Friday, 29 May 2015


We live in angry times. The horrific events of 9/11 have altered image of Islam and Afghanistan. The world is dominated to western point of view and how does this point of view see the Pathan in Afghanistan. Is Afghanistan condemned to be the sight of clash of civilization? Is the Pathan bound by his faith to be fighting against the modern west? Is an Islam of Afghanistan as violent as it’s made out to be? One name stands all his history of this country. He had more than its fresh air of battles book inner outer and my blog will trace and understand the man and his battles. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Bacha Khan, Badshah Khan, Messenger of Peace). The son of the farmer who rouse up to be the citizen of World.

Amal ( The Right Conduct)



Afghanistan one of the poorest and one of the most trouble lands in contemporary World. From more than a decade it has been considered a breeding ground for fanatic fundamentalism and militancy. The memory of “Mulla Umer” and his brigade are not faded yet from our memories and yet define this contemporary view that is contrasting memory too. The memory of the tall, brave man walking amides the Pathans, Singing the song of peace. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan wasn’t a bettani of Non-violence apply named a “Frontier Gandhi”. He shunned all forms of violence, fighting for the freedom and Rights of the Pathans. Ghaffar Khan Change the way the world views the Pathans. Traditionally Pathans were known for their pride and violent ways by which they defended their honor (Baddal or Revenge) was most important to the Pathan. Honor killings they were call it. If felt dishonored the Pathan will surely guilt and the family of the victim will surely kill the killer and so on. This mindest revenge know no bound, no Friday, no Saturday nothing on nobody forever forgiven. It was on this tradition that Abdul Ghaffar Khan embraced non-violence and forgiveness. He preaches these virtual as the ways of the Prophet. Ghaffar Khan with stood pain and torture but never retaliated. Ghaffar Khan was born to the humble father “Behram Khan” Chief of his small tribe. Against the damn prevailing trend he chose to educate his children at school run by the British. Ghaffar Khan grew up with loving broad minded family. Who treated all guest with equal respect. In those days there was no customs to note down birthdays. So the exact date of birth of Abdul Ghaffar Khan is unknown but history records that he was born to the Khan Behram Khan of Utmanzai village in 1890. This village is in Charsada tehsil of Peshawar district Pakistan. It was at the missionary school that he saw his teacher performing service to the needy. Abdul Ghaffar Khan was tremendously influence by the spirit of selflessness of virtue he would master in abundant slather. In those days it was consider extremely prestigious to join the British Indian Army. A young well build Pathan standing 6 ft 3 inches tall almost the matriculate He was selected to join the frontier guides but when he saw British officers insult his friend who was a cavalry officer in Peshawar regimen Ghaffar Khan Quit. He would never stand for injustice. His struggle was for his people the Pathans of Afghanistan, he lives for them, he stripe for them and he suffers for them. He defined the British and the Russians “His only mission was a free and democratic home land for the Pathans. A place without violence, where Pathans would live with head held high. Ghaffar Khan had a vision he realize that education and learning is first step to remove Pathans from this misery. He knew that this violence will directly link to illiteracy. He dares to open the schools for basic education to children. Did he have any idea how much trouble they had? He must have. The British felt threaten he was sent to jail made to walk in blazing heat with no water or food chain to a vigil. Kept in jail with no food and extreme code with the dawn bleeder rack for cover but all this only made Ghaffar Khan even more determined. In the tradition of those days only the boys were sent to schools. Ghaffar Khan realizes that education should not be only for boys, He encouraged girls to be educated too. He educated his daughters and sent them abroad for higher education. He was a champion of women rights and wanted them to come out from the Parda. In 1924 Ghaffar Khan started to thinking about the nation news paper finally May 1928 his dream was realized and the first issue of “Pakhtun” was published. It begins very popular. Soon after Ghaffar Khan went to India. He wanted to collect money for their cause. In 1928 Ghaffar Khan meet Mahatma Gandhi and jawahir Lal Nehru for the first time in Congress meeting. Ghaffar Khan was mesmerized by the nationalist passion that was driven Indian then. He came back and spoke to his countrymen. Thus the idea about an organization to bring about social reforms and which realized in 1929. They call it “Khudai Kidmatgars (The servants of God)”. Khudai Kidmatgar has to take a vow before joining, a vow of non-violence. To renounce revenge and anger to want aggresses of wrong doers. To treat every Pathan as his brother and friends and to serve humanity in the name of God. This was no less than a revolution in a making the more British would torture the more would join in. The British draw transformation to the human war killing several people. The order solders to shoot up unarmed men and women. They round it up Khudai Kidmatgars remove their cloths and beat them mercilessly. They would make to stand naked on house tops with that faces and back sides blacken. Their women force to watch this humiliation. They suddenized these brave men with tent poles, destroy their homes, kill their women and children but they could not make Pathan to break his words. Such was the loving respect that Pathan had for their organization and their leader Ghaffar Khan. His loyalty was the people, a people he loved and for their sakes he was willing to go any distance. He and his brother fought to save the Hindus and Sikhs in Frontier. He brought relive to the Muslim of Behar. When he confronted Jinnah in Pakistan. The parliament in India have some very uncomfortable questions about the attacks on minorities this couldn’t a true meaning of Islam.

