Orgins, Growth and Consolidation of Khudai Khidmatgar Movement

Abstract

Most of the histories written on the independence movement of Pakistan do not properly highlight the fact that this movement was constitutional, political and non-violent. Likewise, these historical narratives rarely, if ever, refer to the unarmed Pashtun resistance against the British Raj in the Pashtun belt of British India in the northwestern part of contemporary Pakistan. By any account or criterion, the unarmed struggle of the Pashtuns under the leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan—perhaps the greatest Pashtun of all times and certainly one of the most important nonviolent leaders of the twentieth century—is a very important chapter of the history of nonviolent movement against the British rule. It was, doubtless, a remarkable movement transforming the Pashtun community into a dedicated, nonviolent, progressive nation. It was politically a nonviolent and proactive campaign against British colonialism in this part of the world. This paper focuses on the unarmed struggle of the Pashtuns, especially in the final phase of Indian liberation movement and assess its importance in the over all context of the struggle for freedom from British colonialism. It is divided into three parts. First part discusses the origin and evolution of this resistance movement under the leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan; the second part offers a historical account of the Pashtun nonviolent movement during the 1930s and 1940s; and the third and final part discusses the nonviolent techniques and strategies of the unarmed Pashtun resistance and explains why and how this movement got transformed into a powerful mass movement. While deliberating upon different related issues and events, this paper revolves around the leadership and contribution of the great nonviolent leader, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. –––––––––