Ahmad Maher Pasha  Ahmad Maher Pasha (1888 – 24 February 1945) () was the Prime Minister of Egypt from 10 October 1944 to 24 February 1945. He was a member of the Saadist Institutional Party and was appointed Prime Minister following the removal of Mustafa an-Nahhas Pasha by King Farouk. After assuming power he called for new elections and opposed the candidacies of members of the Muslim Brotherhood, against whom he had declared a fatwa. Maher then declared war against the Axis Powers in World War II, primarily to gain a diplomatic advantage at the end of the war (which was seen as imminent). Immediately after his announcement, Maher was assassinated at parliament by 28-year-old Mahmoud El Essawy. It is assumed that Essawy was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Ahmad Maher Pasha was the grandfather of Ahmad Maher, Egypt's Foreign Minister from 2001 to 2004, as well as Ambassador Ali Maher.