Naseebullah Khan
Both were contemporary. Both were nonviolent. Both stood for the protection of the rights of the oppressed. Both were behind bars for around half decade collectively. Both were the main pillars
of creating consciousness and awakening the Pashtun nation from a deep slumber. Both fought jointly against fundamentalism.At a time, when the nation was clueless, rudderless, and leaderless and when it was under the clinches of British colonialism and their brutalities, Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan aka Bacha Khan, and Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai stood firmly against the authorities. Neither bars nor brutalities inflicted upon them silenced their voices and could not stop them from saying the truth to the Pharaohs of the age.Both rejected the offers of perks and privileges by the authorities before and after the creation of Pakistan. Imagine their honesty and commitment to the nation when both were behind bars for around 50 years. Can we expect such sacrifice for the nation? Incomparable.Although both had different political parties, they were traveling in the same boat with alike aims. After the establishment of the one unit, both merged their political parties in the NAP. The differences emerged after the dissolution of one unit when Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai demanded a separate Pashtun province in Balochistan or the amalgamation of the Pashtun Majority areas in the current KPK.After parting his ways with the NAP, Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai formed his party. Still, he had reservations on policy matters with the ANP leadership, but within the ambit of respect and tolerance. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan though, was aged, had left political activities, and had given the reign of political affairs to his son Kham Abdul Wali Khan_ who had in tacted warm relations with Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai.Currently, we have been witnessing trolling, abusive culture, opprobrium, and blaming on the part of the workers of both parties against each other. Low and behold.
Even Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai are not spared from these brigades. Their credentials and sacrifices do not deserve to be maligned for petty political interests.This is unacceptable, instance, and immature. The big responsibility is on the shoulders of the leadership of both parties to stop their supporters from spreading this nonsense. No one is the winner. The losers are the Pashtuns as a whole. Both Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai played their role with dignity, dedication, and appreciation even from their political rivals. Even though, their predecessors did not prove to be the as fruitful and successful as the nation excepted in the presence of a reasonable legacy which both Khans had left behind.