Oxford Events, the new replacement for OxTalks, will launch on 16th March. The two-week OxTalks freeze period starts on Monday 2nd March. During this time, there will be no facility to publish or edit events. The existing OxTalks site will remain available to view during this period. Once Oxford Events launches, you will need a Halo login to submit events. Full details are available on the Staff Gateway.
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.