Reading about Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan a few years ago, the name that stuck with me was Bacha Khan. It was one of his nicknames and his beloved ones referred to him by the same.
Many historians see him as one of the calm headed and logical leaders of that era. He was one of the first to oppose All India Muslim League’s demand for partition of India. Further, when the Congress accepted the demand, he knew a blunder had been made and opposed it firmly.
Eventually, he did pledge alliance to Pakistan after partition but was often jailed and exiled due to his demands such as separate state known as Pashtunistan for all the Pashtuns and speaking against the One Unit
program of the Pakistan Government.He is deeply remembered for his boldness and his efforts towards social uplift during the independence struggle. Just like Gandhi he believed in Non-Violence and preached that Islam is the “Religion of Tolerance.”
He was a trusted ally of Mahatma Gandhi and even formed a group Khudai Khidmatgar
which was a non violent struggle against the British empire.Bacha Khan was from the NWFP (North Western Frontier Province) and people saw in him a mirror image of M.K Gandhi. Hence, the name : Frontier Gandhi.
Post partition he went across the border and was even referred sometimes as the Sarhadi Gandhi.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, leader of the Pukhtuns, was given the sobriquet of "Sarhadi Gandhi" by his followers in reference to his commitment to the freedom struggle and non-violence. Ghaffar Khan was a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi. He had built a close and spiritual friendship with Gandhi, the pioneer of the non-violent mass movement of civil disobedience. The two had a deep admiration for each other and worked together closely until 1947. In India he is still revered as "Sarhadi Gandhi."
The above title in English is translated as “Frontier Gandhi”.
Footnotes