Context: Its 90 years for Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre which was perpetrated by British soldiers against non-violent protesters of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement on April 23, 1930.

Who were the Khudai Khidmatgars?

The Khudai Khidmatgar was a non-violent movement against British occupation of the Indian subcontinent.

• It was led by Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a Pashtun freedom fighter, in the North-West Frontier Province.
• Over time, the movement acquired a more political colour, leading to the British taking notice of its growing prominence in the region.
• Following the arrest of Khan and other leaders in 1929, the movement formally joined the Indian National Congress after they failed to receive support from the All-India Muslim League.
• Members of the Khudai Khidmatgar were organised and the men stood out because of the bright red shirts they wore as uniforms, while the women wore black garments.

Reason behind Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre:

• Abdul Ghaffar Khan and other leaders of the Khudai Khidmatgar were arrested on April 23, 1930 by British police after he gave a speech at a gathering in the town of Utmanzai in the North-West Frontier Province.
• Khan’s arrest spurred protests in neighbouring towns, including Peshawar.
• Protests spilled into the Qissa Khwani Bazaar in Peshawar on the day of Khan’s arrest.
• British soldiers entered the market area to disperse crowds that had refused to leave. In response, British army vehicles drove into the crowds, killing several protesters and bystanders.

What was the aftermath of the Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre?

1. The British ramped up the crackdown on Khudai Khidmatgar leaders and members following the Qissa Khwani Bazaar massacre.
2. In response, the movement began involving young women in its struggle against the British, a decision in line with tactics adopted by revolutionaries across the undivided India. Women were able to move undetected with more ease than men.
3. According to accounts by Khudai Khidmatgar activists, the British subjected members of the movement to harassment, abuse and coercive tactics adopted elsewhere in the subcontinent.
4. This included physical violence and religious persecution. Following the recruitment of women in the movement, the British also engaged in violence, brutality and abuse of women members.

In August 1931, the Khudai Khidmatgar aligned themselves with the Congress party, forcing the British to reduce the violence they were perpetrated on the movement.

Post Independence:

• The Khudai Khidmatgar opposed Partition, a stance that many interpreted as the movement not being in favour of the creation of the independent nation of Pakistan.
• Post 1947, the Khudai Khidmatgar slowly found their political influence decreasing to such an extent that the movement and the massacre 90 years ago in the Qissa Khwani Bazaar has been wiped out from collective memory.

About Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan

• He was known as Badshah Khan and “Sarhadi Gandhi” and Frontier Gandhi born in 1890 and Died on January 1988.
• He was a Pashtun leader and ardent follower of Mahtma Gandhi and was known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule.
• He started the Khudai Khidmatgar movement (Servants of God).
• Khudai Khidmatgar movement was a non-violent freedom struggle against the British Empire by the Pashtuns or Pathans of the North-West Frontier Province led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
• He was nominated for Nobel Peace prize in 1985. In 1987 he became the first person who won Bharat Ratna without being an Indian national. (Another Foreign national to receive Bharat Ratna is Nelson Mandela (1990).
• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was against the partition of India and he was many times targeted for being Anti-Muslim.