While his title implies authority, his reign was one of love and compassion rather than dominance. He is remembered for his profound impact on non-violent resistance and his relentless pursuit of justice and peace. Born among the Pathans and Pakhtoons near the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Badshah Khan dedicated himself to uplift these communities, often labeled as violent and revengeful.

Through tireless efforts, he advocated love and peace, cultivating a cadre of peaceful resisters who bravely opposed British colonial rule without resorting to violence. Their moral fortitude was so formidable that soldiers often hesitated to fire upon these unarmed freedom fighters.

Mahatma Gandhi, deeply moved by this aspect of the freedom struggle, regarded visiting Badshah Khan’s followers as a spiritual journey. Though Badshah Khan looked up to Gandhi as a mentor, Gandhi also found inspiration in his dedication to peace.

The legacy of the Indian freedom movement transcends national borders, carrying significant implications for all of South Asia. Among its many triumphs was the consensus reached by powerful leaders, representing diverse faiths, on the essential nature of inter-faith harmony. Figures such as Gandhi, Badshah Khan, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Maulana Azad were instrumental in promoting this vital cause, creating a much-needed foundation for stability and prosperity in the region.

While some leaders maintained a secular position and distanced themselves from religion, Gandhi recognized the importance of spirituality in fostering social objectives. He emphasized Hindu-Muslim unity as crucial for national progress, with Badshah Khan standing as a key ally in this endeavor. Together, they established the Congress party as an inclusive political entity, fortifying connections between religious communities.

Badshah Khan, known as the Frontier Gandhi, led the Khudai Khidmatgars (Servants of God), composed predominantly of Pashtuns. Despite societal perceptions of violence, these volunteers epitomized the essence of non-violent resistance, illustrating extraordinary courage in their fight against colonial injustices. Their commitment to safeguard minorities, such as Hindus and Sikhs, was emblematic of their harmonious principles.

Throughout the freedom struggle, instances of inter-faith cooperation flourished, with leaders like Maulana Azad articulating Islamic interpretations that echoed the values of peace and unity.

However, colonial powers perceived this solidarity as a threat and sought to promote sectarian leaders, exacerbating religious divisions that ultimately led to the tragic partition of India.

Despite his heartbreak over the ensuing violence, Gandhi relentlessly pursued peace, navigating conflict zones and advocating for harmony until his assassination in 1948. His commitment to inter-faith understanding, cultivated through dialogues on spirituality and mutual respect, remained influential. Although Gandhi’s vision suffered disruption due to external forces, it did not diminish the impact of his lifelong dedication to promoting peace. He urged individuals to view religion as a path to understanding rather than a source of division.

Badshah Khan embodied Gandhi’s teachings long after the Mahatma’s death, continuing to inspire millions with his messages of peace and social justice, even under challenging conditions in Pakistan. The invitation from Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to address Parliament in his later years reflected the nation’s enduring appreciation for his contributions. His speeches upheld the principles of inter-faith harmony alongside social justice, prioritizing kindness over bitterness, even after years of imprisonment.

The legacy of such visionary leaders calls upon the current generation to diligently work toward a South Asia founded on the ideals of inter-faith harmony and socio-economic justice.

*Honorary convener of the Campaign to Save Earth Now. Books: ‘Planet in Peril’, ‘Protecting Earth for Children’, and ‘When the Two Streams Met’ which discusses the freedom movement

Courtesy: CounterView

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A legacy of the freedom movement of India which remains extremely important not just for India but for all of South Asia relates to the enduring great importance of inter-faith harmony which is extremely important for peace, stability and prosperity of this region.

A very important achievement of the freedom movement was that some of the greatest leaders, each of them with a following of millions, were able to create a consensus on some very basic issues of enduring importance. One of these related to inter-faith harmony. Within the main Congress led movement Mahatma Gandhi, Badshah Khan (Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan ), Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad were the most important pillars of inter-faith harmony, although many other leaders of great stature also contributed much to this. Subhash Chandra Bose was another great pillar of inter-faith harmony, which was so visible in the Azad Hind Fauj he mobilized. Outside the main Congress movement, Bhagat Singh and his collegues were known for very firm commitment to inter-faith harmony and strong opposition to communal and sectarian trends.  This consensus of great leaders with following of vast millions was based on their firm beliefs on this issue and also on an understanding that inter-faith conflicts can cause enormous distress and destruction.

