Khan received his early education in Punjab, followed by MA degrees in History and Geography from
Aligarh Muslim University in 1935 and 1938, respectively. Khan joined the
Archaeological Survey of India as a Field Scholar for Exploration and Excavation in October 1938. In 1943, he was appointed Custodian of the Archaeological Museum
Mohenjo-Daro. The Government of
India awarded him a scholarship to study
Chinese archaeology at
Beijing University for three years in 1947. Later, the Government of
Pakistan awarded him a scholarship to pursue higher education in
England in 1951, where he completed his PhD in a record time of two years and four months under the supervision of
Max Mallowan and
V. Gordon Childe at the Institute of Archaeology,
University of London. His doctoral dissertation, "
An Archaeological Study of the Indus Valley Civilizations and their Relationship to the Early Cultures of Iran," showcased his expertise in the field. Post-retirement, he chaired the Antiquities Acquisition Committee of the National Museum for many years. From 1970 to 1977, he served as Professor of Archaeology at the
University of Karachi. In 1974, Khan served as a consultant for
UNESCO in
Bahrain,
Kuwait,
Qatar, and the
United Arab Emirates. == Death ==