The Pakhtun unarmed

Remembering Bacha Khan

Leafing through the pages of history searching for heroes who envisaged a better world, we often come across great names such as, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, whose dignity and poise left a deep impression on the lives of their people. One such person, lost to the world, is Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan famously known as “Bacha Khan,” a Pakhtun political leader whose politics revolved around the idea of peace and social reforms. These set of values raised him from a tradition of blood feuds and vendettas to one of history’s greatest peacemakers.

Born in 1890 in Uthmanzai, Bacha Khan came from the most volatile region of the British subcontinent and took the path of non-violent politics as a means of achieving independence from the atrocities of the imperialist. He believed that it was only through non-violence that his people could possibly overcome social structures and hierarchies that have congealed over a long period of time. His philosophy of non-violence could not be further from truism as his adherence to non violence was unconditional and as a matter of fact was his way of life. He embodied the ideals that he was espousing which were acknowledged by Mahatma Gandhi on his visit to the Pukhtoon province in the following words, “Even if the non-violence movement fails in the subcontinent it will still thrive in the Pakhtun province because your leader Bacha Khan has made you commit yourself to non violence.” Such was the revolution sparked by the savant called “King Khan” that during the Qissa Khawani massacre of April 20th, 1930 the Khudai Khidmatgars took bullets to their chest but refused to retaliate.

Bacha Khan considered politics to be the highest form of public service and throughout his life humbled himself as a social worker whose objective was to liberate the masses of the South Asia in general and the Pakhtuns in particular from the ignominious depths of ignorance and obscurity so that they could rise to their full potential. He preached that the creed and fallacies held dear by the people as article of faith were nothing but socially regressive and bigoted elements. Bacha Khan throughout his life indefatigably advocated social justice, women rights, judicial reforms, land reforms, education for all and the peaceful co-existence between communities regardless of their religion, ethnicity, caste or clan. He struggled for a level playing field for the poor who were caught in the imbroglio of an antagonistic social order.

His philosophy of non-violence is still viewed by many as the creed of the weak but for Bacha Khan it was his strength, a gift from the heavens as he would call it. As J S Bright, a contemporary biographer of Bacha Khan would go on to say, “Ghaffar Khan is in complete accord with the principle of non-violence. But he has not borrowed his outlook from Mahatma Gandhi. He has reached it, and reached it independently. Independently like a struggler after truth.” He further adds, “Ghaffar Khan like Shelley has come from heaven to the earth, while Mahatma Gandhi like Keats is going from the earth to heaven.”

After partition, Bacha Khan swore allegiance to the newly found state of Pakistan but he and the Khudai Khidmatgars were looked upon with suspicion as they had been close to Gandhi’s Congress. Soon, the powerful and equally shortsighted mandarin class banned Bacha Khan’s and his organisation’s political activities after coming up with trumped up charges of him colluding with anti-state elements. Hence, for the first time the term “in the national interest” surfaced and has since then been open to many interpretations. But, he was firmly anchored to his commitment for peace in the region. Similarly his bluntly and incisively put ideas of devolution and power to the people drew strong reaction from different quarters of the civil-military establishment. Hence, he had to pay a price of living one-third of his life in prisons for his continuous struggle against the status quo.

Today, the teachings of a person once stigmatised as a traitor by his country have an important role in the contemporary discourse of the nation. If we take a realistic view of the storm we are caught in and the fast approaching deluge we may come to a conclusion that it is probably time we rediscover Bacha Khan’s message which follows the path of modern non-violent revolutions. He despised religious obscurantism and stressed his people to salvage all options to create a socially plural and egalitarian society and never to let anyone deceive them in the name of religion. Seen today, his teachings are some what prophetic and should be thought over seriously.