Some leaders of freedom movement who preferred a secular role for state did not engage very actively with religion. However, Mahatma Gandhi while accepting secular role of state engaged on a regular basis with realizing a positive role of religion among masses and utilizing the spirituality associated with various religions to prepare a stronger base for some highly desirable socio-economic objectives.  In local context he put more emphasis on Hindu-Muslim unity as a base of national progress, and Badshah Khan was the leader who came closest to him in this approach.

This strong commitment of Gandhi helped in the emergence of the leading political party— Congress — as a representative of all religious communities. The tallest among Muslim leaders to emerge were Badshah Khan (also called Frontier Gandhi) and Maulana Azad. The former in particular was very close to Gandhi, they both said they were inspired by each other. Badshah Khan formed an organisation, largely composed of Pashtuns, called Khudai Khidmatgars ( Servants of God).

Although Pashtuns were known at that time as people very prone to violence, thousands of Khudai Khidmatgars in and around Peshawar, during the 1930s, presented one of the most noble  examples of non-violent resistance to colonial rule and its atrocities, so much so that Gandhi considered his visits there to be like pilgrimages. If any minorities like Hindus or Sikhs were threatened, the Khudai Khidmatgars were willing to take great risks to protect them. When Hindu soldiers led by  Chandra Singh Garhwali were asked to open fire on Khudai Khidmatgars by colonial rulers, they refused to  do so, instead accepting imprisonment for several years for this refusal.

Such inspiring examples of inter-faith harmony were repeatedly seen in several phases of freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. Leaders like Maulana Azad close to him presented interpretations of Islam and the Koran which were very much in keeping with this spirit of harmony and peace.

Unfortunately, colonial powers saw this growing unity as a threat to their rule and hence went all out to promote leaders from the opposite camp who had a sectarian and divisive agenda. Hence during a critical phase of a few decades, including the Second World War years, the most powerful support of the government authorities went to those leaders and forces who wanted to create divisions and conflicts among various religious communities of India. This strengthened them to promote their divisive agenda, paving the way for the extremely tragic partition of the country, with millions killed and uprooted.

Gandhi was heartbroken, but till the end he kept on his efforts for reducing conflict and restoring peace, travelling in conflict zones at great risk and fasting for prolonged periods to appeal for peace. Often these efforts had amazing success in actually bringing peace to zones of big conflicts. He continued these efforts till at last he himself fell to the bullets of a fanatic in 1948.

Thus the great Gandhian project of inter-faith harmony got badly disrupted due to factors beyond his control, but this should not lead to an underestimation or devaluing of his life-long efforts to minimize inter-faith coflict and promote harmony. To reduce misunderstandings, he called upon people of different faiths to realize true sptirituality based on peace and harmony. He encouraged those who presented such interpretations of religious texts, contributing himself also to this task. He urged people not to be distracted by occasional references to violence in religious texts, saying that these need to be seen in a specific context and not as a general guidance.

He also urged people to form an understanding of other faiths on the basis of perspective of devotees of those faiths, to have an attitude of understanding and an open mind. At the same time, he said, narrow interpretations should not be allowed to obstruct progress, harmony and justice in present times. Hence he was a devoted religious person who wanted to live in harmony and understanding with people of all religions and faiths as well as atheists under secular governance. This view of a religiously inclined person can be very useful even today. There is no room here for fundamentalism and sectarianism, conflict and violence.

Badshah Khan remained a living embodiment of this thinking of Gandhi for a long time after the Mahatma left us. Even in very adverse conditions imposed by Pakistani authorities, among his beloved Pashtun people he continued to attract millions of followers with his message of peace, justice and harmony. He combined this with an abiding and in fact growing concern for social and economic justice.

This came out clearly when the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi went out of her way to invite him to come to India in his late years, to address the Indian Parliament and accept the respect and honour of a grateful nation which had beem missing his benevolent presence for several years. He spoke passionately about inter-faith harmony as well as about social and economic justice. It was a great learning to see that despite the several years spent in Pakistani prisons (preceded by colonial regime’s imprisonments), he avoided bitterness and spoke with great kindness. His simplicity was even a step ahead of Mahatma Gandhi.

