he Khudai Khidmatgar movement, also known as the Red Shirts or Surkh Posh, was a non-violent resistance movement primarily composed of Pashtuns in colonial India’s North West Frontier Province (now part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). Led by Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as Bacha Khan, the movement initially focused on social reforms like education and ending blood feuds. However, it evolved into a political force due to British oppression, leading to its leaders’ exile and arrests by 1929.

The movement gained significant political influence when it allied with the Indian National Congress for the 1937 elections, resulting in Bacha Khan’s brother becoming the chief minister of the NWFP. However, the Khudai Khidmatgars faced repression again during the Quit India Movement in the 1940s. They expressed disappointment when Congress accepted the partition plan without consulting them, leading Bacha Khan to criticise Congress for neglecting their interests.

In June 1947, the Khudai Khidmatgars demanded an independent Pashtun state, Pashtunistan, through the Bannu Resolution. However, their demand was not met, and after India’s partition, they faced opposition from the new Pakistani government. This marked the challenging and turbulent journey of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement, from a non-violent resistance against the British Raj to grappling with the complexities of post-partition politics in the region.

The Khudai Khidmatgar movement successfully opposed British colonial rule, but its social impact has not endured. Criticism of the movement includes its opposition to partition and, consequently, the creation of Pakistan. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was labelled as pro-communist, a narrative used by conservative factions to discredit it as anti-Islamic. Some critics question the movement’s claim of total non-violence, pointing out instances where Khudai Khidmatgar members attacked British colonial officials.

To quote Lester Kurtz of the International Centre on Non-violent Conflict: “The movement waned after its involvement in electoral politics but has become a benchmark for contemporary Muslims organising non-violent resistance rooted in the Islamic tradition”.

The movement’s evolution and activities are chronicled in Khudai Khidmatgaar Tahreek.

The book serves as a valuable historical resource, offering insights into a less-known aspect of India’s freedom struggle from the perspective of active workers.

Authored by Ahmed (Kaka), the book is a significant historical document written initially in Pashto in 1991. Recently translated into Urdu by Qasim Jan, it delves into the Khudai Khidmatgar movement led by Bacha Khan. Spanning several decades, the treatise reads like a detailed journal or logbook.

Ahmed’s narrative begins from his humble origins as a poor village teenager and orphan, highlighting how the Khudai Khidmatgar movement provided him free schooling and sustenance. The book is rich in vivid portrayals of rural life and features numerous individuals, known and unknown, in towns and villages where the movement gained popularity.

Divided into two volumes, the treatise’s first volume discusses the movement’s inception, its challenges and the reasons for not achieving all its goals. It captures Ahmed’s journey from a destitute schoolboy joining the Red Shirts to promoting education and motivating youngsters to enroll. The second volume delves into Ahmed’s personal experiences, including hardship, and his contributions to the movement.

To me, the highlight of the book was the story about how close Bacha Khan and Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, were to forming an alliance, the book suggests was thwarted by certain conspirators. Khan’s political sagacity showed up in the Khudai Khidmatgar’s resolution on September 3-4, 1947 at Sardaryab that stated, “The Khudai Khidmagars regard Pakistan as their own country and pledge that they shall do their utmost to strengthen and safeguard its interest and make every sacrifice for the cause; The dismissal of Dr Khan Sahib’s ministry and the setting up of Abdul Qayyum’s ministry is undemocratic, but as our country is passing through a critical stage, the Khudai Khidmatgars shall take no step that might create difficulties in the way of either the Provincial or the Central Government; After the division of the country, the Khudai Khidmatgars sever their connection with the All-India Congress organisation and, therefore, instead of the Tricolor, adopt the Red Flag as the symbol of their party.”

Bacha Khan’s son, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, has emphasised the book’s importance in preserving the legacy of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement and the sacrifices made by ordinary Pashtuns for collective uplift. The book could have benefited from better editing and clearer chapter headings. It still serves as a valuable historical resource, offering insights into a less-known aspect of India’s freedom struggles from the perspective of active workers like Ahmed.

Khudai Khidmatgar Tehrik (Vol 1 & 2)

Author: Ahmed (Kaka), Translated by Qasim Jan

Publisher: Tareekh Publications

Pages: 791

The reviewer is a print, broadcast and online journalist associated with Jang Group of Newspapers as Editor, Special Assignments