Sir Syed arranged a scholarship for Sahib to take the Indian Civil Service exam in England, which he refused following his mother's request. This upset Sir Syed greatly, who expelled Abdullah from Aligarh and asked him not to show his face again. Abdullah Sahib honoured his words and became a clerk in remote Gilgit. He was soon made governor of the province. He spent eighteen to twenty years there and his three sons and three daughters were born there. He was a close associate of Maharaja Pratap Singh of Kashmir, and was an expert on international relations, especially with Russia and China.