Asfandyar pays tribute to Takkar victims

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali Khan on Saturday said that the Takkar village massacre at the hands of the British soldiers on May 28, 1930 was the darkest chapter in the history of the Pakhtuns.

In a special message on the occasion of the 93th anniversary of the massacre, he said that the ANP would always remember the martyrs of the Takkar village who were massacred by British soldiers on May 28, 1930.

The ANP leader paid rich tribute to the martyrs of Khudai Khidmatgars, who laid down their lives for the freedom of the motherland from the British Raj.

He recalled that around 70 villagers were killed and more than 150 wounded in the firing. The ANP leader further said that the Takka massacre gave the lesson about sacrifice and steadfastness in the face of oppression, adding that one should not give up patience under any circumstances.

Asfandyar said that freedom fighter Bacha Khan and his associates rendered matchless sacrifices for the cause of the Pakhtuns and independence and remained steadfast in their resolve. However, he said that the textbooks did not shed any light on the struggle of Bacha Khan and his associates and instead their sacrifices were ignored.