After an outstanding period of political enterprise between 1924 and 1934,[12][13] he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Civil Division (KBE) in the 1933 New Year Honours list.[14][15] he in due course took over leadership of the Unionist Party from Sir Fazli Husein. Khan led his party to victory in the 1937 elections, held under the Government of India Act 1935 and then governed the Punjab as premier in coalition with the Sikh Akali Dal and the Indian National Congress. When Khan was the Unionist Premier, he extended the offer of Parliamentary Secretaryship to Ghazanfar Ali Khan, who became a strong backer of the Unionist Party in the assembly.[16] This government carried out many reforms for the better of the Punjabi Zamindar or agrarian community.