Ajab Khan Afridi (Pashto: عجب خان اپریدی) was an Afghan guerrilla fighter from Darra Adam Khel in the Frontier Tribal Areas belonging to the Afridi tribe of Pashtuns. Following a raid on his house by a British Indian Army detachment in 1923, Afridi declared it a personal affront to his honor and was ordered by his mother to take revenge on the army officers who had led the raid.[2]
Ajab Khan Afridi | |
|---|---|
عجب خان اپریدی | |
| Born | c. 1866 |
| Died | 8 January 1961 (aged 94–95) |
| Resting place | Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan |
| Known for | Indian independence movement against the British Raj |
Afridi, along with four other villagers, attacked Kohat Cantonment. The wife of a British officer, Major Ellis, was stabbed and killed during the attack and they kidnapped Ellis' daughter, Molly.[3][4][5][6]
Ajab Khan and his men also fought numerous skirmishes with British soldiers.[7]
On 8 January 1961, Ajab Khan Afridi died at the age of 95 in Mazar-i-Sharif in the Balkh Province of the Kingdom of Afghanistan.[1]
Legacy
editAjab Khan Afridi is celebrated as a hero in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, inspiring three films about his life.[7] The 1961 Urdu language film "Ajab Khan" depicted his battles against the British.[7] In 2018, a statue of Ajab Khan Afridi was erected at Abbas Chowk in his hometown, Darra Adam Khel, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.[8][9][10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Hussain, S. Iftikhar (29 August 2008). Some major Pukhtoon tribes along the Pak-Afghan border. The University of Michigan: Area Study Centre, 2000. p. 62.
- ^ عمر آفریدی (9 April 2015). "تیراہ: شدت پسندی قبائلی سرشت میں ہے؟". bbc.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "Ajab Khan Afridi".
- ^ Abdul Sami Paracha (19 May 2017). "Freedom fighter Akbar Khan's grave needs govt attention". dawn.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "Ajab Khan Afridi". thenews.com.pk. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "Rescue of Mollie Ellis, captured by Afridi bandits in NWFP, 1923". thefridaytimes.com. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Suhayb, Muhammad (28 March 2021). "Flashback: The Epic Story of Ajab Khan". Dawn. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "درہ آدم خیل میں عجب خان آفریدی کا مجسمہ نصب". islamtimes.org. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Nazar Ul Islam (4 January 2019). "Haunted by militancy, Pakistani town welcomes library built above gun market". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Nazar Ul Islam (6 January 2019). "Militancy weary Pakistan town welcomes library built above arms market". saudigazette.com.sa. Retrieved 19 May 2020.