Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan being a foresighted leader of subcontinent was determined to inculcate Mahatma Ganndi’s philosophy of nonviolence in his followers in NWFP and elsewhere in the subcontinent. His red cap followers used to work as volunteers (Khudai Khidmatgar) in NWFP, honest Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan Known as Bacha Khan in NWFP were committed to high moral values of truth, justice and fair play in politics along with nonviolent attitude. He was against the partition of India during British Raj and has always kept good relations with his colleagues of Indian National Congress even after partition of subcontinent in 1947. He had struggled for the rights of people of NWFP in his life time, and had opted for eternal rest for his burial in his own garden located in Jalalabad Afghanistan. In early 1990’s I had a chance to offer Fatiha on his half built tomb in Jalal Abad Afghanistan.
Muhatima Gandhi another legend of subcontinent was proponent of nonviolence in politics, and a man of high moral values. He has risked his life while making a statement in favor of Pakistan regarding fair distribution of common assets after partition in 1947 and was eventually died in armed attack launched by a Hindu extremist Godsay.
Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan and Muhatima Gandhi were genuine leaders and were in habit of spending their time in company of people, both were fear less and highly intelligent. In my childhood I had shaken hand with Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan at that time he was grown too old and was sitting in a wheel chair. The warmth of his palm is still a memory which I do cherish. He had got long hands, tall and well built in his youth he had struggled hard to fight for the rights of the people and was jailed by rulers, the astonishing aspect of the personalities of Muhatima Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan is their political vision, both were able to grasp the real cause of economic and political backwardness of the people of subcontinent, both have targeted communal violence and violence prevailing in society of subcontinent in different forms and manifestations by their political philosophy of nonviolence to eradicate this main cause of backwardness of the people of subcontinent.
Congress in India and Awami National Party in Pakistan are still carrying out the philosophy of nonviolence, ANP membership has been spread over till Sindh province of Pakistan, in fact survival of the people of subcontinent in nuclear age has become dependent upon prevalence of the philosophy of nonviolence.
Submitted by
Abdur Raziq
Cell phone # 03339607378
E mail: arraziq1@gmail.com
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