Fateh Khan Barakzai

Fateh Khan Barakzai was an Afghan politician who served as the Wazir of the Durrani Empire during the reign of Mahmud Shah Durrani until his torture and execution at the hands of Kamran Shah Durrani, the son of the ruler of the Durrani Empire, and Mahmud Shah Durrani, and other prominent conspirators such as Ata Mohammad Khan. Fateh Khan was of the Barakzai tribe, and his death caused the enmity of his tribe, leading to his tribe revolting and the eventual deposition of Mahmud Shah Durrani. Fateh Khan was originally from Kandahar and belonged to the Popalzai tribe. Shortly after the Taliban took over major Afghan institutions in December 1996, Fateh Khan, acting as Governor of Da Afghanistan Bank, declared most Afghani notes in circulation to be worthless and cancelled the contract with the Russian firm that had been printing the currency. Fateh Khan accused the firm of sending new shipments of Afghani notes to ousted president Burhanuddin Rabbani in northern Takhar province. At the battle of Mazar-i-Sharif in 1997, Fateh Khan was captured by anti-Taliban forces, but was freed later during the battle. Afterwards, he led an elite group consisting of around 1,000 Kandaharis, ensuring his financial job received limited attention before he was killed.