A towering figure of the Indian subcontinent’s independence movement, Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai’s political career spanned the colonial and post-colonial eras. His progressive politics were national-democratic, anti-imperialist and anti-feudal. He advocated for democracy, civil rights and the rule of law and envisioned a single Pashtun province, which would incorporate all the contiguous Pashtun-inhabited areas east of the Durand Line with Pashto as the working language and medium of instruction. Altogether, he was sentenced to imprisonment for 40 of his 66 year life, a time he used to gain academic credentials and pen most of this autobiography. He is reverentially remembered as “Khan Shaheed” – the Martyr Khan.

Ayaz Khan Achakzai is a public policy expert and development economics practitioner. His work in international development includes stints at the World Bank, United Nations, private consulting and non-profit organizations. He was educated at Colby College, Oxford University and Princeton University. Ayaz is the co-translator and editor of My Life and Times.