15/11/2025
Master Sultan Ali alias Samarqand has been the legendary pioneer teacher of Hunza since 1946. His story is a phenomenal story which actually forms the basis of the educational development of Hunza. For comprehending his extraordinary role in starting the educational revolution in Hunza, one has to understand the socio-economic and ground conditions at that tie and the educational status of the region as well as the attitude of the society at large to education.
Master Sultan Ali was born on 21st April 1921 in Ghulkin, Hunza, although his date of birth recorded in his CNIC is 21/10/1921. His father, Ali Fatah, was the son of the youngest son of Mir Shah Saleem Khan of Hunza, the ruler of Hunza, i.e Prince Abdullah Khan who was stationed at the strategic place of Ghulkin to overlook the security and military (operations?) of the kingdom which were mainly directed towards the north at that time i.e China, Wakhan and Ladakh.
As Sultan Ali’s father, Ali Fatah died when Sultan Ali was only 7 years old, he was brought up as an orphan by Mir Nazim Khan of Hunza in Baltit, Hunza. He got his early education from Prince Ghari Khan s/o Mir Nazim Khan who was the first teacher in the primary school at Baltit. After completion of his primary education, Mir Nazim Khan, as his guardian, got him admitted in Gilgit for his middle standard education. However, Mir Nazim Khan died in 1938 and Sultan Ali had to join Gilgit Scouts at that time after loss of his main guardian.
He really shined in Gilgit Scouts from 1938 to 1946 as a splendid soldier, sportsman, footballer and able instructor. He outshined his contemporaries so much that he was listed for commissioned service in the British Imperial Army in the officer cadre.
At that time, around 1945, Mir Jamal Khan took over as Mir of Hunza after Mir Ghazan Khan’s demise. That was the year of Diamond Jubilee of Imam Sultan Mohammad Shah. The Imam reserved funds from Diamond Jubilee for education in the North including Hunza. Haji Qudratullah Beg along with Mir of Hunza were given the responsibility for starting educational activities in Hunza.
At that time, there were no schools except for a simple primary school in Baltit. The Khalifas, who were responsible for conducting religious activities were also responsible for conducting a little bit of traditional Arabic/Persian education in their private capacity. However, in view of the Imam’s instructions, the Mir and Haji Qudratullah Beg could not find any person in Hunza who would be able to impart education of subjects like English, Science, Mathematics, Geography, Social Sciences etc as the available teachers of primary education could only teach basic Persian, Arabic or Urdu. Then both of them decided to request Sultan Ali alias Samarqand who was poised to join the British Imperial Army as an officer, a rare distinction at that time, to forego this option and leave the uniform and start the Diamond Jubilee School in Baltit to start modern education in Hunza.
Sultan Ali alias Samarqand went for the option of teaching his community rather than pursuing an impressive military career and thus started laying the basic foundation of starting the educational revolution in Hunza. He started modern education in a totally educationally barren society and expanded the chain of schools to every village of Hunza.
All the early pioneer students of Hunza who rose to the highest ranks in the military and civil cadres of the government owe their early education to the pioneer teacher of teachers, Sultan Ali Samarqand.
Sultan Ali Samarqand was not only a teacher and early initiator of modern education in Hunza, but in addition, he was also a social reformer, a model sportsman, a religious educator and symbol of moral behaviour, an ideal role model for all educated people of the region and above all, a symbol of hope in education as an instrument for bringing revolutionary positive changes in the society.
He used to travel on foot far and wide in the valley as inspector of all DJ schools as examiner and also used the same opportunity to cover the religious and moral aspects of education for the whole community.
He continued to serve as the sole teacher of modern education in Hunza from 1946 to 1964, when he joined the Government service in upgradation of the government primary school to middle level in Baltit, Hunza. By that time, his early students had qualified and joined the school as teachers and colleagues.
He taught in Baltit School till 1976 when his services were transferred to Government Middle School in Gulmit, Hunza, from where he retired in 1981.
Another distinction of his services was the promotion of female education. He started schools for girls side by side the schools for boys and can be taken as the pioneer of female education in Hunza. He was also the personal tutor of the Rani of Hunza and all children of the Mir and Hunza.
From 1981 onwards, he taught voluntarily` in the DJ Schools at Sost, Gircha and mainly at Khudabad till 1995 when his failing health prevented him from walking to the school. To examine students and deliver the Imam’s Farman to the community, he would walk on foot and was very famous for his fast pace. He went to far-flung areas of Chipurson, Misgar and Shimshal in harsh weather to discharge his duties.
During 1946 to 1974, he was the only person who could speak good English apart from the Mir. That’s why he used to act as guide and interpreter for foreign guests to the Hunza State.
In short, the personal sacrifices of Sultan Ali Samarqand in the educational history of Hunza are unprecedented and this is just a short introduction of his enormous services in the field of early education in Hunza which was in fact the ice-breaking in terms of educational progress which opened the doors of modern enlightenment for the valley of Hunza.
Special thanks to Mr. Majeed Khan
PC: krdc.pk
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