Who was Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Bādshāh Khān, Frontier Gandhi

Died At Age: 97

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Meharqanda Khan, Nambata Khan

father: Bahram Khan

siblings: Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan

children: Khan Abdul Ali Khan, Khan Abdul Ghani Khan, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Mehar Taj Khan, Sardaro Khan

Revolutionaries Political Leaders

Died on: January 20, 1988

place of death: Peshawar, Pakistan

Cause of Death: Complications Caused By The Stroke

Founder/Co-Founder: Khudai Khidmatgar, Awami National Party

More Facts

education: Aligarh Muslim University

awards: Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience of the Year (1962)
Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (1967)
Bharat Ratna (1987)

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1

What was Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's role in the Indian independence movement?

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a prominent leader in the Indian independence movement, known for his nonviolent activism and advocacy for the rights of the Pashtun people.
2

How did Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan contribute to promoting nonviolence in the region?

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan founded the Khudai Khidmatgar ("Servants of God") movement, which was based on the principles of nonviolence, civil disobedience, and social reform.
3

What were some of the challenges Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan faced in his activism?

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan faced numerous challenges, including imprisonment, persecution by the British authorities, and opposition from rival political factions.
4

How did Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's philosophy influence later generations of activists?

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's philosophy of nonviolence and social justice inspired many future leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., who adopted similar principles in their own movements.
5

What is the legacy of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in the history of South Asia?

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan is remembered as a visionary leader who fought for the rights of his people and promoted nonviolence as a powerful tool for social change in the region.

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Childhood & Early Life

He was born on 6 February 1890 into a wealthy family in the Peshawar Valley of British India. His father, Bahram Khan was a landowner.

As a child he attended the British run Edward's mission school—the only fully functional school in his area. He was a good student and performed well in his studies.

He was much impressed by the Reverend Wigram, his mentor, and realized the important role education played in promoting development. Early on he became involved in activities aimed at eradicating poverty and promoting literacy.

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Later Years

He opened a mosque school in his hometown in 1910 when he was just 20. He was a principled and idealistic young man who traveled all over the country to promote his ideals about education.

He joined the independence movement of the Pashtun freedom fighter Haji Sahib of Turangzai, in 1911.

The British authorities banned his mosque school in 1915. Though saddened by this, Ghaffar was not disheartened. He decided that social activism and reform was the only way to bring about the emancipation of the Pashtuns.

He met Mahatma Gandhi, a prominent leader of the Indian independence movement, and was deeply influenced by his principles. Motivated by Gandhi he entered politics in 1919 during agitation over the Rowlatt Act.

In 1920, he joined the Khilafat movement which sought to strengthen the spiritual ties of Indian Muslims to the Turkish sultan, and the next year he was made the president of a district Khilafat committee in his native North-West Frontier Province.

He played a prominent role in the formation of ‘Anjuman-e Islāh-e Afāghina’ (Afghan Reform Society) in 1921 and the youth movement ‘Paxtun Jirga’ (Pashtun Assembly) in 1927.

He attended an Indian National Congress (Congress Party) gathering in 1929, and soon afterwards he founded the Khudai Khidmatgar, also known as the ‘Red Shirt Movement’, among the Pashtuns. The movement advocated non-violent nationalist agitation in support of Indian independence.

His acquaintance with Gandhi blossomed into a deep friendship and by the 1930s he had become one of the main advisors to Gandhi and his Red Shirt movement actively supported the Congress Party.

He worked closely with Gandhi for many years until the partition of India in 1947. Ghaffar was strongly opposed to partition as he had dreamed of a unified secular nation. But that was not to be.

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After the partition he chose to live in Pakistan where he continued fighting for the rights of the Pashtuns. However, he was often accused of being pro-Indian.

He continued his activism and was arrested several times between 1948 and 1956 for his opposition to the One Unit Scheme which sought to merge the Four Provinces of West Pakistan into a single province.

Suffering form poor health, he went to the United Kingdom for treatment in 1964 where his doctors advised him to go to the United States. Then he went into exile in Afghanistan, and returned from exile in 1972. The very next year he was arrested by Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's government at Multan.

Over the next few years he gradually withdrew from politics. He visited India to participate in the centennial celebrations of the Indian National Congress in 1985.

Awards & Achievements

He was presented with the Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience of the Year, in 1962.

He was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1967.

He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1987, making him the first non-Indian to receive this honour.

Personal Life & Legacy

He married Meharqanda in 1912; she was a daughter of Yar Mohammad Khan of the Kinankhel clan of the Mohammadzai tribe of Razzar. They had two sons, Abdul Ghani Khan and Abdul Wali Khan, and one daughter, Sardaro. Unfortunately his wife died in 1918.

He married Nambata, a cousin of his first wife, in 1920. The couple had a daughter and a son. Tragedy struck again when Nambata died in 1926 after falling down the stairs at their home. Ghaffar decided not to marry again in spite of being relatively young.

He lived a long life much of which was spent in social and political activism. He died on 20 January 1988 in Peshawar at the age of 97.

Facts About Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Bacha Khan, was a devout follower of Mahatma Gandhi's principles of nonviolence and played a key role in promoting peace and unity in the Indian subcontinent.

Despite facing numerous challenges and hardships, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan remained committed to advocating for the rights and welfare of the Pashtun people throughout his life.

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a strong advocate for women's rights and believed in empowering women through education and participation in social and political activities.

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a skilled poet and writer, and his works continue to inspire people to this day with their messages of peace, unity, and social justice.

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's legacy lives on through the Khudai Khidmatgar movement, which he founded to promote social reform and nonviolent resistance against oppression.

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Biography

You wanted to know

What was Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's role in the Indian independence movement?

How did Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan contribute to promoting nonviolence in the region?

What were some of the challenges Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan faced in his activism?

How did Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's philosophy influence later generations of activists?

What is the legacy of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in the history of South Asia?