Ghafar Khan
People Called Him "Bacha Khan"

The real name of this great leader was Abdul-Ghaffar Khan. The title of Bacha Khan was given by the nation. Bacha in Pushtu/Afghani means "The King". In afghan society this title is awarded to someone who is willing to sacrifice every thing for a cause. Indeed Bacha Khan Baba was one such man.

Bacha Khan was born in the land of Afghans/Pukhtuns. This land is known as Greater Afghanistan or Pukhtunistan.(For more information go to www.pukhtunistan.4t.com). Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was born in 1890 in Charsadda. He got his early education at his home and near by mosque and Islamic Madrassa (school). After comming to his age,he was shocked by the illiteracy of Pathans/Pukhtuns. He started a movement for the education of Pathan. The other problem of pathan was diunity among them. So he opened a school in charsadda to educate the poor Pukhtuns. This school was later demolished by explosions by the provincial govt. of Qayyum Khan.

His movement became very popular among the Pukhtuns. In 1920s he joined Congress Party of India. Due to him Congress party became very popular in NWFP(North West Frontier Province, now known as Pukhtunkhua). He was made member of the central executive committee of Congress party. During British Govt. he was sent several time to prison. He spent 52 years of his 99 years of life in jail of exile. Congress party was always winning election in NWFP till creation of Pakistan. During referendom in NWFP for Joining India or Pakistan Congress Party byocotted the referendom so most of the people did not vote in the referendom. At that time Congress party was the ruling party in NWFP.

    
Ghaffar Khan met Gandhi and entered politics in 1919 during agitation over the Rowlatt Acts, imposed on Indian subcontinent by the British govt., which allowed the internment of political dissidents without trial. In the following year he joined the Khilafat movement, which sought to strengthen the spiritual ties of Indian Muslims to the Turkish sultan, and in 1921 he was elected president of a district Khilafat committee in his native North-West Frontier Province(Pukhtunkhua).
In December 1928 Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Bacha Khan) with some of his colleagues went to Calcuttato attend a khilafat conference.It revealed a serious rift between the Ali brother and the non-urdu speaking leaders.During a night session a leader violently criticized Maulana Muhammad Ali, who was sitting next to Ghaffar Khan on the dais. He could not put with it, he lost his temper and hurled abuses at the speaker.Another leader, who too was sitting on the dais, suddenly stood up, flashed a knife and reviled Maulana Mohammed Ali. There was uproar on the platform. Ghaffar Khan's colleagues intervened and rescued Mahomed Ali.

The Congress session was being held simultaneously in Calcutta.In his presidential address at the Khilafat Conference, Mahomed Ali had attacked the Hindus, ridiculing their civilization, culture customs and manners. It was an unpleasant experience for Abdul Ghaffar Khan and he decided to attend the Congress session. It was a novel experience for him:

"The subjects Committee meeting was being addressed by Gandhiji and a haughty yought interrupted him repeatedly with remarks. Gandhiji did not lose him temper, he roared with laughter and continued his speech. I was greatly impressed and, on return to my attention to composure of Mahatma Ghandhi, the leader of the Hindus, that stood in contrast to the behaviour of our Muslim leader, Maulana Mahomed Ali."

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