New Delhi, February 5: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, born on February 6, 1890, in the Utmanzai village of the Peshawar Valley, spent his childhood in a culture where seeking revenge was seen as honorable. The Pashtun society was synonymous with bravery, yet this valor often led to destructive feuds. Young Ghaffar quickly realized that the greatest bondage was not the British rule, but rather ignorance.
A pivotal moment in his life occurred when he received a commission in the prestigious ‘Corps of Guides’ after completing the 10th grade. For a Pashtun, this was a matter of pride. However, upon witnessing British officers’ disdain for Indian soldiers, his self-respect was ignited. He rejected the position, marking his first act of civil disobedience. He resolved to work for his people, not the British, and opened the ‘Azad School’ at just 20 years old in 1910.
While armies throughout History have been armed, in 1929, Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Bacha Khan) initiated a remarkable experiment that astonished the world. He founded the ‘Khuda’i Khidmatgar’ (Servants of God).
Imagine a disciplined, uniformed army of Pashtuns, not wielding guns, but embodying the spirit of service. Their inexpensive red attire, covered in brick dust, earned them the nickname ‘Red Shirts.’ The oath to join this army was so rigorous that even the bravest warriors would tremble. The pledge was, “I will renounce violence and the desire for revenge. I will forgive those who oppress me.”
During the Salt March of 1930, when the British army opened fire on unarmed protesters in Peshawar’s Kissa Khwani Bazaar, hundreds of Red Shirts stood their ground, taking bullets to their chests without raising a stone in retaliation. A British officer later admitted, “It is easier to fight armed Pashtuns, but these unarmed Pashtuns have robbed us of our sleep.”
His relationship with Mahatma Gandhi transcended politics; it was spiritual. Despite their different dialects and attire, they shared a common soul rooted in nonviolence. This unbreakable bond earned him the title ‘Frontier Gandhi.’ In 1934, he was offered the presidency of the Congress party but declined.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan is known as ‘Frontier Gandhi’ because he led the freedom struggle against the British while adhering to Gandhi’s principles of nonviolence, truth, and peace in the North-West Frontier Province. He was a close ally of Gandhi and inspired the Pashtuns to engage in nonviolent movements.
The year 1947 brought independence to India, but it also marked the greatest tragedy in Bacha Khan’s life. He vehemently opposed the partition based on religion. When the Congress accepted the division, his heart shattered. He tearfully told Gandhi and Congress leaders, “You have thrown us to the wolves.” This statement remains etched in history, referring to the Pakistan that offered no guaranteed place for the Pashtuns.
After the partition, he remained in Pakistan, yet his principles did not allow him to live in peace. He demanded rights for the Pashtuns and autonomy for ‘Pashtunistan,’ which was labeled as treason. Ironically, the freedom for which he fought in his youth against the British led to his old age spent in Pakistani prisons.
He spent a total of 27 years in jail, a duration longer than Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment. Even the confines of a prison cell could not break his spirit. In the 1960s, he faced exile in Afghanistan, yet his smile and teachings of nonviolence never faded.
India has never forgotten this estranged son. In 1987, when he returned for medical treatment, the entire nation stood ready to welcome him. The Indian government honored him with the prestigious ‘Bharat Ratna,’ making him the first non-Indian citizen to receive this accolade. This honor aimed to erase the borders drawn on maps that could not divide hearts.
In 1988, the Pakistani government placed him under house arrest in Peshawar. He passed away on January 20, 1988, and, as per his last wish, was buried in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.