“But you are deserting us now, and throwing us to the wolves.”
- Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan admonishing members of the Congress Working Committee after they agreed for the partition of India. (c.1946)
‘My Life and
Struggle’ is the autobiography of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, regarded as
‘Fakhr-e-Afghan’ (Pride of Afghans) and ‘Badshah Khan’ (Emperor among Khans),
with a foreword by Jayaprakash Narayan. The Indian freedom struggle, especially
the Gandhian Phase attracted people from all walks of life and Badshah Khan was
the most famous leader from the North West (the then NWFP). Born in a rich
Pathan family, he stood out for his broad-mindedness and patience. He was
instrumental in establishing the organization - ‘Khudai Khitmatgars’(Servants
of God, more popular as ‘Red Shirts’). He was later awarded the Bharat Ratna. Those
were the facts that we all know.
But, he was a man whose long & cruel years in imprisionment are
only marked by respect and civility towards his British Captors. During the
Civil Disobedience movement, when the Empire struck back in Peshawar, it was
his Khudai Khitmatgars who paid with their blood. And his quest for freedom and
self-determination led him only to prison, first as a guest of the British
Empire, and then under the new nation of Pakistan. When the Partition of India
became imminent, all his concerns were swept under the carpet, and a much
respected leader was maligned for his ‘Pakistan or Pakhtunistan’ remarks.
Being an
autobiography, the book is straight forward; fact based and sporadically
sketches lots of people who are in awe as well as in disgust of the Badshah
Khan.
By the time of his death, there was no peace in South Asia.
India and Pakistan were involved in a conflict over Siachen Glacier. And his
beloved people, the Pathans (mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan) were drawn
into a civil war which never stopped and no one understood.
When he was old, he wandered and spoke in Afghanistan, as the
country was getting torn to pieces. But, it was a tribute to the man that when
he passed away, the Afghan Civil War had a temporary truce for 3 days so that
the people can pay their respects to their beloved ‘Badshah Khan’.
If only the partition
of India and Pakistan never took place, Or
If only the partition place in a much humane and leisurely
way, with the NWFP province getting more provincial autonomy, Or
If only the Afghans had a leader like the Badshah Khan whose
tolerance could outwit and outgun the murderous rage of the Taliban…..
If Only.
Book - My Life and Struggle - Autobiography of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan with foreword by Jayaprakash Narayan
No comments:
Post a Comment