Qissa Khwani firing victims remembered

 PESHAWAR: The Gandhara Hindko Board, a literary and cultural organization, on Friday paid rich tributes to the scores of people who had lost lives in the firing resorted by the British soldiers in Qissa Khwani in Peshawar on April 23, 1930.

A delegation led by senior Hindko language research scholar and general secretary of the board, Muhammad Ziauddin, visited the ‘Yadgar-e-Shaheedaan’ or martyrs memorials erected at the historic bazaar in memory of those who either embraced martyrdom or were injured in the firing.

The occupying British soldiers had opened fire on the freedom-loving citizens in Peshawar 91 years ago who were protesting the oppressive Colonial policies. As many as 400 people were killed on the day, though the official account had put the toll at 179.

The members of the board walked from the nearby Bazaar-e-Misgaraan or coppersmith market to the ‘Yadgar-e-Shaheedaan’ -- the two monuments to the martyrs at Qissa Khwani.

They carried a banner inscribed with tributes to the citizens who were killed or injured in the firing.

They placed floral wreaths on the monuments and offered dua for those who had lost lives in the carnage.

Muhammad Ziauddin, Ahmad Nadeem Awan and Waseem Shahid spoke on the occasion to highlight the importance of the April 23, 1930 incident which formed a memorable part of the freedom struggle waged by the people in this part of the country.

In his speech, Muhammad Ziauddin said the Qissa Khwani firing was an unforgettable incident of the freedom struggle.

He praised the people for the sacrifice they had offered in Peshawar 91 years back for the cause of freedom and the Islamic glory.

He repeated the demands to mark the day officially to apprise the Pakistani youth of the struggle by our elders and the sacrifices they had offered for achieving the freedom and include a chapter on this important incident in the textbooks to prove to the present generation that Pakistan was not presented to us in a platter.

Muhammad Ziauddin welcomed the renovation of the martyrs' memorials in Qissa Khwani and said the important structure symbolized an extraordinary incident of the freedom movement, adding the monuments should be properly maintained as well.

It may be mentioned here that headed by Mr Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, a former chief secretary of KP and Sindh, Gandhara Hindko Board has been marking the Qissa Khwani Martyrs Day for the last 28 years by holding different events such as conferences, photographic exhibitions and publishing books.

The publications by the board and the academy run by it include a Hindko language book “Shaam-e-Alm” (The evening of grief) by a late writer, Nazir Ahmad, “ Qissa Khwani firing - The tragedy at a glance” by Muhammad Ziauddin, “Azeem Peshawari Sapoot” by late Syed Qamar Abbas, and “Qissa Khwani Ka Qatl-e Aaam” by Aftab Iqbal Bano.