Yum-E-Babra Observed In Memory Of Over 600 Victims: Pashtuns Still Facing Brutality, Say Leaders

(MENAFN- Tribal News Network) Today, in the Babra area of Charsadda district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the "Yum-e-Babra" was observed in memory of the over 600 individuals who lost their lives in a tragic incident. Politicians and civil society members gathered to honor the victims, with a shared sentiment that Pashtuns continue to face brutalities even today.

The Awami National Party (ANP), a prominent Political party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, recalls that on August 12, 1948, over 600 people were killed at Babra, with many families too fearful to even retrieve the bodies of their loved ones, choosing instead to dispose of them in the river.

ANP's Central Chairman, Aimal Wali Khan, referred to the Babra massacre as "the Karbala of the Pashtuns," emphasizing that the Pashtun nation will never forget this day. Speaking to the media after laying a wreath at the Babra memorial, he stated that the then-unelected government delivered a message to Bacha Khan to disband the Khudai Khidmatgar movement through the massacre at Babra.

Aimal Wali Khan further asserted, "Pashtuns are still being killed today, but the methods have changed. The path and the mindset remain the same, but the tactics are different. Pashtuns will not stand down; they will stand up to any tyrant, fight back, and defend their rights."
On this occasion, ANP President Mian Iftikhar Hussain told TNN that if the ANP comes into power, it will fully investigate the Babra incident and initiate actions against those involved. He remarked that the treatment meted out to Pashtuns by the state 76 years ago continues today, as they are being killed in the name of counterterrorism.

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Mian Iftikhar Hussain strongly opposed the ongoing "Operation Radd

Fasaad" across the country, stating that no operation can succeed without gaining the public's trust.
However, the Government of Pakistan and the military's information department have repeatedly clarified that Operation Radd
Fasaad is an intelligence-based operation aimed at eradicating terrorism and extremism across the country.

The historical background of the Babra incident dates back to August 12, 1948, when the Khudai Khidmatgar movement staged a peaceful protest at Babra field against the arrests of their leaders, including Bacha Khan, Dr. Khan Sahib, Qazi Ataullah, Arbab Abdul Ghafoor, and others. As thousands of Khudai Khidmatgars gathered at Babra, the military and police, who were already stationed there, opened fire directly at the protesters, killing hundreds.

While no eyewitnesses of the incident are alive today, Dr. Suhail Khan, a researcher from Charsadda, documented in his book "Tareekh-e-Charsadda" that over 600 people were killed in the incident. Though 600 deaths were recorded, the actual number is believed to be higher, as the government of that time charged the families of the deceased PKR 50 per bullet used, leading many to secretly bury their loved ones to avoid the fee.
The then-Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then North-West Frontier Province), Qayyum Khan, later stated on the assembly floor that Section 144 had been imposed at Babra before the protest, and when the protesters violated this order, they were shot and killed.

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