| Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan |
Article Index for Khan |
Website Links For Khan |
Information AboutKhan Abdul Ghaffar Khan |
|
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan ( in Utmanzai , Peshawar , North-West Frontier Province , India , 1890 ; d. in Peshawar, NWFP, Pakistan , 20 January 1988 ) was a Pashtun ( Afghan ) political and spiritual leader known for his Non-violent opposition to British Rule during the final years of the Empire on the Indian sub-continent. He was a lifelong Pacifist and a devout Muslim . He was known as ''Badshah Khan'' (sometimes written as ''Bacha Khan''), the `Khan of Khans', and `Frontier Gandhi '. Ghaffar Khan was educated in a small school run by Christian missionaries. His childhood was in sharp contrast to his contemporaries. Education as a means of social advancement remained an ideal throughout his life. Ghaffar Khan's goal was a united, independent, secular India; to achieve this end, he founded the '' Khudai Khidmatgar '' of God (also known as the `Red Shirts') during the 1920s . The ''Khudai Khidmatgar'' was founded on a belief in the power of complete Non-violence . Its members took an Oath which embodied its ideals. He told its members: `''I am going to give you such a weapon that the police and the army will not be able to stand against it. It is the weapon of the Prophet, but you are not aware of it. That weapon is patience and righteousness. No power on earth can stand against it.''' The organization recruited over 100,000 members and became legendary in opposing (and dying at the hands of) the British-controlled police and army. Through strikes, political organisation and non-violent opposition, the ''Khudai Khidmatgar'' were able to achieve some success and came to dominate the politics of the NWFP. His brother, Dr. Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan (known as Dr. Khan Sahib), led the political wing of the movement, and was the Chief Minister of the province (from the late 1920s until 1947 when his government was dismissed by Mohammad Ali Jinnah ). Ghaffar Khan forged a close, spiritual, and always uninhibited friendship with Mahatma Gandhi , the pioneer of non-violent mass civil disobedience in India. The two had a deep admiration towards each other and worked together for the rest of their lives. The ''Khudai Khidmatgar'' agitated and worked cohesively with the Indian National Congress , the leading national organization fighting for freedom, of which Ghaffar Khan was a senior and respected member. On several occasions when the Congress seemed to disagree with Gandhi on policy, Ghaffar Khan remained his staunchest ally. In 1931 the Congress offered him the presidency of the party, but he refused saying,'' "I am a simple soldier and Khudai Khidmatgar, and I only want to serve."'' But he remained a member of the Congress Working Committee for a long time, resigning only in 1939 because of his differences with the Party's War Policy. He rejoined the Congress Party when the War Policy was revised. Ghaffar Khan was a champion of women's rights and nonviolence. He became a hero in a society dominated by violence; notwithstanding his liberal views, his unswerving faith and obvious bravery led to his recognition as the ''Badshah Khan'' and the `Khan of Khans'. Throughout his life, he never lost faith in his non-violent methods or in the compatibility of Islam and nonviolence. He viewed his struggle as a Jihad with only the enemy holding swords. He was closely identified with Gandhi and he is known in India as the `Frontier Gandhi'. ‘''O Pathans! Your house has fallen into ruin. Arise and rebuild it—and remember to what race you belong.’ Ghaffar Khan'', quoted in Eknath Easwaran, A Man to Match his Mountains: Bacha Khan, Nonviolent Soldier of Islam (Nilgiri Press, Petaluma, 1984), p. 25. He strongly opposed the partition of India. While the Red Shirts were willing to work with Indian politicians, some Pashtuns desired independence from both India and the newly created state of Pakistan following the departure of the British. However, there was no option that included independence or merger with Afghanistan and when given a choice between Pakistan and India, most voters chose Pakistan by a margin of 9 to 1 in 1947. A '' Loya Jirga '' in the Tribal Areas garnered a similar result as most preferred to become part of Pakistan. Khan was exiled to Jalalabad , Afghanistan , but subsequently returned to Pakistan. In 1962 Abdul Ghaffar Khan was awarded "Amnesty Internationals Prisoner of the Year ". His autobiography ''My life and struggle: Autobiography of Badshah Khan'' was published in 1969 . He visited India and participated in the centenary celebrations of the Indian National Congress in 1985 ; he was awarded the Bharat Ratna , India's highest civilian award, in 1987 . Ghaffar Khan died in Peshawar under house arrest in 1988 and was buried in Jalalabad according to his wishes. Although he had been repeatedly imprisoned and persecuted, tens of thousands of mourners attended his funeral, marching through the historic Khyber Pass from Peshawar to Jalalabad. A cease fire was announced in the Afghan War to allow the funeral to take place. ''“Better be poisoned in ones own blood then to be poisoned in one’s principle”'' His eldest son Ghani Khan was a poet. Another son Khan Wali Khan is the founder and leader of the Awami National Party and was the Leader of the Opposition in the Pakistan National Assembly . His third son Ali Khan was non-political and a distinguished educationist and served as Vice-Chancellor of University Of Peshawar . As well as the head of Aitchison College Lahore and Fazle Haq college Mardan . REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|