PESHAWAR: The members of Gandhara Hindko Board, a literary and cultural organisation, on Tuesday remembered the April 23, 1930 Qissa Khwani firing victims by visiting the memorials in the historic bazaar and launching a book on the incident.
The British soldiers opened firing on the freedom-loving people in Peshawar 89 years ago as they were protesting against the oppressive colonial policies. As many as 400 people were killed on the day, though the official account put the toll at 179, says a press release.
The members of the board walked to the Yadgar-i-Shaheedan, the two monuments at Qissa Khwani, in a procession from Bazaar-i-Misgaraan. They were carrying banners inscribed with slogans to pay tribute to the people, who were killed or injured in the incident.
The participants of the procession placed wreaths on the monuments and offered Fateha.
Speaking on the occasion, Ahmad Nadeem Awan, Dr Adnan Gul, Sikander Hayat and others said that April 23, 1930 Qissa Khwani firing was an important incident of the freedom struggle in Peshawar.
They demanded of the government to mark the day officially to highlight the struggle and sacrifices of the people.
The board also launched on the occasion a book on incident. The 144-page publication, named “Shaam-i-Alm” has been written by senior writer Nazir Bhatti.
Having several books and a number of television plays and film scripts to his credit, the author has spotlighted the Qissa Khwani tragedy through the literary genre of the novel.
Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2019
