, 1980, Karachi Roshan Khan Education Trust.
- Afghano ki Nasli Tarikh, 1st Edition, 1981, Karachi Roshan Khan and Company.
- Yousafzai Qaum ki Sarguzisht, 1st Edition, 1986, Karachi Roshan Khan and Company.
- Malika-e Swat, 1st Edition, 1983, Roshan Khan, Nawan Killi, Swabi District, Pakistan.
- Baba-ye Qaum Sheikhmali , 1st Edition, 1985, Roshan Khan and Company, Phool Chowk, Karachi, Pakistan.