Abdul Ghaffar Khan

A leader named Bacha Khan lived long ago.

He wanted peace for his people. He believed in being kind and non-violent. He started a group to help others.

They did not use weapons to fight. He also wanted children to go to school. He opened schools for boys and girls.

Bacha Khan was a great friend to Gandhi. He worked hard for many years. He was a very brave man.

Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a leader from the North-West Frontier Province.

People called him Bacha Khan. He was a Muslim who believed in peace. He wanted Hindus and Muslims to live together in unity.

In 1929, he started a group called the Khudai Khidmatgar. This name means "Servants of God."

His followers were known as the "Red Shirts." They used non-violence to fight British rule. This means they did not use weapons. They used patience and doing what is right.

Khan was a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi. Because of this, people called him "the Frontier Gandhi."

He also worked hard to help people learn. He opened schools for both boys and girls.

Life was often hard for Khan. He was arrested many times by the government. In 1930, a large crowd of his followers was attacked in a bazaar. Many people died, but the followers stayed non-violent. Khan lived to be a very old man. In 1987, India gave him its highest award. He died in 1988. Many people came to say goodbye to him.

Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a famous leader from the North-West Frontier Province.

He was born on February 6, 1890, into a wealthy Pashtun family. His family lived near the Swat River in what was then British India. Khan was a very religious Muslim who believed in peace. He worked hard to bring Hindu and Muslim people together in unity. Because of his peaceful ways, people called him "the Frontier Gandhi."

Khan believed that education was a powerful tool for helping people.

After attending school, he wanted to help his community grow. In 1910, at age 20, he opened a school called a madrasa. He later started "Azad" schools that were open to everyone. This included girls, which was very important for his people. He wanted to use learning to lift people up. This helped him organize many Pashtun villages to work for change.

In 1929, Khan started a big movement called the Khudai Khidmatgar.

This name means "Servants of God." The members were often called the "Red Shirts" because of their clothes. They followed a rule of non-violence to fight British rule. Khan told them that patience and righteousness were their best weapons. They used strikes and peaceful protests instead of fighting with weapons. This group grew to have over 100,000 members.

Life was often difficult for Khan and his followers.

In 1930, a large crowd gathered in the Kissa Khwani Bazaar. The colonial government used machine guns against the unarmed crowd. About 200 to 250 people were killed in this event. Even during this hard time, the followers stayed non-violent. Khan was also arrested many times by the government later in life. He was often put in jail for his political ideas.

Khan lived to be a very old man.

In 1987, the Indian government gave him the Bharat Ratna. This is the highest civilian award in India. He died in Peshawar on January 20, 1988. Many thousands of people came to his funeral. They marched through the Khyber Pass to say goodbye. Even during a war, leaders agreed to a ceasefire for his burial. He was honored by the government in Afghanistan.

Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a prominent Indian independence activist from the North-West Frontier Province.

Born on February 6, 1890, into a prosperous Sunni Muslim Pashtun family, he became a central figure in the struggle against British colonial rule. Khan was a spiritual leader and a devout Muslim who championed the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity. His commitment to nonviolent resistance earned him the nickname "the Frontier Gandhi."

He dedicated his life to social reform and political independence for the people of the subcontinent.

Khan's early life was shaped by a strong belief in the power of education. He attended the British-run Edward's Mission School, where a mentor named Reverend Wigram inspired him. Khan realized that education was essential for serving his community. At age 20, he opened a madrasa, which is an Islamic school, in his hometown of Utmanzai. He later established "Azad" schools that were open to everyone, including girls. These schools aimed to uplift the Pashtun people through learning and social reform.

In 1929, Khan founded the Khudai Khidmatgar, a movement meaning "Servants of God."

The members were often called the "Red Shirts" because of the color of their clothing. The movement was built on the principle of Satyagraha, a form of active non-violence. Khan taught his followers that patience and righteousness were more powerful than any physical weapon. This organized resistance grew to include over 100,000 members. They used strikes and political organization to challenge British authority.

This nonviolent approach led to significant conflict with colonial authorities. In April 1930, a large crowd of Khudai Khidmatgar members gathered in the Kissa Khwani Bazaar in Peshawar. During this protest, the colonial government ordered troops to fire machine guns into the unarmed crowd. An estimated 200 to 250 people were killed in the massacre. Despite the danger, the members practiced their training by remaining nonviolent. Interestingly, two platoons of the Garhwal Rifles regiment refused to fire on the crowd and were later court-martialled.

Khan maintained a close and deep friendship with Mahatma Gandhi.

He was a senior member of the Indian National Congress, the main group fighting for independence. While he was offered the presidency of the Congress in 1931, he declined the role. He preferred to remain a "simple soldier" serving his movement. Khan worked closely with the Congress to advocate for a unified and independent India.

When the partition of India occurred in 1947, Khan faced deep political challenges. He strongly opposed dividing the subcontinent into the Muslim-majority Pakistan and the Hindu-majority India. He felt betrayed when the Indian National Congress accepted the partition plan without consulting his leaders. In June 1947, he issued the Bannu Resolution, which demanded an independent state for ethnic Pashtuns. The British government refused this demand. Consequently, Khan and his brother, Abdul Jabbar Khan, boycotted the referendum regarding whether the province should join India or Pakistan.

After the creation of Pakistan, Khan remained in the North-West Frontier Province and pledged allegiance to the new nation. However, he continued to face political struggle and was frequently arrested between 1948 and 1954. He was also imprisoned in the 1950s for opposing the One Unit program, which sought to merge the provinces of West Pakistan. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he experienced periods of jail and exile. Despite these hardships, his influence as a leader of the Azad Party continued.

In his final years, Khan received significant recognition for his lifelong work. In 1987, the Indian government awarded him the Bharat Ratna, which is India's highest civilian honor. Khan died in Peshawar on January 20, 1988. Tens of thousands of people attended his funeral, marching through the Khyber Pass toward Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Even during the Soviet-Afghan War, both the Soviet-Afghan government and the mujahideen declared a ceasefire to allow for his burial. He was honored with military honors by the Afghan government.