The Gandhi of the Frontier: Who is Abdul Ghaffar Khan?

Abdul Ghaffar Khan was born in the city of Utmanzai, on the northwest border of present-day Pakistan, in 1890, the son of Bahram Khan, the chief of the Pashtun tribe.

Abdulgaffar Khan, who was sent to the missionary school in the region after his classical madrasa education, interrupted his education there and devoted himself to educating his people and eliminating poverty. With the advantage of coming from a wealthy family, he spearheaded a schooling campaign he called "Freedom Schools" against the missionary school, the only modern educational institution in the region. However, what he did for Abdulgaffar was not enough for the region he lived in. The grip of injustice, ignorance, and geographical confinement, and the desire to do something for his people struggling to live under the British yoke, led him to step outside the borders.

Abdul Ghaffār Khān (February 1890 – 20 January 1988), also known as Bacha Khan ('King of Chiefs') or Badshah Khan, and honourably addressed as Fakhr-e-Afghan ('Pride of Afghans'), was a Pashtun independence activist, and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar resistance movement against British colonial rule in India.

He will participate in a meeting held in Agra in 1913 and in the presence of Mevlana Ebu'l Kalam Azad; a year later, by attending the conference held in Deoband, one of the most important Muslim schools of India, he would have the opportunity to contact many Muslim intellectuals of the time.

The biggest challenge for Abdulgaffar Khan was whether the method of struggle he had established in his mind would be adopted by his own people.

Abdulgaffar Khan's starting point was Islam and he saw the concept of jihad as a direct means of education, faith, and liberation. Prophet Muhammad said, “A Muslim is one whose hand and tongue Muslims are not harmed. A believer, on the other hand, is the one whom people are sure of, and he rolled up his sleeves to save his people, who did not hesitate to kill their closest relatives and legitimize this hadith. He toured the mountain villages and set about providing aid and education to the people. Surprised by Abdulgaffar Khan's free aid, one of the villagers called him "Badşah Khan", which means Khan of the Khans, and this became his nickname.

Abdulgaffar Khan, who had a similar struggle with Mahatma Gandhi even before they knew each other, met Gandhi for the first time at the meeting of the National Congress Party in Nagpur in 1920 and felt a closeness to him. He founded the Afghan Islah Movement in 1921 after the decision to fight for full independence without resorting to violence. This movement would later be known as "Hüdai Servants" and would become famous as "Unarmed Soldiers of Islam".

The movement he founded would not go unnoticed by the British, and he would be re-arrested in a short time and spent nearly three years in prison. Abdulgaffar Khan, who also refused the British offer to be released in exchange for his cessation of educational activities, visited Gandhi by attending the Indian National Congress held in Calcutta in 1928 after his sentence.

In 1929, the Pashtuns led by Abdulgaffar Khan came together in Utmanzai and took action against colonialism to obtain their rights and freedoms without resorting to violence. The army of Abdulgaffar Khan, who formed a military unit that did not incline to violence, only used a stick as a support for walking.

Gandhi and Khan shared a vision together, a vision more powerful than anything else; an independent, undivided India that respects all faiths. They dreamed of an India where both Hindus and Muslims would live together in peace. By demanding that India not be divided after the end of British rule, Khan managed to make many enemies among the Muslims.

In 1947, as Anglo-India was divided, India and East and West Pakistan were formed, and East Pakistan gained independence as Bangladesh in 1971. Gandhi and Han saw their visions destroyed by currents of nationalism. The fact that Hindus and Muslims, who managed to drive the British out of India, began to kill each other, would feed a great conflict and enmity.

The efforts of Abdulgaffar Khan and Gandhi would not be enough to prevent conflicts and both communities would be separated from each other in a bloody way, and the foundations of the problems that will continue until today would be laid. While Gandhi was murdered by a fanatical Hindu while he was considering a visit to Pakistan, Abdulgaffar Khan, who was seeking self-government in the Pashtun region, would be jailed by the Pakistani government, which accused him of being a Hindu supporter and collaborator. While in prison, his sentence was increased to seven years, followed by another eight years. Abdulgaffar Khan, who was convicted, spent the last days of his life in exile in Afghanistan.

Chosen by Amnesty International in 1962 as the symbol of over 1 million people imprisoned for their faith, Khan visited New Delhi in 1969 to celebrate Gandhi's 100th birthday.

In 1987 he was awarded the "Bharat Ratna Award", the highest Indian honor that can be given to civilians by the Government of India.

He was the first person from outside India to receive this honor. Khan, who died in Peshawar in 1988, was buried in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, according to his will.

One day, the parties declared a ceasefire for the burial of Abdulgaffar Khan, which coincided with the civil war in Afghanistan. Abdulgaffar Khan continues to be remembered as the greatest leader of the Pashtuns living on the border line of Afghanistan and Pakistan today, and one of the symbolic names of non-violence.

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Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the forgotten freedom fighter of India

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