The present generation owes it to the legacy of such great leaders to strive relentlessly to create a South Asia based on their great vision of inter-faith harmony and socio-economic justice.

The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril and Man Over Machine (Gandhian Ideas for Our Times).      

The post Badshah Khan an icon of inter-faith harmony: February 6 appeared first on SabrangIndia.

February 6 is the 131st birth anniversary of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan also popularly known as Frontier Gandhi and Badshah Khan. He was a prominent Indian freedom fighter, a die-hard opponent of the two-nation theory and the idea of Pakistan. He was totally committed to Gandhi’s idea of non-violence, enjoyed the same stature in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), also known as Frontier, as Gandhi had in India.

He opposed with full conviction the inclusion of NWFP in Pakistan but failed. After formation of Pakistan he, his followers and family faced terrible repression at the hands of the consecutive Pakistan governments including the one led by Jinnah and Islam-o-fascists. One of his brothers was assassinated, his supporters butchered by the Islamist fascists, he spent more than a decade in Pakistani jails and was forced to go into exile in Afghanistan. He was declared to be an agent of Hindu India. ML government led by Jinnah did not tolerate the NWFP government led by Badshah Khan’s elder brother and it was dismissed on August 22, 1947; exactly 8 days after the formation of Pakistan.

Whatever ruling classes of Pakistan did to Frontier Gandhi is understandable as he stood as a rock against Islamist politics of declaring Muslims as a separate nation. But what treatment he got and is receiving in India is far more abhorring. The latest instance of his denigration took place in last December in India. A hospital constructing in his honour in Faridabad (Haryana) with the help of Hindu-Sikhs who migrated from NWFP, inaugurated by the first PM of India, Jawaharlal Nehru as Badshah Khan hospital was renamed as Atal Bihari Vajpayee hospital![i]

Frontier Gandhi founded the Khudai Khidmatgars (Servants of God) which was at the head of a patriotic and socially progressive movement. The movement was also nicknamed as ‘The Red Shirts’ due to the colour of uniform it used for its cadres. Their presence was first noticed at the Lahore Congress in 1929 which at that time according to police reports numbered 200,000. Quotation from the Quran against slavery served as rallying points for nationalist enthusiasm and the struggle to liberate the country from foreign rule became the Holy War of Khudai Khidmatgars.  A peerless authority on Muslims and Muslim politics in modern India, Wilfred Cantwell Smith was of the opinion that “No section of India has been more thoroughly nationalist.”[ii]

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan referring to violence unleashed by the Muslim League goons in the pre-partition India told in July 1947:

“The Muslim Leaguers are daily taking out processions, raising highly objectionable slogans. They call us kafirs (infidels) and resort to abusive language. I have been personally hooted…Another matter which is causing serious concern to us is the presence in our province of a large number of Punjabis who openly incite people to violence. Not only that, but they have also gone to the length of suggesting in public meetings that the top leaders of the Red Shirts should be done away with. They also proclaim openly that after Pakistan has been established…all of them who are called traitors will be hanged.”[iii]

Ataullah Khan nephew of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s wife, his servant and friends were killed by Muslim Leaguers when former raised objection to some of the utterances in a Muslim League meeting in a mosque at the village of NWF Province.[iv]

Frontier Gandhi despite leading a province almost 95% Muslims defended joining Congress. He declared:

“People complain against me for having joined the Congress by selling my nation. The Congress is a national and not a Hindu body. It is a jirgah composed of Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, Parsis and Muslims. The Congress as a body is working against the British. The British nation is the enemy of the Congress and of the Pathans. I have therefore joined it and made common cause with the Congress to get rid of the British.”[v]

Khudai Khidmatgars exhibited the spectacle of liberation theology of Islam. It demanded better distribution of land and decried the large estates.[vi] Khan wanted to build a socialist society.[vii]

Ghaffar Khan was a great secularist.

