Saifullah Khan

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For the Bangladeshi cricketer of the same name see Saifullah Khan (cricketer).

Saifullah Khan Khudiadadzai was a great warrior belonging to the Khudiadadzai tribe (a sub-caste of kakars sunzerkhel) in the area of present day Balochistan. In the 1880s he fought against the British troops that were conquering the region. He engaged the British army many times, fighting valiantly every time. The British army approached his castle, Qalla, and demanded his surrender. Saifullah Khan refused, swearing to fight for his honor until the last drop of his blood. An assault on the castle ensued, lasting for days. Eventually the British called for a cessation of fighting and reached a compromise agreement with Saifullah Khan.

To his surprise the area was named Killa Saifullah, meaning "the castle of Saifullah Khan," in honor of his bravery. The word Killa is a variant spelling of the proper Qalla.

There are many verses in folk songs about Saifullah Khan's bravery. One story says that when two parties were to settle a dispute by fighting, one party was asked if they would rather have a group of many people, or only Saifullah Khan. They chose Saifullah Khan, solely for his bravery, saying that he alone was equal to a group of sixty or sixty-five people.

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