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| The Khaksar martyrs of
March 1940 |
| Nasim Yousaf |
| On March 19, 1940, police in
Lahore opened fire on the Khaksars, killing a
number of them and wounding many others. Five days
later, the All-India Muslim League passed the
Pakistan and Khaksar Resolutions during its
historic session in Lahore. As we mark the 67th
anniversary of the March 19th massacre, it is
important to take a look back at the events that
led up to the shooting - they leave no doubt that
the Khaksars who gave their lives on that fateful
day in 1940 were no less than martyrs who made the
ultimate sacrifice for their nation. There were a
number of reasons for the clash on March 19th.
During the late 1930s, the Khaksar Tehrik had
emerged as an incredibly powerful organization in
the Indian subcontinent. Its strength was revealed
in 1939 during a clash with the Government of U.P.
over the Sunni-Shia riots in Lucknow (U.P.).
Fearing the Tehrik’s growing popularity,
anti-Khaksar elements attempted to suppress the
Movement. Punjab Premier Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan
(also member of the Working Committee of the
All-India Muslim League) who opposed the Khaksars,
with the support of the anti-Khaksar elements,
took the first step towards banning the Khaksar
Tehrik. On February 22, 1940, Punjab police raided
Mohammadi Steam Press (printer of the Khaksar
weekly, Al-Islah) in Lahore and confiscated copies
of the Al-Islah along with printed Khaksar
materials and pamphlets. Within a few days of this
raid (on February 28, 1940), the Punjab Government
issued a Press Communique (under the Defense of
India Rules), according to which Khaksar
activities were banned. Allama Mashriqi, the
founder and leader of the Khaksar Movement, was
stunned by the Government’s order. He felt that
the Khaksars had done nothing wrong, as they had
not engaged in any violent activity or broken any
laws. Thus, he launched immediate efforts -
including meeting with Quaid-e-Azam and other
prominent leaders - in an attempt to get the ban
removed. According to Syed Shabbir Hussain’s (a
veteran journalist) book, Al-Mashriqi: The
Disowned Genius, Quaid-e-Azam told Mashriqi “I
wish Sikandar could be my man. If it had been so I
would have ordered him.” Fatima Jinnah (Mr.
Jinnah’s sister), also present at the meeting,
supported Mr. Jinnah and agreed that “Sikandar is
not our man.” Despite Mashriqi’s efforts, however,
the ban remained intact. On March 19, 1940, a
contingent of 313 Khaksars (from Punjab, Frontier
and other provinces), dressed in military-style
uniform with belchas (spades) on their shoulders,
came out on the streets of Lahore. They began a
peaceful protest march towards Badshahi Mosque,
where they were to offer prayers. The
Superintendent of Police, D. Gainsford
(accompanied by Beaty [Deputy Superintendent of
Police], F.C. Bourne [District Magistrate], and a
City Magistrate) also arrived at the site.
Equipped with guns, pistols, batons, and shields,
they intercepted the Khaksars and ordered them to
stop the march, but the Khaksars continued.
Gainsford presumably couldn’t bear to be ignored.
According to well-known journalist Muhammad
Saeed’s book, Lahore: A Memoir, Gainsford “slapped
Inayat Shah [a Khaksar] in the face.” The
situation quickly escalated and resulted in a
serious clash between the police and the Khaksars.
The police began indiscriminately firing on the
defenseless Khaksars; it would not be wrong to
state that this was a battle of guns versus
spades, with the police firing bullets and the
Khaksars defending themselves with spades. The
police’s arbitrary and ruthless firing continued
for a considerable length of time. Many Khaksars
lost their lives while a number of others were
seriously injured. Khaksar bodies littered the
streets, surrounded by pools of blood. Those who
witnessed the tragic scene say that the gallantry
shown by the Khaksars was unbelievable. According
to K.L. Gauba (then Member of the Punjab
Legislative Assembly) in his book Friends and
Foes, 200 Khaksars were killed (though the
Government version only declared 32 killed).
Immediately after the massacre, the Khaksar
headquarters (adjacent to Mashriqi’s house) were
raided by police and army soldiers. The police
fired tear gas grenades in order to make arrests.
