Madad Khan of Katlang (A forgotten hero of freedom movement) by Advocate Riaz Khan Daavi

NOTE: THE OPNION OF THE  WRITER IN THE ARTICLE IS THE PERSONAL OPINION OF THE WRITER

The value of freedom can best be known from those who are in the clutches of slavery. Or ask our elders who witnessed the worst in the united India what freedom is meant and they can tell about it as they experienced a life akin to that of slaves. The Muslims of the united India with the British-Hindu collusion had been deprived of all the basic rights and a plan to make them under complete subjugation of Hindus was the main objective of the foreign rulers.



But the farsighted leadership of Muslims as well as the sacrifices of ghazis thwarted their nefarious designs and thus a separate and independent homeland, Pakistan, was carved out on the world's map. It's a misfortune of ours that after the creation of our country, those at the helm of affairs almost forgot the sacrifices of some of our deserved heroes. Madad Khan Davikhel is one of those hidden heroes who offered great sacrifices in the Pakistan Movement, but those who mattered in the affairs of the country forgot him for unknown reasons.



This great hero and ghazi belonged to Baizai area of Mardan district. The area is the abode to many Pakhtun tribes including Yusufzai, Utman-Khel, Mamooti, Ghorghoosht etc. Ghazi Madad Khan belonged to the sub-tribe of Ghorghoosht, now called Davikhel. Born at Dheri Likpani of Katlang village in 1892 Madad Khan was the son of Mamoon Khan, a middle class landlord. Khan Mahmood Khan Shaheed, great grandfather of Ghazi Madad Khan, had embraced martyrdom against Sikhs during the tehrik of Syed Ahmad Barelvi Shaheed.



Madad Khan's father left him in infancy as he died in the prime of his life, so Madad Khan could not equip himself with education. As he grew older, his interest in the changing conditions of the sub-continent became stronger day by day. He started his struggle for freedom openly in 1910 and later became captain in the Khudai Khidmatgar Tehrik, led by Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as Bacha Khan. He was a simple but brave and robust Pakhtun who was unaware of political expediencies. He did not know rhetoric and politics, but his aim was to expel the imperialist Britishers from the sub-continent and root out their rule.



His only aim behind his joining the Khudai Khidmatgar Tehrik was to embrace martyrdom for the cause of freedom. He faced great hardships in his life and endured prison nine times and suffered almost 16 years behind bars. But despite all handicaps, he continued his struggle and the rulers of the day failed to suppress his voice. This great man died in 1987 at the age of 95, leaving behind his reminiscences. The freedom in which we all are breathing now owed to Madad Khan and his like, therefore, we must give him his due status. If we show frugality in this respect, history will not forgive us.