Martyrs of Qissa Khwani Bazar Massacre remembered

Islamabad
National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad remembered the victims of the tragic massacre of Qissa Khawani Bazaar, Peshawar, which left more than 250 people martyred at the hands of British troops, says a press release.
Prof Dr Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah, Director, NIHCR while delivering a lecture on the eve of Qissa Khwani Bazar Massacre occurred on 23rd April 1930 at the NIHCR premises on Friday said it was the first direct confrontation of the non-violent demonstrators after 1857. Many innocent people were killed without any mercy by the British soldiers, he said.
He recalled that the Khudai Khidmatgar leadership and followers took part against the British Rule in a peaceful and non-violent way but the British Government took it the other way and opened fire and crushed them under their military vehicles.
He mentioned that women and even beggars were killed even those who had only come to Qissa Khawani for buying things were murdered. He also highlighted that the British leadership could not afford the strengthening political force of Pashtoons, therefore, they tried to provoke them to violence. In spite of their provocation the Pashtoon Khudai Khedmatgars remained non-violent. Their leaders were arrested and even then they remained non-violent and they stood firm in that agitation against the British Rule.
Dr Wiqar Ali Shah expressed his concerns for highlighting about this incident as it was a painful day in the history of Indian Subcontinent. We should inform the people and mobilise them about their own history. Although it is a day full of blood for all the non-violent Pashtoons and other residents still majority of people are unaware and have no interest about the tragic incident.
The time has come, he said, to highlight about the rich history of our regions. We should owe them and come up about our history with some scholarly writings, he opined.