The long rebellion of Faqir of Ipi

Undivided India’s North West Frontier had always been a zone of insurgency. Occupying entities have always faced the wrath of the fanatical, fiercely independent and warlike Pathan tribes of the region. Centuries of wars, and mythologies and clan genealogies set clan against clan and tribe against tribe. This made trade and cooperation very difficult. The harsh lands were unsuitable for producing enough food. 

However, it periodically produced charismatic religious figures who railed against “predatory infidels and apostates corrupting their lands and destroying their people”. Thus, wars, rebellions and predatory raids were regular affairs. Imperial powers tried to control these tribes by force or bribes or using pliant local leaders. However, guided by tribal laws of honour and vendetta, the tribes answered only to their chiefs and holy men who rose through strength, piety and charisma. Some of these leaders rebelled against the imperial powers, sometimes uniting warring tribes. Peace could be wrung out, but only after much blood and gold had been spent. Over the years the “peace” would collapse in favour of the Pathans, leaving one to wonder if the tribes were ever truly defeated! The rebellions of Khushal Khan Khattak, Pir Roshan, Mullah Powindah, etc. are still celebrated in the region. The long rebellion of the Faqir of Ipi is notable for its curious links to the Axis Powers and the Indian National Movement. 

Mirza Ali Khan was born in Waziristan in 1897. After religious studies and Hajj, he settled in a village called Ipi in Waziristan. Soon he became widely known for his piety and was called the Faqir of Ipi. In 1936 the controversial ‘Islam Bibi’ case marked the end of his hitherto peaceful career. An alleged forcible conversion to Islam of a minor Hindu girl was judged illegal, and the girl was returned to her family by the British courts. The Faqir called for Jihad against the British in November 1936 and thousands flocked to his banner. The Faqir attracted so much support due to recent events: Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan’s Khudai-Khidmatgar movement shocked the British. Massive agitations were launched in the region when Gandhiji’s Civil Disobedience Movement began in 1930. The British retaliated strongly and many died in police firings and Air Force attacks. Anger seethed as the British clampdown continued for years — the Islam Bibi judgement had only provided the spark. When the rebellion strengthened, the British Army arrived and chased the Faqir into the mountains. The subsequent planned withdrawal after mopping-up operations was ascribed to the Faqir’s divine powers! Now many more came to join him. He succeeded unifying some tribes and launched bolder attacks. Soon over 40,000 soldiers were deployed to combat the Faqir. The British campaign was soon fragmented and bogged down. However, despite the Faqir’s best efforts (including a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru), he was unable to gather support outside the region. The British now employed scorched earth tactics and used the Air Force heavily. The vast cave complexes of Spin Ghar mountains, near the Afghan border, became the Faqir’s base. The British methodically killed his sons and hundreds of followers, but the Faqir continued to elude and harass them.

The Faqir owed his successes partly to the Axis Powers - Germany, Japan and Italy. They felt that this rebellion could be channelled to unleash Afghan and Muslim rage to topple British India, an enduring dream shared by many of the Empire’s foes. Axis intelligence officers based in their Kabul embassies aided the Faqir. When World War II began, efforts ramped up. Germany planned an uprising at India’s north-western frontier when their invasion of Russia succeeded. On the other hand, the Faqir had narrow aims and worldviews. All he wanted was to eject the British from the land of the Pathans, Pakhtunistan. He took foreign assistance but also avoided being closely identified with foreigners or their proxies. Soon, Axis failures in Russia and Africa ended all hopes of invading India from Afghanistan. The Japanese advance also halted by 1944. Loss of Axis support did not stop the Faqir. The British also continued to retaliate heavily, even though the threat of invasion was over, and the British Raj was ending.

The Faqir, no fan of the Pakistan idea, now aligned with the Khudai Khidmatgars for an independent Pakhtunistan. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and the Faqir led a grand tribal conference which passed a resolution for independent Pakhtunistan. Despite pleas to the British and the Indian leadership, no help came. The Pakistani authorities launched a major crackdown. The Frontier Gandhi and major leaders were jailed, and all agitations were crushed. However, the Faqir escaped. Pakistan was now his new enemy as her government continued the British tradition of killing the Faqir’s people. The Faqir of Ipi continued his rebellion from his mountain stronghold till he died in 1960, unbowed and uncaught.

Author is a history buff