PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party on Friday organised a ceremony in the city to mark the death anniversaries of Khudai Khidmatgar movement founder Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan popularly known as Bacha Khan and nationalist leader Abdul Wali Khan.

The speakers declared Bacha Khan and Wali Khan, who died in January 1988 and January 2006 respectively, the true campaigners for non-violence and reforms in Pakhtun society, and paid tribute to them for the campaign.

ANP central vice president Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour said Bacha Khan was not only a politician but he was also a campaigner for reforms in society as well as a symbol of non-violence movement.

He said Bacha Khan and his fellows always remained in the opposition as his struggle was not for power but for improvement of the lives of the people.

ANP marks death anniversaries of two Pakhtun leaders

Bilour said the politics, whose foundation was laid down by Bacha Khan and was subsequently followed by Wali Khan, was based on pro-democracy and anti-imperialism principles.

“Bacha Khan had great love for his people and it’s because of that love that he had told them in clear terms that they had to get education for progress and development,” he said, adding that following the same principles, he established several schools in different areas.

The ANP leader said both Bacha Khan and Wali Khan were principled politicians and instead of their personal benefits, they always strived for giving a progressive and forward-looking identity to the country.

He said Wali Khan was one of the brains behind the 1973 Constitution, so his name could never be removed from the country’s history.

Bilour said the unity among political and religious parties against terrorism was a good omen for the country and that security forces and the people had joined hands against terrorism.

“The day is not far away when peace will prevail in the country and region,” he said.

ANP central secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain said personalities like Bacha Khan and Abdul Wali Khan were born in centuries.

He said Bacha Khan had warned the people of terrorism in his lifetime but at that time, his message was not taken seriously.

Hussain said Wali Khan had once warned the war in Afghanistan would one day spread to Pakistan and that had proven right.

He said the operation against terrorism should begin in Punjab and that financial matters of all seminaries in the province in particular and other parts of the country in general should be properly audited by the government.

The ANP leader said his party had swallowed the bitter pill of supporting military courts to try terrorists only because it felt it would help restore peace in the country.

ANP provincial general secretary Aimal Wali Khan said Bacha Khan was a preacher of peace.

“During his lifetime, Bacha Khan was declared an agent of India and Russia by vested interests but now, the people have been forced to follow his policies,” he said.

Babak urged Pakhtuns to forge unity saying the nation had been passing through crucial times of its history.

ANP provincial parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak, central finance secretary Arbab Mohammad Tahir, city president Ghulam Mustafa and district president Malik Naseem also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2015

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