“It was in Punjab jail that he formed friendship with Hindus and Sikhs and studied the Hindu scriptures, especially the Gita and the Granth Saheb, the Holy Book of the Sikhs.”[viii]

He stood for united India. According to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, “It is significant to note that while Pathans are intensely freedom-loving and resent any kind of subjugation, most of them are beginning to understand that their freedom can well harmonize with the conception of Indian Freedom, and that is why they have joined hands with the rest of their countrymen in a common struggle, instead of favouring the scheme of breaking up India into many States. They have come to realize that the division of India will result in all-around weakness in the modern world, where no part of it will have sufficient resources and strength to preserve its own freedom.”[ix]

Khan vehemently protested when Congress in June 1947 agreed to the partition of the country. He told Gandhi in June 1947 after CWC meeting, “We Pakhtuns stood by you and had undergone great sacrifices for attaining freedom. But you have now deserted us and thrown us to the wolves…The decision about partition and referendum in the Frontier Province was taken by the High Command [Congress] without consulting us…Sardar Patel and Rajgopalachari were in favour of partition and holding referendum in our province. Sardar said I was worrying over nothing. Maulana Azad was sitting near me. Noticing my dejection he said to me, ‘you should now join the Muslim League’. It pained me to find how little these companions of ours had understood what we had stood for and fought for all these years.”[x]

ML government of Jinnah did not tolerate the NWFP government led by Badshah Khan’s elder brother and it was dismissed on August 22, 1947; 8 days after the formation of Pakistan.

Forgetting Frontier Gandhi and his struggle is reprehensible for another reason. It means that we are becoming a party in covering up one of the worst massacres by the British army in the history of Indian freedom movement; the Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre of Peshawar. The British rulers believed that non-violent Pathan was more dangerous than violent Pathans. So, when ‘Red-Shirts’ sat for a peaceful sit-in at famous Qissa Khwani Bazaar [literal meaning street where stories are told] on April 23, 1930, the protestors were machine-gunned in which according to the Brirish 20 protestors died but according to nationalist Indian sources more than 400 were martyred.

This cover-up also wants us to forget about Veer Chander Singh Garhwali and his fellow soldiers of the Garhwal Regiment of the British army who refused to fire on the same peaceful Khudai Khidmatgars. They were arrested, court-martialed and were sentenced for life imprisonment.  

The present generation must revisit the life, works, sufferings and sacrifices of Frontier Gandhi and his compatriots to know how shamelessly we have erased our progressive, secular and egalitarian heritage. It is not a small crime, in fact, by doing it we only paved the way for taking over the Indian polity by the Hindutva counterparts of Islamists of Pakistan.

*Views expressed are the author’s own.

Other articles by Shamsul Islam:

On 72nd anniversary of the Indian Constitution

Demolition of democratic, secular Constitution, old project of Hindutva gang

In times of CAA & NRC remember the words of Kakori martyrs 

The post 131st Birth anniversary of Frontier Gandhi appeared first on SabrangIndia.

As per the recent communiqué from Chief Minister of Haryana M.L. Khattar’s, the Government of Haryana has decided to change the name of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Hospital in Faridabad to Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hospital. So far we have witnessed the name changes by present ruling dispensation aplenty. Most of these changes involved the changing of names of roads/cities, which had names of Muslim rulers. Aurangzeb Road was changed to APJ Abdul Kalam, Allahabad to Prayagraj, Mughal Sarai to Pundit Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Faizabad to Ayodhya. In recent elections in Hyderabad, the UP Chief Minister Adiyanath Yogi said that the name of Hyderabad should be changed to Bhgyanagar. Shiv Sena, which was a long time ally of BJP, has been calling for name change of Aurangabad, Ahmadnagar, and Pune among others. While Shiv Sena has woken up to electoral advantages of name change from Muslim rulers names to Hindu rulers lately, BJP is adept to this game and playing it to the hilt. Its major propaganda has been against Muslim Kings (Temple destruction, forcible conversion, oppression of Hindu women etc.) and reflected on the present Muslim community.

What is different this time, in Haryana Governments’ move is that it is not the Muslim King whose name is being changed. It is the name of one of the great Indian Nationalists, one who stood rock solid against British rule, one who opposed the partition in the name of religion and one who was the devout follower of Father of the Nation: Mahatma Gandhi, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan. He is also addressed as Badshah Khan or Bacha Khan with love and affection. He is also known as Frontier Gandhi.

