Reforming the Pukhtuns and Resisting the British: An Appraisal of the Haji Sahib Turangzai's ...

150 Pages·2016·0.97 MB·English

by  Sher Afgan

Reforming the Pukhtuns and
Resisting the British:
An Appraisal of the Haji
Sahib Turangzai’s
Movement

Altaf Qadir

National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research
Centre of Excellence, Quaid-i-Azam University
Islamabad – Pakistan
2015

Reforming the Pukhtuns and
Resisting the British:
An Appraisal of the Haji
Sahib Turangzai’s
Movement
NIHCR Publication No. 169

Copyright  2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication be reproduced, translated,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission in writing from the Director, National Institute
of Historical and Cultural Research, Centre of Excellence, Quaid-i-Azam
University, Islamabad. Enquiries concerning reproduction should be sent
to NIHCR at the address below:

National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research
Centre of Excellence, New Campus, Quaid-i-Azam University
P.O. Box 1230, Islamabad-44000.

Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website: www.nihcr.edu.pk

Published by
Muhammad Munir Khawar, Publication Officer

Printed at
M/s. Roohani Art Press, 35-E, Chughtai Plaza, Fazal-e-Haq Road,
Blue Area, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Price:
Pakistan Rs. 300/-
SAARC countries: Rs. 400/-
ISBN: 978-696-415-110-6 Other countries: US$ 10/-
To

My family

Table of Contents

Preface ix
Introduction xi
Chapter 1: North-West Frontier Province: Historical 1
Background
Chapter 2: Haji Sahib of Turangzai and his Social Reform 19
Movement
Chapter 3: Political Reform Movement 39
Chapter 4: Anti-British Struggle 57
Chapter 5: Connection with Anti-British Elements and 81
Impact of the Movement
Conclusion 93
Glossary 97
Appendices
Appendix A: Names of the Followers of Haji Sahib 102
Turangzai (1916)
Appendix B: Names of the Followers of Haji Sahib 117
Turangzai (1916) B
Appendix C: Letter of Obaidullah Sindhi to Indians 120
Appendix D: Letter of Obaidullah Sindhi to Amir of Mujahidin 121
Bibliography 122
Index 127

Preface
The Colonization of the 3rd world has multiplied the existing
problems of the indigenous people with no exception though the
nature of problems might be variant in different countries. The
present day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan was colonized by the
British in 1849 and was given a special status along with some
other peripheral area. The natives of the area resisted with their
meager available resources but failed to oust the British. Haji Sahib
Turangzai, was perhaps the first person who realized that multi-
dimensional struggle was needed to reform the people. A
traditionally educated Haji Sahib Turangzai initiated a movement
which aimed at promoting a blend of modern schooling and
traditional education. He also tried to resolve their mutual
differences with the assistance of centuries old jargah system. At
the same time he introduced politics of non-cooperation, much
earlier than M. K. Gandhi. The colonial authorities, however, could
not tolerate his activities and he was arrested. The British Indian
government's policies changed his complete outlook and he turned
against the authorities. He migrated to tribal areas and remained
busy in fighting against the colonial forces till his death. The
Movement, initiated by Haji Sahib did not end with his migration.
Rather Abdul Ghaffar Khan and other disciples of Haji Sahib not
only continued the educational and social reformation but also
occupied the politics of the province for the decades to come.
I must acknowledge the role of my teacher Prof. Ghulam Taqi
Bangash (b. 1949-d. 2015), who developed my interest in writing.
Despite my weaknesses and other hindrances, his long lectures on
the importance of research developed my passion for research.
The title is based on my M. Phil. Dissertation, entitled ‘Haji
Sahib of Turangzai: His Life and Time’ submitted to the Department
of History, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad (Pakistan) in 2004,
which was revised, improved, and turned into a book.
Many individuals have contributed a lot in completion of this
work. I am highly indebted to my supervisor, Prof. Sayed Wiqar Ali
Shah, for his scholarly and persistent guidance, which was always
there whenever I needed during the course of study and beyond.
I feel indebted to Prof. Dushka H. Saiyid, the then Chairperson,
Department of History, for the support and encouragement she
Preface x
provided during my stay at the department. I am grateful to my
teachers Prof. Sikandar Hayat, Prof. Rafique Afzal and Prof. Aslam
Syed, who not only added to my skills but also extended every
possible support during the entire course of study period. I also
want to acknowledge the role of Mr. Yaqub Ali Khan, Assistant
Professor of Political Science, Islamia College, Peshawar, for his
guidance during my study at the college and after.
The completion of this work was possible with the assistance of
many individuals including the staff of NWFP (now Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa) Provincial Archives Peshawar; staff of the libraries of
Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad; Islamia College Peshawar,
Department of History, and Pakistan Study Centre, University of
Peshawar; Mr. Adnan Ullah Arbab, Research Officer, Quaid-i-Azam
Academy Islamabad; Mr. Bashir Rabbani, Umarzai, Charsadda and
Mr. Fazli Alim, Dosehra, Charsadda; Mr. Iftikhar Ali and Mr.
Shaharyar, Lecturers in English, Government Postgraduate College
Swabi.
I must recall the memory of my friend Rashid Ahmad Lakho (d.
2002), who discussed various aspects of my thesis but did not live
to see this work accomplished.
Last but not the least, I am thankful, indeed to my father for
financial help and encouragement throughout my work and my
brother Muhammad Farooq and his family for providing me peace
at his home, while collecting material in Peshawar.
The publication of the book was made possible by the constant
help of Prof. Sultan-i-Rome, Government Postgraduate Jahanzeb
College Saidu Sharif, Swat, for his guidance and proof reading of
the script; Miss Fauzia Rahman, PhD Candidate, Global Studies in
Education, Department of Educational Policy Organization and
Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA and
Rizwan Khattak, PhD Candidate, Department of Botany, University
of Peshawar.
I am solely responsible for the opinion expressed and errors, if
any.

Altaf Qadir