New translations of autobiography of Abdul Ghaffar Khan,
the “Frontier’s Gandhi”, launched at Kabul University on Monday
Kabul, 18th December 2016 – On Monday, the National Center for Policy Research (NCPR), a partner German Cooperation with Afghanistan will launch new translations of the autobiography of Abdul Ghaffar Khan aka Badshah Khan into Pashto and Dari. Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890-1988) developed an approach of non-violence resistance colonialism that was based on his inspiration from Islam, from traditional values of his Pashtun people and many other sources. He was a friend of Mahatma Gandhi and a leading person in the Congress Party before the separation of India and Pakistan. He founded the Khudai Khitmatgar („Servants of God“) movement in 1929. Faced with ten thousands of peaceful demonstrators in iconic red shirts, the British rulers cracked down on the movement. Badshah Khan spent more than 30 years in prison or enforced exile
“Particularly for young people in Afghanistan, we want to provide translations, for the very first time in Dari language and one into contemporary Pashto”, expressed Prof. Noor Ebad, Director of the NCPR. The original under the title “My Life and Struggle” was narrated to a scholar from India and published there. And Dr. Yahya Wardak, a German-Afghan advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education and author/editor of various publications about Badshah Khan added: “Abdul Ghaffar Khan identified violence and ignorance as the key problems of his own society. This opened opportunities for foreign powers to suppress his people. Unfortunately, those problems persist in present Afghanistan as in many other parts of the world. Therefore, it is of high importance to consider his ideas about non-violence once again and to get inspired by his example.”
Attention Media: Please be invited to the Book Launch on 19thDecember 2016 at 11 am in the building of the National Center for Policy Research on the campus of Kabul University. The Chancellor of the university, Prof. Farooqi , willmake a welcome speech and Dr. Yahya Wardak will give a brief introduction.
If possible, please announce your visit to NCPR Secretary (E-mail: secretary@ncpr.af, Digital: (020) 2500 390 / 391) and use the campus entrance north.
