He was the father of Lieutenant-General Abdul Wali Khan, cousin and senior power behind the throne of King Zahir during the 1963-1973 constitutional period and throughout their exile.
Commander-in-chief of the army that defeated Habibullah Kalakani (also known as Bacha-ye Saqqow) and captured Kabul on 10 October 1929, for which he received the titles of Ghazi and Fateh-e-Kabul ("Conqueror of Kabul").