In memoriam: Bacha Khan, Wali Khan remembered on their death anniversaries

ANP workers hold Quran Khawani and Fateha Khawani for their leaders.

KARACHI: The Awami National Party (ANP) Sindh chapter observed the death anniversaries of non-violent freedom fighter Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as Bacha Khan, and former party chief Khan Abdul Wali Khan at Mardan house on Sunday.  

ANP workers held Quran Khawani and Fateha Khawani for their leaders after which the party leaders addressed the workers’ convention to highlight the achievements and sacrifices of Bacha Khan and Wali for their non-violent and democratic principles. It was the 26th death anniversary of Ghaffar and 8th death anniversary of Wali.



The party’s former provincial chief, Senator Shahi Syed, in his speech, said that Bacha Khan was the pioneer of modernism for Pashtuns as he believed in the respect for humanity and served humanity throughout his life. “It was the glory of Ghaffar that the flags of Bacha Khan, Afghanistan and India were lowered at his funeral. After the end of cold war, the world started pondering over the ideas and teachings of Bacha Khan and a series of books and documentaries were published on his struggle in the sub-continent,” said Syed. He added that the country would not be the centre for extremism in the world if the guidance and instructions of Wali were taken seriously during the cold war period.

“Our leaders had cautioned about jumping into the fire of extremism 40 years back - the fire that has brought destruction in the country,” he said. Syed claimed that the ANP was thrown out from the parliament by force after 2013 elections and it is not the way to run a state. “Those who tampered with the results of the last elections in favour of their preferred parties should now ask their elected representatives to address their demands. They should stop attacking law enforcers and innocent people.”

Syed criticised the ongoing targeted operation in the city and said that though they are supporting what is going on in the city in the name of an ‘operation’, they are not satisfied with the results. He said that they had already pointed out that the city had become volatile but no one paid heed. ANP’s organising committee chairperson advocate Altaf Khan shed light on the educational, social and political struggle of Ghaffar. He said that Wali, on the other hand, played a vital role in giving Constitution to the country when he was the opposition leader of the National Assembly. He took the services of the ANP to the next level by establishing nine universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during the last government. “It would be unfair if I don’t pay tribute to the activists and leaders of party who laid their lives to defend the cause of ANP and Pashtuns,” said Altaf.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2014.