Khan Abdul Gaffar
Khan was born on February.06.1890 Utmanzai, Punjab at British India
He was educated
at Edward Mission School, Peshawar, Islamic Schools at Peshawar and Aligarh. He started and managed the Boys Mosque School at Utmanzai (1910 - 1920) . He joined and
headed the provincial Khilafat Movement (1920 – 1929) .He later founded and
headed the Khudai Khidmatgar Movement (1929 – 1988) based at Peshawar
He actively participated
in the Indian independence struggle under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi for
which he was jailed several times by the British government. He migrated and
settled in Pakistan after partition where he worked tirelessly for the welfare
of Pashtuns.
He was jailed
and exiled on several occasions by the Pakistan Government for his political views
. The Amnesty International declared him as Prisoner of Conscience in 1962
He visited
India as special invitee to participate in the Centenary celebrations of
Mahatma Gandhi in 1969 and Indian National Congress 1985
He died on January.28.1988 while under
house arrest at Peshawar, Pakistan at the age of 97
Leader of Khudai
Khidmatgar
He founded
the Khudai Khidmatgar Movement (Servants of God) or Red Shirts in 1929 an
organization which used nonviolence principles to achieve of Indian independence
(1929 – 1947) and promote Pashtun welfare (1947 – 1998) . He edited the magazine Pashtun.
A political
and spiritual leader of Pashtuns , He was and independence activist , pacifist
and humanist who strongly believed in
nonviolence, peaceful coexistence, dignity and equality of humanity.
Awards
The Government
of India conferred on him the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding
in 1969 and Bharat Ratna in 1987
Titles
He was
bestowed the titles Fakhr i Afghan, Badsah khan , Bacha Khan , Pacha Khan or King of Chiefs and
Frontier Gandhi
Publications
Memoirs: My
Life and Struggle (1978) . A Man to Match His Mountains (1985)
Resources
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