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)