EPILOGUE	181
own expense and constituted themselves into his
bodyguard. They kept a constant vigil by turns with
arms at his residence in his village of Utmanzai and else-
where during his movements, in order to protect him In
the event of an attack on his life. Ten years before f when
Gandhij I was his guest at Utmanzai, the question of
posting armed night-guards for the safety of Gandhiji had
arisen. Badshah Khan remembered the dialogue * he had
with him on that occasion. '''Badshah Khan." ran a
press report, ^:; had several times admonished them for
keeping an armed guard over him in view of Ms adher-
ence to the principle of non-violence. Still they had stuck
to what they conceived to be their duty. They have great
concern for the life of their beloved leader and their devo-
tion to him is touching. They have to undergo great
privations	but they do not relax the watch	
even for a single minute."
After Gandhiji's passing away, Badshah Khan, whose
name had already become a legend, became the hope and
succour of the downtrodden and the oppressed in Pakistan
and the rallying focus of all progressive and liberal ele-
ments. At a tea party given in his honour at Karachi, it was
remarked by a representative of the minority community
of Sindh that during the life time of Mahatmaji they
always went up to him for solving their difficulties, but
after his passing away, they would have to run on such
occasions to Badshah Khan, " whom they revered next to
Mahatmaji". They therefore requested him to guide
them in the difficult time that lay ahead. Pouring out his
soul in .a reply full of noble pathos, Badshah Khan
said that It was the time of test and tribulations
for all. The Khudai Khidmatgars had got their Minis-
try, in the North-West Frontier Province, but after
some years It was lost to them because the Ministry
had not served the masses and the poor to the
extent it should have done. It did not adequately
fulfil its pledges to the masses. He said he had warned
t Described on page 54.
* See Chapter VI.