Dr Mir Kalan – an obituary

Muhsin Aziz

Prof Dr Mir Kalan Shah passed away after battling with Covid-19 for about 34 days in Peshawar on May 17.

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight
But they, while their companions slept
Were toiling upward in the night.
(Long Fellow).

Dr Shah was born in 1954 in Khot, which is 124 km from the main Chitral town. He started his primary education from the government primary school in Khot under the patronage of his father Rozgar Shah who was a prominent religious scholar of his time. It is said that he was the only person of his area who could read and write in Urdu and Arabic as well.

Dr Shah appeared in his middle class(8th) examination in Mulkhow and did his marticulation from Chitral. He once told me that due to his academic excellency he was awarded a scholarship for the secondary school education.
After completion of class 10th, he moved to Nowshera for further education where he completed his graduation (BA) from the Govt Degree College in 1966. He did master’s in economics in 1978 from University of Peshawar. After two months of his degree completion, he was hired as a lecturer (economics) in Agricultural University on the basis of his extraordinary talents and skills. In 1985 he was promoted to assistant professor.
He left no stone unturned in achieving the unachievable and was sent to Europe for his PhD in 1990 where he completed his PhD in 1994 from School of Economics and Social Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich England. Soon after his PhD, he was promoted to associate professor in 1995, he got promoted to the post of professor in 1998.

Dr Shah was the first PhD from Chitral. He served as Deputy Director Planning and Development Studies at Agricultural University Peshawar from 1986-1988, Director Institute of Development Studies at Agricultural University Peshawar from 1996-2006, convener Board of Studies, Institute of Development Studies, Peshawar, (1999-2006), Member Board of Studies, Agriculture University, Peshawar (1999-2007), Member Board of Studies, Agriculture University, Peshawar.(1999-2006), Member Board of Faculty, Faculty of Nutritional Sciences Agriculture University, (1999-2001), and Member Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PIDE), Islamabad.
In addition, he was Member Academic Council Agriculture University, Peshawar, and Member Board of Studies COMSAT Abbottabad (2009).

He was also the editor and associate editor Sarhad Journal of Agriculture Peshawar (2001-2009). He was proficient in English, Urdu, Pashto, German, Arabic and Khowar languages.