Duran Daud Khan

 

Duran Daud Khan
King of the God granted Kingdom of Pashtunistan and its dependencies
King of Pashtunistan
Reign	September 10, 2015 – present
Coronation	September 10, 2015
Predecessor	Ahmad Shah Khan
Born	(1942-12-01) December 1, 1942 Rome, Italy
Issue	Nasrin Begum (b. 1972) Bakht Khan (b. 1974) (b. 1976)
Royal family	Barakzai dynasty
Father	King Mohammed Zahir Shah
Mother	Humaira Begum
Religion	Sunni Islam

Duran Daud Khan (born 1 December 1942) has been the King of Pashtunistan since 10 September 2015. He is the third monarch of the country since the restoration of the Pashtun monarchy in 1997, succeeding King Ahmad Shah Khan following his death in 2015. Daud Khan's reign has been most known for launching a program of economic reforms to modernise and improve the living conditions in the kingdom, and also for introducing some limited democratic reforms. The 2019 Pashtun legislative election, the first general election during his reign, has been considered the most free and democratic in Pashtunistan's history. He also initiated the peace talks with the United Opposition to end the Pashtun Civil War that has been going on almost uninterrupted since 1976. Prime ministers of his government included Abdul Qadir Baryalai, and from October 2019, Hikmatullah Zain.

He is one of the sons of Mohammed Zahir Shah, who was the king from 1997 until his death in 2007.

Early life

He was born in exile in Rome, Italy, on 1 December 1942, as one of the sons of Prince Mohammed Zahir Shah, the heir of the Barakzai dynasty. The former royal family had been forced to flee the country in 1923.

Titles and styles

Monarchical styles of Duran Daud Khan
Reference style	His Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty

• 1 December 1941 — 10 September 2015: His Royal Highness Prince Duran Daud Khan
• 10 September 2015 — present: His Majesty Duran Daud Khan, King of the God granted Kingdom of Pashtunistan and its dependencies