Yaqeen (Faith)



Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan would often say “What pleases God pleases me” his Islam appears to be a most natural kind. He would say “Prayer in whatever language or form was address to the one and same God”. Ghaffar Khan started a Geetha with equal reverence as he did the Quran. He listens to Sikh Gurus read out to him by fellow Sikh prisoners. He consider his religion be true Allah and service to God and humanity. He felt every religion better come to world brought the message of love and brotherhood. He followed the way of life shown by the Prophet that man was a Muslim who never hurt anyone by word or deeds but who works benefit of God creatures. On one instance when Gaffer Khan met Gandhi ji there was an interesting conversation between them. “ Gandhi ji you have been preaching non-violence in India for a long time now but I started to teaching a Pathans non-violence only a short time ago. We had been comparison the Pathans seems to have crossed the idea of non-violence much quicker and much better than the Indians. How can you explain that?” Gandhi Ji replied “Non-violence in not for cowards it is for the brave and the courageous and the Pathan are brave and courageous that is the reason why the Pathans will able to remain non-violent”. Like Gandhi the Khan Sahab fought for the rights of threaten poor and the weak. Like Gandhi he had no use of guns and bombs. Like Gandhi he stays away from War and work for social and humanitarian aids. Like Gandhi he fought to relive poorty and resist operation. Mahatma Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan were brothers and arms and the only weapon they possessed with courage and braveness. Mahatma Gandhi has once said “That build a sword has been raised in the name of Islam and often for the sake of Islam but let us not forget that Islam was not founded by sword”.  Many people were surprised at Abdul Ghaffar Khan Plague to non-violence. They would think of Muslims naturally violent people to this Khan Sahab would saying “Surely there is nothing surprising to a Musalman and Pathan like me subscribing to the creed of non-violence. It is not a new creed it was swallowed 1400 years ago by the Prophet all the time he was in Makka but we had so far forgotten it that when Mahatma Gandhi placed before us we thought it was sponsoring a new creed or a noble weapon. We didn’t show be credited being first among us to revive the forgotten creed”. Those were the days of fighting. The British was fighting war the congress was fighting with British. The Muslim league was fighting the congress and Abdul Ghaffar Khan was helping the congress in his fight for independence. Hindu Radicals would not trust him completely. Muslim radicals would accuse him be a Hindu lover ignoring a call of Islam. He put simply say “Happy forgotten the teaching of Islam. The teaching of Islam asks us to side with the weaker party. We up to be torch barriers in the country struggle for the independence”. The chief asset of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was courage. He had his own interpretation of scriptures and he is not afraid to act upon it and he did not hesitate to criticized those Muslims voices which use religion for commercial and political reasons and the voices retaliated they criticized him at each stages. Right from the beginning when he started go to school with his brother or when he started his own school and encourage the education of culture and when he join hands with the Christians and Sikhs and Hindus to fight for India free and when opposed the partition of India along religious lines or when he protected Sikhs and Hindus against violence in the Frontier Province at each stage he was criticized but his faith never wayward. Till the end he insisted that the prophet’s chief demand for the Muslims was the serves of fellow Human beings.

