Abdul Ghaffār Khan also known as Bacha Khan or Badshah Khan and honorably addressed as Fakhr-e-Afghan was a Pashtun independence activist and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar resistance movement against British colonial rule in India.
He was a revered Muslim who fought for Hindu-Muslim harmony on the subcontinent while also being a prominent political and spiritual figure recognized for his nonviolent protests and lifelong nonviolence. Khan earned the nickname Sarhadi Gandhi because of his close connection and shared views with Mahatma Gandhi.
In 1929, Khan founded the Khudai Khidmatgar, an anti-colonial nonviolent resistance movement. The Khudai Khidmatgar’s success and popularity eventually prompted the colonial government to launch numerous crackdowns against Khan and his supporters; the Khudai Khidmatgar experienced some of the most severe repression of the entire Indian independence movement.
The social role of Bacha Khan against colonial powers was highlighted in a recent seminar in Pakistan. Speakers at a daylong seminar held talked about the services of Abdul Ghaffar Khan aka Bacha Khan to humanity and that his struggle as a reformer of Pakhtuns during the colonial period was remarkable.
Organized by Jazba Maneri, a welfare body, the seminar titled ‘Abdul Ghaffar Khan Baba: an excellent social worker’ was held in connection with the 35th death anniversary of Bacha Khan.
Noted writer and intellectual Prof Noorul Amin Yousafzai was the chief guest. Other participants included Prof Mukhtiar Ahmed, district general secretary of Awami National Party Nawabzada Khan, social workers Mumtaz Ali Khan and Nisar Pakhtun Yar, and others.
Prof Yousafzai highlighted Bacha Khan’s role in the evolution of his philosophy of non-violence and the launching of hundreds of schools in the Pakhtun belt to impart knowledge to people and enable them to stand on their own feet.
Prof Mukhtiar said Bacha Khan’s objectives were to awaken the Pakhtuns and provide an opportunity for youth to acquire modern knowledge.
Poets Anwar Manirwal, Intizar Hussain, and Naveed Shah Manirwal paid homage to Bacha Khan Baba in their verses. President of Jazba Maneri Jalil Ahmad Khan also spoke.
