A forgotten part of the Subcontinents history..
Qissa Khwani martyrs Unsung heroes of struggle for independence
http://www.frontierpost.com
Abid Jan Razarwal
PESHAWAR: 23rd of April was a very important day in the history of the entire subcontinent and would always be remembered in the annals of history as it is the day on which Peshawariites had rendered the sacrifice of their blood for the liberation of their country. But unfortunately this time too the event went uncelebrated and unnoticed like all the other years.
Neither the government nor any political party in the province celebrated the event to pay homage to the martyrs of Qissa Khwani Bazar. How would we improve our tomorrow if we do not look towards our past and what would we teach our posterity about our history if we forget our heroes?
They, the Qissa Khwani martyrs are our national assets, our history and we should be proud of it.
One does not understand the logic of ignoring such a great day by those at the helms of affairs both at the province and in the Centre. It was the Qissa Khwani event of April 23rd 1930 that had stirred the entire subcontinent and had given a fresh momentum to the struggle for the independence of the sub-continent from the British Raj.
The Indian National Congress had stated the civil disobedience Movement against the British rulers in 1930.
In this connection on April 22nd 1930, leaders and workers of Nawjwan Bharat Sabha, Congress Committee and Khudai Khidmatgar Movement of Bacha Khan, which were at that time political parties having presence in the city had had been arrested but some leaders like Khan Mir Hilali, Hakim Abdul Jalil Nidvi and other had not yet been arrested and they decided to present their arrest from the party office at Chowk Yadgar.
In this connection they had arranged a peaceful procession marching toward Qissa Khwani Bazar where in the Kabuli police station they intended to present their arrest to the authorities.
However as soon as this peaceful procession reached near Kabuli Police Station the British authorities opened indiscriminate firing on them killing more than 3oo innocent people on the spot and injuring more than a thousand.
Leaders of Nawjwan Bharat Sabha, Congress Committee and Khudai Khidmatgar Movement, like Sanober Hussain Kakaji, Abdur Rehman Ria, Achraj Ram, Agha Syed Lal Badshah Bukhari, Maulana Abdur Rahim Popalzai, Lala Pira Khan, Khan Ali Gul Khan, Ghulam Rabbani Sethi and others were already bundled in jails.
The British government of NWFP at that time had unleashed a rein of terror in the province and on the same day beside martyring 300 Peshawariites in Qissa Khwani Bazar, arrested Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan near Nahqi Police Station along with his followers and also banned the Khudai Khidmatgar Movement of Bacha Khan.
In the subsequent event on the same month the entire district Charsadda was made hostage by the British forces and the followers of Bacha Khan were targeted one by one with such brutalities which my pen does not allow be to describe.
This incident is really a very important chapter of the history of Pakistan but unfortuntely the event every year goes unceleberated and unoticed by the official circles.
This time however a Hinko organization has arranged to celeberate the event today (Sundy). The Gandhara Hindko Board has arranged a function in the Khana Farhang-e- Islami Jamhoori Iran to pay tributes to those sons of the soil who laid down their lives at Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Peshawar on April 23, 1930 in struggle for freedom.