He was a major leader from North West Frontier Province (NWFP), who due to his anti-British stance was jailed by the British and later also jailed by Pakistan authorities for his standing for plural, democratic values. Khan had founded Khudai Khidmatgar, which pledged to work for the nation, oppose British rule and follow the path of non-violence and amity. Khudai Khidmatgar’s agitation and resistance to British rule was best reflected in Kissa Khwani Bazar. This incident happened in Peshawar in 1930 when British armored vehicles trampled and shot the protesters, who were peacefully demonstrating.

Khan was the one who was totally against the concept of partition and when Congress leadership had to reluctantly accept the partition and NWFP was to be part of Pakistan, Khan said to Congress leadership, ‘you have thrown us to the wolves’. After partition many of his followers who migrated to Faridabad, built this hospital in the memory of their leader. Some of these followers of his who are still alive do say that they have no problems with the name of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but probably a new hospital can be built in his name sparing the cherished memory of one of the great freedom fighters, one who stood for his principles to the end.

The present ruling dispensation, which was not the part of freedom movement, wants to erase the imprint of Islam and Muslim’s contribution to the building of Indian nation. While medieval Muslims kings have been demonised to the hilt, now BJP seems to be turning its attention to the Muslims who were an inseparable part of the freedom movement. The understanding being spread is that Muslims had been separatists, and so Pakistan was demanded by them. This is a totally superficial understanding of the history of the Independence movement. The Muslim League which had its roots in the nawabs and landlords did not represent the majority of Indian Muslims. Surely Muslim League did succeed in attracting some middle class elements but the large majority of Muslims never supported it. Only elite, property owners and degree holders had the right to vote some of who stood with Muslim League while the average Muslims were with the freedom movement.

Muslim League did succeed in forming ministries in Sindh and Bengal in collaboration with Hindu Mahasabha but average Muslims kept aloof from its separatist politics. The point is that while Jinnah is known as the Muslim leader, it is not generally known that there were other Muslim leaders who were either part of national movements or through their organisations they supported the politics of freedom movement in opposition to the separatist politics of the communalists who believed in ‘two nation theory’, nation based on religion. Shamsul Islam in his book ‘Muslims against India’s partition’ brilliantly brings forth the politics of ‘Nation loving Muslims’ (as he calls those Muslims who stood with the values of Composite nationalism).

In response to Jinnah’s Pakistan resolution, Allahbaksh who was twice the premier of Sindh Province not only returned his titles to support the 1942 Quit India movement. He had earlier formed ‘Azad Muslim Conference’ to oppose the demand of partition of India. He organised this Conference to oppose the demand of partition with huge response from the average sections of Muslim community. Allah Baksh in his speech stressed that our religions may be different but we have to live as a joint family respecting the different opinions of our family members. There are many other significant leaders who had substantial following among Muslims and were for Hindu Muslim unity. Shibli Nomani, Hasrat Mohani, Ashfaqulla Khan, Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, Shaukutllah Ansari, Syed Abdullah Barelvi, Abdul Maziz Khwaja are some of these.

Similarly Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a tall leader who led the Congress number of times and it was under his President-ship of Congress in 1942 that the call of Quit India movement, the greatest anti- British campaign, was given. Many a Muslim organisation like Jamiat-E-Ulema Hind, Momin Conference, Majlis-E-Ahrare Islam, Ahle Hadis, Maualans of Barelvi and Deoband and many others stood unflinchingly to support national movement. Muslim League was totally against these Nationalist Muslims. 

Changing the name of the hospital in the memory of Bacha Khan symbolises the further growth of sectarianism where ruling party wants to undermine and erase the contribution of Muslim freedom fighters, who contributed immensely in the making of modern India. 

* The writer is a human rights defender and a former professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay). 

Other pieces by Dr. Puniyani:

Bid Curb Inter-faith marriages: Ruse to Restrict Women’s Freedom

Charlie Hebdo Cartoons and Blasphemy Laws in Contemporary Times

Was Mughal Rule the period of India’s Slavery?

Kashi- Mathura: Will temple politics be revived?

Scapegoats and Holy Cows

Freedom of Religion: Indian Scenario

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