PEKAN: Following is the official biography of the new and sixth Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah (pix), as released by Istana Abu Bakar.
His Royal Highness Sultan Abdullah was born on July 30, 1959, at Istana Mangga Tunggal in this royal town.
Early Education
He attended pre-school at the Clifford School in Kuala Lipis in 1965 before continuing his primary education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Ahmad in Pekan and Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan St Thomas in Kuantan (1966-1969) and his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Thomas (1970-1974).
Sultan Abdullah then went to the United Kingdom to further his studies at Aldenham School, Elstree, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, and Davies College, London, from 1975 to 1977.
He also attended The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom (1978-1979) as well as Worcester College and Queen Elizabeth College, also in the United Kingdom (1980-1981) and gained a Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy.
Sultan Abdullah has a deep interest in the military, and this was evident when he was made a Second Lieutenant at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and where he was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II in 1980.
He was also the Captain of the Malaysian Royal Cavalry Corps and, on May 1, 1999, he was appointed as Lieutenant Colonel of the 505 Territorial Army Regiment and then as the Colonel of the 505 Territorial Army Regiment on June 1, 2000. He was eventually appointed the Brigadier General of the 505 Territorial Army Regiment on April 1, 2004.
Appointment as the Pahang Crown Prince
On July 1, 1975, he was appointed as the Crown Prince of Pahang and was formally proclaimed as the Crown Prince on October 23, 1977, at Istana Abu Bakar, Pekan.
Appointment as the Regent of Pahang
At the age of 20, he was appointed as the Regent of Pahang on April 28, 1979, for a period of five years, during the reign of his father, Sultan Ahmad Shah, as the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Again, on Dec 8, 2016, he was appointed as the Regent of Pahang until Jan 11 this year when the Pahang Royal Council decided to proclaim him as the sixth Sultan of Pahang.
Sultan Abdullah was a keen sportsman and, while in England, he led the Pahang Royal Polo team in an international tournament at the Windsor Polo Club.
Later, he participated in tournaments in Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Argentina, the United States, Spain and Belgium.
In Pahang, he set up his own football team called Sri Mahkota Alam in Pekan.
He also has an interest in other sports such as golf, go-kart racing and ultralight aviation.
Consort
Sultan Abdullah is married to Her Royal Highness Tengku Puan Pahang Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Almarhum Almutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj. She is also 59.
Children
The royal couple were blessed with four princes and five princesses, namely Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah; Tengku Puteri Iman Afzan; Puteri Ilisha Ameera; Tengku Panglima Besar Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah; Tengku Puteri Ilyana.
Tengku Muhammad Iskandar Ri’ayatuddin Shah; Tengku Ahmad Ismail Muadzam Shah; Tengku Puteri Afzan Aminah Hafizatullah and Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah ‘Athiyatullah.
Latest Positions Held
Sultan Abdullah is the president of the Pahang Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council.
He is also the president of the Pahang Royal Family Welfare Body and the chancellor of three universities, namely Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and DRB-HICOM University of Automotive Malaysia.
In the sporting arena, he is a council member of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) and member of the FIFA Executive Committee and was the president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
He is also active in hockey and is the president of the Malaysian Hockey Federation; president of the Asian Hockey Federation and member of the International Hockey Federation Executive Board.
In polo, he is the president of the Royal Malaysian Polo Association (RMPA) and president of the Royal Pahang Polo Club (RPPC) and also holds the presidency of several other sports club such as the Pahang Squash Club (PSC), the Royal Pahang Golf Club (RPGC) and the Royal Pahang Shooting Club.
Sports Achievements
Sultan Abdullah’s commitment to sports is not confined to the country but extends to the international arena.
Among the positions he has held in international sports are chairman of the Organising Committee of the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship; member of the Organising Committee of the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, Paris; chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2011 FIP Polo World Cup, Malaysia; chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2012 FIH Congress, Kuala Lumpur; chairman of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup Australia and member of the Organising Committee of the 2018 World Cup, Russia. — Bernama
