FRONTIER GANDHI

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Fakhr-e-Afghan, Bacha Khan, Pacha Khan, Badshah Khan, Sarhadi Gandhi

About:

Name:

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

Also known as: Fakhr-e-Afghan, Bacha Khan, Pacha Khan, Badshah Khan, Sarhadi Gandhi, Frontier Gandhi

Date & Place of Birth:

1890 (Birth date not known)

Date & Place of Death:

January 20, 1988 - Peshawar, Pakistan.

Activity / Profession / Trait / Objective:

Indian Independence Movement.

Nationality:

Indian

Introduction:

He was an independence activist of Pashtun descent. He was a political and spiritual leader known for his nonviolent opposition to the British Raj in British India, and a lifelong pacifist and devout Muslim.

History & Achievements

He was known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India.

He was a lifelong pacifist and a devout Indian Muslim.

He was a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi and was by many names, such as Fakhr-e-Afghan (The Afghan pride), Badshah Khan (also Bacha Khan, "King Khan") and Sarhaddi Gandhi (Frontier Gandhi).

His family encouraged him to join the British Indian Army, but a British Raj officer's mistreatment of a countryman offended him.

For the sake and well being of Pashtuns, he formed the Khudai Khidmatgar movement (Servants of God). The movement's success triggered a harsh crackdown against him and his supporters and he was sent into exile. Then in late 1920s that he formed an alliance with Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress.

Ghaffar Khan strongly opposed the Muslim League's demand for the partition of India. When the Indian National Congress accepted the partition plan, he told them "You have thrown us to the wolves."

After partition, Ghaffar Khan was frequently arrested by the Pakistani government in part because of his association with India and his opposition to authoritarian moves by the government. He spent much of the 1960s and 1970s either in jail or in exile.

In 1985 he was nominated for the Nobel peace prize. In 1987 he became the first person without Indian citizenship to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.

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Web Links for similar information

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Abdul_Ghaffar_Khan

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