The Political Transition Among the Pakhtuns: Nationalism, Socialism and the Formation of Pakistan 1927-1947

Authors

  • Abbas Khan Mohmand Research Scholar Quaid-I-Azam University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61166/demagogi.v4i5.136

Keywords:

Nationalism, Socialism, Pakhtuns, Politics, British India, Pakistan

Abstract

The Article explore the evolution and development of the Pakhtuns nationalism and socialism for the libration of British India. During British India, a new kind of nationalism emerged among the Pakhtuns, the non-violent nationalism of Bacha Khan.  The article examined the formation of nationalist and socialist political organization and their combined work for the libration and idealogical split. The Zalmo Jirga (Youth League) was formed by nationalist with socialist on the model of Bukhara and Turks. The Zalmo Jirga was merged in a new organization Khudai Khedmatgar and affilated it with the Indian National Congress. After the 1937 election, during the congress ministry of Dr Khan Sahb, the socialist leadership supported the Ghalla Dher peasant uprissing which leads to the idealogical splits among the Pakhtuns nationalist and socialist leaderships within congress. Consequently Mian Akbar Shah formed the Frontier Forward Bloc within Congress and represented the Pakhtuns socialists and peasent. This work also examined the shift in the politics of Pakhtuns toward the formation of Pakistan, the Afghan Itehad Party and its anti congress propaganda and pro Muslim League activities, the Pakhtunistan issue and Zalmai Pakhtun organization and the Partition plan particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Archive

Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.). The Afghan Jirga or Pashtun Jirga Utmanzai Charsadda Peshawar. Serial No. 823, Bundle No. 51. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1942.

Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.). Afghan Jirga or Pashtun Jirga Utmanzai Charsadda Peshawar. Serial No. 824, Bundle No. 51. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1943.

Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.). The Afghan Jirga or Pashtun Jirga Utmanzai Charsadda Peshawar. Serial No. 825, Bundle No. 51. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1945.

Special Branch Report. Report about Akbar Shah Mian. Serial No. 56, Bundle No. 5. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1939.

Special Branch Report. Reports about Akbar Shah Mian. Serial No. 57, Bundle No. 5. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1940.

Special Branch Report. Extracts and History Sheets about Akbar Shah Mian. Serial No. 59, Bundle No. 5. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1942–1943.

Special Branch Report. Congress: Anti-Congress Propaganda General File. Serial No. 674, Bundle No. 42. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1943.

Special Branch Report. Forward Bloc Note on All India by D.I.B. Serial No. 669, Bundle No. 42. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1945.

Special Branch Report. Khudai Khedmatgar Note on I.G.P. Serial No. 666, Bundle No. 42. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1946.

Special Branch Report. Congress: Disarming of Zalmai Pakhtoon. Serial No. 673, Bundle No. 42. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1947.

Special Branch Report. Congress: Zalmai Pakhtoon. Serial No. 670, Bundle No. 42. Provincial Archive, Government of NWFP, 1947.

Articles

Masood, Danyal. “The Effect of Cultural Turn in Western Historical Discourse: Historiographic Shift in Truth, Tropology, and Subjectivity”. Journal of European Studies (JES) 41, no. 1 (January 6, 2025): 17. Accessed January 6, 2025. URL: https://asce-uok.edu.pk/journal/index.php/JES/article/view/361

Masood, Danyal. “The Challenges and Implications of Post-Concepts Historical Theory: Historiography of Meaning, Method and Manifestation.” International Journal of Social Sciences Bulletin 3, no. 1 (2025): 255–270. URL: https://ijssb.org/index.php/IJSSB/article/view/338.

Masood, Danyal. August 2024. “Rethink Pashtun’s Historiography as a Narration of Violence, Displacement and Resistance: Applied History in Waziristan Studies”. Shnakhat 3 (3), 235-54. URL: https://shnakhat.com/index.php/shnakhat/article/view/346

Masood, Danyal. (2024). Sources, Nature and Narrative of Pashtun Public History: Historiographic Freedom and Responsibility. International Journal of Politics & Social Sciences Review (IJPSSR), 3(III), 30–43. URL: https://ojs.ijpssr.org.pk/index.php/ijpssr/article/view/37

Hunarmal, M. H. "A Warrior with Pen and Sword." The News International, January 10, 2021. Accessed April 12, 2023. URL: https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/771729-a-warrior-with-pen-and-sword.

Toru, Parvez Khan, and Fazal Ur Rahim Marwat, eds. Celebrities of NWFP. Vol. 1 & 2. Pakistan Study Centre, University of Peshawar, 2005, 23–36.

Books

Akbar, A.K. Da Bari Saghir Pak wo Hind pa Azadi ki Da Pukhtano Braha Zama da Jhwand sara Tarali Khalat. University Publisher, 2009.

Ansari, K.H. Emergence of Socialist Thought among the Indian North Muslims (1917–1947). Oxford University Press, 2015.

Islam, F. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: A Political History (1901–1955). NIHCR, 2014.

Jansson, E. India, Pakistan or Pakhtunistan: The Nationalist Movement in North West Frontier Province, 1937–47. Almqvist and Wiksell International, 1981.

Khan, Abdul Wali. Bacha Khan aw Khudai Khedmatgar. Vol. 1. Bacha Khan Trust, 2020.

Nagina, R.S. Tekhreek I Ghaladir. Al Mahmood Academy, 1994.

Ram Chandra, C. Naujawan Bharat Sabha and Hindustan Socialist Republican Association Army. Ralhan Brothers Printers and Publishers, 1986.

Shah, S.W. Ethnicity, Islam, and Nationalism. NIHCR, 2015.

Shah, S.W. North-West Frontier Province: History and Politics. NIHCR, 2020.

Talwar, B.R. The Talwars of Pathan Land and Subhas Chandra’s Great Escape. People Publishing House, 1976.

Talwar, B.R. The Talwars of Pathan Land. People Publishing House, 1976.

Waris Khan. Da Azadi Tehreek. Sirajull Islam Siraj, 1988.

Online Book

Popalzai, A.J. Naujawan Baharat Sabha awr Abdur Rahim Popalzai: Naujawan Tahreek ki Sirfarosho ki Jadodehad sy Mutaliq Angrezo ka Hufia Record. Accessed December 15, 2024. https://archive.org/details/naujawan-bharat-sabha.

Unpublished Thesis

Ahmad, Muhammad Sajid. "Electoral Politics in NWFP, 1988–1999." PhD diss., Quaid-i-Azam University, 2010.

Manjar, Habib. "Communist Movement and Communal Question in India, 1920–1948." PhD diss., Aligarh Muslim University, 2018.

Khan, Naushad. "Khudai Khidmatgar Movement and Its Impact upon the Frontier Tribes, 1929–1958." PhD diss., Quaid-i-Azam University, 2020.

Muhammad, Wali. "Mulana Abdur Rahim Popalzai." Master’s thesis, University of Peshawar, 1995–1996.

Yaqubi, Hashim. "Pakistan National Awami Party: Nature and Direction of Politics." PhD diss., Quaid-i-Azam University, 2015.

Downloads

Published

2026-10-24

How to Cite

Mohmand, A. K. (2026). The Political Transition Among the Pakhtuns: Nationalism, Socialism and the Formation of Pakistan 1927-1947. Demagogi: Journal of Social Sciences, Economics and Education, 4(5), 331–351. https://doi.org/10.61166/demagogi.v4i5.136

Issue

Section

Articles