Zaki Khan was born into the Zand tribe, who had been uprooted by Nader Shah from their ancestral lands near Hamadan, in the central Iranian region of Lorestan, and settled in Northern Khorasan.
At Nader's death in 1747, the Zand returned to Lorestan, and their leader Karim Khan managed to gain vast political power, taking control of Isfahan in 1750, where they installed a puppet underage shah, Ismail III.
Karim Khan never took the title of shah but had himself addressed as "wakil" (deputy)[1] even as he was the ruler over most of Central and Western Iran.
After a year of unsuccessful fighting and negotiations, Zaki Khan eventually begged for the mercy of his brother, and received it.
He led forces to submit principalities on the Persian Gulf coast, the main one a naval expedition against Oman in 1773, that ended in total failure and Zaki's disgrace.
By the time of Karim Khan's death, he was logically at the head of the faction pushing for Muhammad Ali to be proclaimed nominal ruler.
Muhammad Ali was proclaimed nominal ruler,[2] and Zaki Khan regent with full power over the Empire.