Mohabbat (Love)

 


Ghaffar Khan and his Army of one hundred thousand Khudai Kidmatgars fought for India independence. They would never in favor of Partitions yet Gold calculated negotiations between the British, The Muslim League and The Congress partition is thirst upon them. Ghaffar Khan Voice didn’t matter nobody care for Ghaffar Khan and his Pathans. They able to victim of trade off. Khan shahab was devastated. Deep down he felt he was betrayed by the leaders of the congress worrying that division of India was taking place. As all knows Frontier Gandhi was not in favor of Two Nation Theory. He believes in Gandhi and his philosophy, worked a Gandhi way of life all his life were to the last day. Ghaffar Khan now deploys a two democracy in justice. For this he pays darely in prison and retreated. Ghaffar Khan suffers great humiliation. He was stood all never getting up his believe in non-violence in life. Ultimately when Ghaffar Khan was very dangerously ill in prison he was released. His doctor’s advice him to go London but he was not agreeable. Than Ghaffar Khan decided to go to Afghanistan. He reached Kabul and spends his days in Jalalabad. He did come back to India after 22 years for Gandhi ji centenary celebrations on 2nd October 1969. Then in 1987 he was vesture the highest honor by Bharat Ratna. However tragically he had a heart attack and went it to a comma 


Ghaffar Khan never recover after that he was taken to jalalabad where he breathe his last on 20th January 1988. When he died a sea of people board in to Jalalabad. Rajiv Gandhi the than Prime Minister of India postpone his other plans and rush to Afghanistan for offer his Respects. This great legend held no posts and yet he forced one of the world most powerful nations Russia to call a ceasefire. Highest officials of country and governments paid homage even in his death. He remains the Badshah (The King of Kings).
            Tragically present day Pathans have been terrorized by another so called leader whose name is synonymous with all that Khan shahab was against. The host 9/11 worlds know him as “Mulla Umer”. The fanatic Taliban leader, enemy of US and was host to Osama bin Ladin in Afghanistan. Mulla Umer is complete anti thesis of Ghaffar Khan. The struggle for which Ghaffar Khan mobilized his fellow Pathans was completely non-violent but its Mulla Umer took violence to extreme levels secondly Ghaffar Khan was trying to fight against age old tradition of revenge among Pathans to him forgiveness was a important part of Islam. Another important difference between Ghaffar Khan and Talibans was that non Muslims were equally important to him. Ghaffar Khan always said that he and his Pathans were protecting Hindus, Sikhs and Christians living in Pukhtunkhwa province where Muslim was in majority. He always sighted the influences of  two non Muslims on him. One was the white Christian school master called “Regrain” and other was a Hindu called “Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi”. Perhaps the most significant differences between Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Movement and Taliban’s was that Bacha Khan wanted Pashtun women to study, work and lead the society. In 1932 he sent his teenage daughter “Mehar Taj” to study in England. We also know from his reckons that Bacha Khan was enthusiastic about the Buddhist heritage of his region. He respected all religions and Buddhist history in that area. The subsequent destruction of banyan status would have surely broken his heart. Last but certainly not at least the Taliban carders at an attitude of me first and displayed double standards in all levels. Whereas Bacha Khan ask his Khudai Kidmatgars to serve the society and practice what they preach. Perhaps the teams are unfair to compared the too. Taliban who raise the gun for sake of their interpretation of Islam and never hesitated from mindless killing and Khudai Kidmatgars or Bacha Khan who took an oath of non-violence, respected other religions and would committed to the development of their people. The life of Abdul Ghaffar Khan is an inspiring saga. Mahatma Gandhi describes him as a man of God. One of the greatest leaders of Asia. He was the closest college of Gandhi and a passionate freedom fighter. The non violent Badshah(King) of Khan’s. Bacha Khan life has the capacity to speak to meaningfully to a habitant of our times. The one who’s young or Muslim or both or neither.
            We live internal times but we cannot afford to make the mistakes of forgetting arkestry. What is Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Mean to us? He was knowingly a Pashtun leader.  He was calluses of the history of Subcontinent, A secular leader who was Muslim a true sense of the term. He was all that and more which is why his voice will still continue echo down the centuries. The citizen of the world, a messenger of peace and non-violence.
                                                Bacha Khan always believed
                                                That the three tenets of Islam
                                                Amal, Yaqeen and Mohabbat
                                                Are the only instruments of the peace
                                                As a true Muslim, he lived by them.


                                                (Citizen of the World- Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan)
                                                            (Arbab Taimoor Khan Kasi)