Shahzada Sultan Jan and Mahomed Hayat Khan with Nawabs, 1878
Shahzada Sultan Jan (third from left) and Mahomed Hayat Khan (center) with Nawabs, 1878. Original caption: “Shahzada Sultan Jan of Kurram valley and Nawabs.” Source

Shahzada Sultan Jan Saddozai was sixth in descent from Ahmad Shah Durrani. Shahzada Hassad, grandson of Timur Shah Durrani, fled to Peshawar around 1830 AD and sought the protection of Ranjit Singh. His son Shahzada Jumhoor (father of Shahzada Sultan Jan) sided with the British during the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–1849). In November 1849 he was made an Extra Assistant Commissioner of Kohat. He died in 1869. Upon his death, Shahzada Sultan Jan became head of the family and in 1872 was appointed Extra Assistant Commissioner of Kohat.

During the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the British employed Shahzada Sultan Jan in Kurram. After the Khost expedition, he was left there by Frederick Roberts as governor with some Turi militia. Soon after the British troops withdrew, the Khostwals rose in revolt, and the British had to send a force to rescue Sultan Jan and his followers. Later, he served as Assistant to the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Kurram until October 1880, when he returned to Kohat.

Shahzada Sultan Jan and his father, Shahzada Jumhoor, lie buried in Shahpur village, about two kilometers from Kohat city.

Reference: Report on the Settlement of the Kohat District in the Panjab by Henry St. George Tucker.

Further Reading: Graveyard of Durrani princes receding into oblivion – DAWN

Shahzada Sultan Jan Durrani and Muhammad Hayat Khan, 1878
Shahzada Sultan Jan Durrani (right) and Muhammad Hayat Khan (left), 1878.
Political officers in Kurram, 1895
The political officers of the British Empire in Kurram, c.1895.
Gate of Ahmadzai, Kurram Valley, 1895
The gate of Ahmadzai, Kurram Valley, c.1895.