Qazi Ataullah Khan

Qazi Ataullah Khan (1895–1952) was a Pashtun lawyer, writer, activist, and politician.

Early life and education Qazi Ataullah Khan was born in 1895 in the village Landi Arbab, Peshawar, in British India. He was the second son of Qazi Nasrullah Khan, a teacher and religious scholar. His family, natives to Landi Yarghajo, are of Khalil and Mohmand decent. The title Qazi was conferred upon his great-grandfather, Haji Talibuddin Rohani.

Qazi Ataullah received his early education at a local madrassa before attending the Mission School in Peshawar, where his father previously taught. He went to study law at Aligarh Muslim University graduating in 1918, after which he returned to Peshawar. The following month, the Khudai Khidmatgar movement was banned by the Muslim League government under Chief Minister Abdul Qayyum Khan.

Illness and death While imprisoned, Qazi Ataullah's health declined steadily, though the government refused to provide medical care. He was eventually diagnosed with blood cancer.