The grave of Bacha Khan in Afghanistan has suffered neglect and decay
PESHAWAR: A very well written article by my nephew, Akhtar Ali Shah on January 21, has brought forward the most defined trait of Bacha Khan: peace for all; and his concern for upping the living standards of the Pakhtun. It is however unfortunate that his last wish of the burial of his body in Afghanistan disfigured his patriotism to Pakistan. He had already earned the title of ‘Sarhadi Gandhi’. Though the title was bestowed upon him for following in the peaceful footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi, young Pakistanis construed it as his inclination towards India, not Pakistan. In 1947, Bacha Khan’s demand from the British Raj for holding a referendum in the NWFP to determine if Pakhtuns wished to join Hindu India or Muslim Pakistan was not only rejected by the Pakhtuns, it gave the Khan the label of anti-Pakistan. Followers of Bacha Khan could have exercised political vision and despite Bacha Khan’s wish he could have been buried in his home town of Charsadda. Unfortunately, the grave of Bacha Khan in Afghanistan has suffered neglect and decay as there are none of his loyalists dwelling there. His decision was the last nail in the coffin of his dwindling image in Pakistan.
Sayed GB Shah Bokhri
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2020.
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