Hydari served in the Indian Audit and Accountancy Service before moving to
Hyderabad State where he became the finance minister and later the prime minister. In 1920, he spent a short period back in British India as chief accountant in Bombay. After returning to Hyderabad, he headed the Department of Police, Justice, and General Affairs. In 1921, he became head of the Finance Department. Hydari also led the state railway company and the Hyderabad (Deccan) Company. From 1930 to 1931, he headed Hyderabad's delegation to the
First Round Table Conference on India's future in London. On 13 March 1937, Hydari was appointed
Prime Minister and head of the Executive Council, succeeding
Kishen Pershad. In July 1941, he was appointed a member of the
Viceroy's Executive Council., after which he was succeeded as Prime Minister by Sayyad Hafiz Mohammed Ahmed, Nawab of Chhatari, and moved to New Delhi. Hydari was also interested in archaeology and was involved in the establishment of the Archaeological Department in Hyderabad. The collection of miniature paintings he acquired was bequeathed to the
Prince Albert Museum, now the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, in Bombay and the State Archaeological Museum in Hyderabad. Hydari was pivotal in the foundation of the
Doon School, working to obtain the former estate of the
Forest Research Institute, in
Dehradun, from the government on favourable terms for the site of the school. Of the four original houses Hyderabad House was named after Akbar Hydari, who secured a contribution from
Nizam of Hyderabad's government. He was a
freemason, and largely responsible for the restoration of the
Ajanta Caves. , Secunderabad == Family ==