Mir Dad Khan

Risaldar Mir Dad Khan Tareen (or Tarin), OBI (died c. 1932), was a native officer of the British Indian Army, who belonged to the Hazara region of the North West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakthunkhwa in Pakistan). He was the father of former Pakistani president Ayub Khan.

Background
Mir Dad Khan was born into a prominent Hindko speaking family of the ethnic Pashtun Tareen/Tarin clan, settled in village Rehana in the Haripur District of the Hazara region. After some basic schooling, he decided to enroll as a soldier in the (then) British Indian Army, at quite a young age.

He enlisted as a sowar (mounted trooper) in a cavalry regiment, the 9th Hodson's Horse, in 1887 and after initial training, was posted to duties at Ambala, Punjab. His first participation in a major military campaign was during the Chitral Expedition circa 1895-97. Subsequently, he served in the Tirah Campaign and operations in the Barra Valley, 1897-98. He was promoted Jemadar in 1894 and Risaldar in 1900. Later, between October 1914 and mid-1915, he served along with his regiment in France in World War I.

He was invalidated due to health reasons in 1915 and returned to India to the regimental depot until the end of the War. He retired in August 1918 and was awarded title of 'Khan Bahadur'and an Order of British India (2nd class) for long service. During his military service, he represented his regiment at the Delhi Durbars of 1903 and 1911.

He died c. 1932 at his home, in his village.

Legacy
One of Mir Dad Khan's sons from his second wife, Muhammad Ayub Khan, rose to be a general in the Pakistan Army and the country's first military dictator and later president. One of his grandsons is Gohar Ayub Khan; and his great-grandsons include Yusuf Ayub Khan and Omar Ayub Khan.