Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

He built a peaceful army of thousands on a frontier known for feuds and guns. His followers wore red shirts and took an oath of non-violence.

That man was Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, called Bacha Khan or Badshah Khan. India later knew him as the Frontier Gandhi.

1Who was Ghaffar Khan?

Abdul Ghaffar Khan was born on 6 February 1890 in Utmanzai, a village in Hashtnagar. His family was prosperous and owned land. He studied at a mission school run by Christian teachers.

His teacher there taught him how much education could help a community. He turned down an army commission. He felt even Indian officers were treated as second class in their own land.

He then chose social work. In 1910 he opened a school in Utmanzai. In 1921 he helped form a reform society called the Anjuman-e Islah-e Afghania.

• Born 6 February 1890 at Utmanzai.
• Studied at a mission school.
• Refused a British Indian Army commission.
• Founded a reform society in 1921.

2What was the Khudai Khidmatgar?

In November 1929 Ghaffar Khan founded the Khudai Khidmatgar. The name means Servants of God. People also called members the Red Shirts, because of the colour they wore.

Members took an oath of non-violent service. They drilled and marched, but they carried no weapons. On a frontier known for guns and blood feuds, this was a bold idea.

His friendship with Gandhi earned him the title Frontier Gandhi. He believed that Islam and non-violence belonged together. He also worked for Hindu-Muslim unity.

• 1929: founded the Khudai Khidmatgar.
• Meaning: Servants of God; nicknamed Red Shirts.
• Members took an oath of non-violence.
• Close to Gandhi; called the Frontier Gandhi.

3What happened at Qissa Khwani Bazaar?

The movement grew during the Salt Satyagraha of 1930. On 23 April 1930 Ghaffar Khan was arrested. A crowd of his followers gathered in Peshawar to protest.

British troops opened fire in Qissa Khwani Bazaar. Many unarmed protesters were killed. The exact toll is still debated.

The firing did not break the movement. It brought more people to the Red Shirts. The government in turn launched harsh crackdowns for years. The Khudai Khidmatgar faced some of the worst repression of the freedom struggle.

• 23 April 1930: Ghaffar Khan arrested.
• Troops fired on unarmed protesters in Peshawar.
• Toll debated; repression continued for years.
• Read about Civil Disobedience and the Salt March.

4How did the movement fare in politics?

The Red Shirts allied with the Indian National Congress. The Muslim League was a rival force in the province. After the 1937 elections the Congress-backed side formed the ministry in the North-West Frontier Province.

His older brother, Dr Khan Sahib, became Chief Minister. Ghaffar Khan did not hold that post. He stayed a moral leader and organiser.

In 1947 he opposed the partition of India. He felt betrayed when Congress accepted the plan without asking the Khudai Khidmatgar. He told its leaders they had thrown his people to the wolves. In June 1947 his side asked the British for a Pashtun state, but the demand was refused.

• Allied with Congress against the Muslim League.
• After 1937, brother Dr Khan Sahib was Chief Minister.
• Opposed Partition; felt betrayed by Congress.
• Read about the Government of India Act, 1935.

5What were his later years like?

After Partition he stayed in Pakistan. He was arrested often between 1948 and 1954. He was jailed again in 1956 for opposing the One Unit plan. He also spent years in jail or exile in later decades.

In 1967 he received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding. India gave him the Bharat Ratna in 1987. He is remembered as the first non-citizen of India to receive it.

He died in Peshawar on 20 January 1988. Following his will, he was buried at his house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Tens of thousands joined the funeral march, and fighting paused for it.

• Jailed often by Pakistan after 1948.
• 1967: Nehru Award. 1987: Bharat Ratna.
• Died 20 January 1988 at Peshawar.
• Buried at Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

6What are the exam traps?

Keep the names and honours apart.

• The Khudai Khidmatgar was a Pashtun group first, a Congress ally later.
• Dr Khan Sahib was Chief Minister, not Ghaffar Khan.
• Qissa Khwani: 23 April 1930, in Peshawar.
• Bharat Ratna: 1987; Nehru Award: 1967.
• Do not call him a Congress leader only; he led his own movement.
• See the All-India Muslim League and the Mountbatten Plan.