Born - 1890
Died - 1988
Achievements - Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a Pashtun political and
spiritual leader of India. He was widely respected for his non-violent
resistance to the British's sway over the country and was known to be a
devout follower of the great Mahatma Gandhi.
Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a Pashtun political as well as a spiritual
leader of India. He was well-known and respected for his non-violent
resistance to the British's sway over the entire country. A lover of
peace and harmony and a devout follower of the great Mohandas Karamchand
Gandhi, Abdul Ghaffar Khan used to be called by people by many names
like Badshah Khan or Bacha Khan meaning 'King of Chiefs' and Sarhaddi
Gandhi. Read on to know more about the biography of Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
Khan maintained a very close friendship with Gandhiji, who advocated
adherence of non-violent methods for winning back freedom from the hands
of the British. The two of them nurtured deep love and respect for one
another and worked in alliance till the time India gained its
independence in the year 1947. The leading Khudai Khidmatgar
organization, of which Abdul Ghaffar Khan was reverent member, worked in
close partnership with the Indian National Congress against the British
Empire.
On many occasions, when other members of the Indian National Congress
disagreed with Mahatma Gandhi on any particular issue, Abdul Ghaffar
Khan all throughout the life history of their friendship, remained
Gandhiji's strongest supporter. He refused when the Congress proffered
him its presidency in 1931, but, nevertheless remained a member of the
Congress Working Committee for a long time. Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a
champion of women's rights and nonviolence and for this, the public
simply adored him.
His entire life, Khan's trust in the non-violent methods or in the
compatibility of Islam and nonviolence never waned. So strong was his
kinship with Gandhiji that in India that he was often referred to as the
`Frontier Gandhi'. While there were some Pashtuns who wanted to stay
united with India, others favored the creation of Pakistan. Abdul
Ghaffar Khan, however, vehemently opposed the partition of India. As
such, he was often seen as anti-Muslim by some.
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