Furthermore, Ehsanullah Khan Aslam (Mashriqi’s
son), who was on the premises at the time, was
seriously injured (he later succumbed to the
injury and died on May 31, 1940). Police also
arrested Mashriqi’s sons and the Khaksars present
at the site. Mashriqi, who was in Delhi at the
time, was arrested as well. Following the events
of March 19th, the city of Lahore was essentially
operating under emergency laws; the Government
imposed a curfew, censored the news, and banned
public processions and speeches. Shops were closed
and Section 144, which prohibited the gathering of
five or more persons in any street, lane, or
public place (within the limits of the Lahore
Municipality) was enforced. There was to be no
mention of the Khaksar Tehrik; the dead Khaksars
were not to be remembered as martyrs or the living
as heroes. Meanwhile, police and intelligence
agencies continued chasing the Khaksars and a
large number of them were thrown in prison and
kept in miserable conditions. News of Mashriqi’s
arrest and the Khaksar killings spread like
wildfire and sent shockwaves through British
India. However, the All-India Muslim League (AIML)
session scheduled for March 22-24, 1940 was not
postponed. In fact, Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan
(Punjab Premier) removed Section 144 in order for
the Muslim League to hold its session. The session
thus began just three days after the brutal
massacre of the Khaksars; this gathering would
prove to be a historic one. On March 22, the
Muslim League session started in Lahore with Sir
Sikandar Hayat Khan and other leaders in
attendance. At the venue, large crowds ? outraged
by the brutal massacre of the Khaksars just a few
days earlier ? were present in order to seek
redress for their grievances. Sir Sikandar and
others made desperate efforts to prevent
discussion of the Khaksar issue at the session.
However, the angry and emotionally charged public
at the site ignored Sikandar’s wishes and highly
condemned the Punjab Government. They shouted
slogans against the Punjab Premier and Government
and passionately supported Mashriqi and the
Khaksars. Chants such as “Mashriqi Zindabad” (long
live Mashriqi), “Khaksar Zindabad,” and “Remove
the ban on the Khaksar Tehrik” were raised. The
people demanded an inquiry into the March 19th
incident (and compensation for murdered and
injured Khaksars), the release of Mashriqi and the
Khaksars, and lifting of the ban on the Khaksar
Movement. They also pushed for the removal of Sir
Sikandar from the Muslim League. The fervent
appeals and chants of the people continued for the
duration of the three-day session. To avoid any
untoward incident, Quaid-e-Azam, Liaquat Ali Khan,
Nawab Bahadur Yar Jung (also a Khaksar), and other
AIML leaders had to speak to the public at various
occasions. Finally, owing to the public pressure,
the AIML passed the Khaksar Resolution side by
side with the Pakistan Resolution on the last
night of the session (both resolutions were passed
on March 24, 1940 and not on March 23, as is the
common belief). It is important to note that prior
to this session, Section 144 was in place and the
public could not gather on the streets to show
their support for the Khaksars. When this
restriction was lifted for the AIML session,
people took this opportunity and rushed to the
session to express their heartfelt sentiment
towards the Khaksar massacre. The atmosphere
remained extremely tense throughout the entire
three-day session. Unfortunately, the public’s
support for the Khaksars during this three day
session has been either ignored, twisted, or
inadequately incorporated in the history books of
the Indian sub-continent for political reasons.
Although the March 19th massacre was a major
turning point for independence, the Khaksar
struggle did not end there. The events that
unfolded following this incident tell the story of
the longest, toughest, and most unparalleled fight
against British rule in the Indian subcontinent.
There is no doubt that the Khaksar tragedy on
March 19th united the nation and set the stage for
freedom. Unfortunately, due to political
implications and the controversial nature of the
subject, the Khaksar Tehrik’s role is not
discussed much in India or Pakistan. Furthermore,
despite their long struggle, some do not even
consider the Khaksars who died on March 19th to be
martyrs. It is time that we rose above political
controversies and corrected history by
acknowledging the role of the Khaksars. As
evidenced by this article, the story of the
Pakistan Resolution would be incomplete without
discussing the Khaksar tragedy. The Khaksars
sacrificed everything - including their lives -
for the sake of bringing freedom to British India.
They were determined to remove the nation from the
clutches of foreign yoke; they resisted any ban or
restriction that obstructed their way. Even when
the riddled bodies of dead or injured Khaksars
soaked in blood lay on the ground, the Khaksars
remained intent on emerging victorious. The
Khaksars were neither terrorists nor barbarians or
hooligans - they were true freedom fighters. Why
then should they not be remembered as martyrs and
heroes? nasim.yousaf@yahoo.com
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