Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The Cultural Heritage Council (CHC) on Thursday demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government to protect and declare the house of Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan a national museum on emergency basis.

Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan, commonly known as Bacha Khan and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar (servants of God) Movement launched in 1929 against the British Raj in Sub-continent.

“We will come to roads to launch a campaign for collecting money in Peshawar for protection and purchasing the house, if Provincial Government failed or use delaying tactics”, said Shakeel Wahid Ullah Khan, General Secretary, Cultural Heritage Council, during a press conference here at press club.

He was flanked by Cultural Heritage Council office bearers including Fazal Raziq Advocate, Hamid Gul and Ajmal Khan.

“If the provincial government fails in protection and preserving of the Bacha Khan’s House, then we will meet to the chiefs of all political parties of Pakistan as all the leaders give reverence to Bacha Khan”, he said.

Unfortunately the former Awami National Party (ANP) Government had completed its five years but did not focus on and take notice of this important issue otherwise today we will not face with this challenge, he lamented and said that when a party come into power it changes its priority and important issues set aside.

He said the house of the Khudai Khidmatgar Movement founder was almost 220 years old which was located in Utmanzai, district Charsadda where Bacha Khan born and launched strives against the British rulers.

Similarly, he said the well-known politicians and leaders of Indian National Congress including, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru along with other important personalities visited the house and spent days there.

“Currently the house is given to a tenant for just Rs 1000 monthly by one of the Bacha Khan grandson while the house is losing its old status of prestigious and importance day by day”, he said.

There is also a masjid near to the house where Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan launched the great Khudai Khidmatgar Movement against the Britain.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Archeology Department and Cultural Directorate together could make that house national museum.

He demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government to declare the house a national museum under the 1997 Antiquity Act, decorate the house with its original shape and display the statues, pictures, specific dresses of those persons related to the Khudai Khidmatgar Movement.