Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

Abdul Ghaffar Khan or Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was born on February 6, 1890 in family of Sunni Muslim Pashtun at Utmanzai, Punjab of British India and lived in  Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He was a spiritual and political leader who fought against the Colonial Rule of British in India. He was knows for his lifelong opposition of violence and was a Muslim devotee. He in an Indian subcontinent, was a Hindu-Muslim unity advocate. Amir Chand Bombwal, his associate name him as Sarhadi Gandhi because of his friendship with great leader Mahatma Gandhi. He died at the age of 97 on January 20, 1988 in Peshawar, Pakistan. He had completed his education in Aligarh Muslim University.

Abdul Ghaffar Khan joined National Awami Party, Pakistan and Indian National Congress, India. He majorly performed two Indian Independence movements and that are Khudai Khidmatgar and Pashtunistan Movement. Abdul Bahram Khan was the father of Abdul Ghaffar Khan. He was honoured with Bharat Ratna Award in 1987, Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience in 1962 and Jawaharlal Nehru Award in 1967. He married Mehar Qanda Kinankheli and after her death in 1918 he married Nambata Kinankheli in 1920 and had 5 children.

He strongly opposed the movement of Partition of India and strictly supported All-India Azad Muslim Conference and Indian National Congress against the All-India Muslim League Partition. He felt betrayed when the Indian National Congress without consulting him accepted the plan of partition.

Contributions of Abdul Ghaffar Khan

Abdul Ghaffar Khan plays a wide role in Khudai Khidmatgar and in the Hindu-Muslim partition.

Khudai Khidmatgar

The Khudai Khidmatgar refers to the “Servants of God” and during the 1920s it was often called as “Red Shirts” and was founded by Abdul Ghaffar Khan to develop a secular, independent and United India. He founded Khudai Khidmatgar on the belief of the notion of Gandhi of Satyagraha and non-violence. Khudai Khidmatgar achieved success and dominated Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa politics. He on April 23, 1930 was arrested during the Salt Satyagraha protest.

The Partition of Hindu-Muslim Community

Abduk Ghaffar Khan strongly opposed the partition of Hindu-Muslim Community due to which he was accused by many politicians and even in 1946, he was assaulted physically due to which h was hospitalised in Peshawar. He and his followers felt betrayed at the time when Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian National Congress refused to accept the compromise like the plan of the Cabinet Mission and even the suggestion of Mahatma Gandhi of offering the Prime Minister position to Mohammad Jinnah. He to Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress party said that “You have thrown us to the wolves’ ‘. Bacha Khan along with Indian National Congress boycotted the North-West Frontier Province Referendum, 1947 to Pakistan.

He also contributed to eradicating illiteracy and poverty and taught the importance of literacy and education and developed the enthusiasm, non-violence and positivity in the youth.

Death  of Bacha Khan or Abdul Ghaffar Khan

Abdul Ghaffar Khan died due to stroke’s complications in 1988 under house arrest in Peshawar and was buried at Jalalabad, Afghanistan in his house. Mohammad Najibullah, the Afghan President, including more than 200,000 mourners attended the funeral of Abdul Ghaffar Khan. Rajiv Gandhi, Indian President also paid his tribute to Ghaffar Khan and also a 5 day mourning period was declared by the government in his honour.

Conclusion

Abdul Ghaffar Khan or Bacha Khan or Badshah Khan was a revolutionary freedom fighter. He spread his thought or ideas of independence, tranquility, secularism and enthusiasm throughout the British-India and strongly believed in Mahatma Gandhi’s notion and the religion Islam is the “Religion of Tolerance” spread peace throughout the country.