Ajab Khan Afridi

Ajab Khan Afridi (Pashto: عجب خان اپریدی) was a Pashtun guerrilla fighter from Darra Adam Khel in the Frontier Tribal Areas of Northern Pakistan belonging to the Afridi tribe of Pashtuns. Following a raid on his house by a British Indian Army (BIA) detachment in 1923, Afridi declared it a personal affront to his honor and was ordered by his mother to take revenge on the BIA officers who had led the raid.[2]

This article is about Pashtun independence fighter against British rule in India. For Pakistani general and physician, see Monowar Khan Afridi.
Ajab Khan Afridi
عجب خان اپریدی
Bornc. 1866
Darra Adam Khel, Frontier Tribal Areas, British India
(present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
Died8 January 1961 (aged 94–95)
Mazār, Balkh, Afghanistan[1]
Resting placeMazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan
Known forIndian 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

Ajab Khan Afridi is hailed as a hero in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, with 3 films made on him.[7]

'Ajab Khan', was a 1961 Urdu language film based on the life of Ajab Khan Afridi and his battles against the British.[7]

A statue of Ajab Khan Afridi was erected in 2018 at Abbas Chowk in his hometown, Darra Adam Khel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistani.[8][9][10]

See also

References
  1. 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.
  2. عمر آفریدی (9 April 2015). "تیراہ: شدت پسندی قبائلی سرشت میں ہے؟". bbc.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  3. "Ajab Khan Afridi".
  4. Abdul Sami Paracha (19 May 2017). "Freedom fighter Akbar Khan's grave needs govt attention". dawn.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  5. "Ajab Khan Afridi". thenews.com.pk. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  6. "Rescue of Mollie Ellis, captured by Afridi bandits in NWFP, 1923". thefridaytimes.com. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  7. Suhayb, Muhammad (28 March 2021). "Flashback: The Epic Story of Ajab Khan". Dawn. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  8. "درہ آدم خیل میں عجب خان آفریدی کا مجسمہ نصب". islamtimes.org. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  9. Nazar Ul Islam (4 January 2019). "Haunted by militancy, Pakistani town welcomes library built above gun market". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  10. Nazar Ul Islam (6 January 2019). "Militancy weary Pakistan town welcomes library built above arms market". saudigazette.com.sa. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
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