Kacho Sikander Khan

Kacho Sikander Khan
A picture taken at a younger age.
Born	Sikander Khan 1917 Yoqma Kharboo, Kargil
Died	June 14, 2007(2007-06-14)
Resting place	Zamstiang, Kargil
Nickname	Sikander
Occupation	Public Servant
Nationality	Indian
Ethnicity	Balti
Alma mater	S.P College, Srinagar
Subject	History, Folk songs
Notable works	Qadeem Ladakh - Tarikh-o-tamaddun (Urdu), Ladakh in the Mirror of her Folklore,
Notable awards	Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy Award
Years active	1978-2007
Spouse	Roqiya Begum
Children	7 sons, 1 daughter

Kacho Sikander Khan Sikander (Urdu: کاچو سکندر خان سکندر‎) was an eminent writer from Kargil District, Ladakh. His work Qadeem Ladakh (Ancient Ladakh) is a major study of the history of Ladakh from the time people settled in the region up to the post-independent era.

Sikander Khan belonged to the Gasho family of Chiktan. Born in 1917 he was the eldest son of Kacho Isfindyar Khan. His mother belonged to the family of the Raja Haider Khan of Tambis.There were no schools in his village so at the age of nine he was admitted to a school in the Kargil town so that he could get modern education. His father made him stay with a simple household, The Abaa pa of the Aba Grong, a small locality in the vicinity of Kargil town. When he was in the 9th standard, his father died, and he and his mother had to shoulder the responsibility of the family. After the death of his father he had to leave his education half way and had to return to his native village. He was then married to Roqiya Begum who belonged to the Wazir family of Pashkyum. Later he sttudied at the S.P College, Srinagar and then went to Amar Singh College, Srinagar.

In 1947 due to the turmoil that followed partition of the country he could not sit for his B.A exams. He came back to his village where he helped among others his brother Mehdi Ali Khan in keeping peace intact in the aftermath of the ongoing turmoil. Prior to that he got appointed as a teacher at Leh in 1940. He had a good command over the Urdu and Persian languages. In the late forties he gave up teaching after he was unable to return to Leh following winter vacation in his native village because of the occupation of Kargil by the Gilgit Scouts who had invaded the Ladakh region on behalf of Pakistan. Later, he joined the Kashmir Administrative Service and remained in government service for thirty-four years until his retirement. He served in the capacities of treasurer, Naib-Tehsildar and then became the Tehsildar. He was the Mohtamin-e-Bandobast at Srinagar and retired as an Assistant Commissioner in 1980 and returned to his village.