Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as Frontier Gandhi, organised the Red Shirt (Khudai Khidmatgar) Movement in the North-West Frontier Province primarily for what purpose?

Introduction / Context:
This question examines understanding of a regional yet very important strand of the Indian freedom movement. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, known as Frontier Gandhi, worked among the Pashtun population of the North-West Frontier Province (now in Pakistan). His Red Shirt or Khudai Khidmatgar Movement combined social reform with non-violent struggle against British rule.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The movement is the Red Shirt or Khudai Khidmatgar Movement.
• It was organised in the North-West Frontier Province.
• Options include resisting Muslim League propaganda, creating Pakhtoonistan and social and religious reforms, plus a combined option.
• We assume familiarity with Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's emphasis on non-violence and social uplift.

Concept / Approach:
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan founded the Khudai Khidmatgar (Servants of God) Movement to reform Pashtun society, promote education, reduce feuds and tribal violence, and mobilise people for non-violent resistance to British rule. Members wore red shirts as a symbol of their commitment. While he opposed communal politics and later had differences with the Muslim League, the core aim of the movement was not simply to counter League propaganda or demand a separate Pakhtoonistan; it was fundamentally a programme of social and religious reform combined with Gandhian-style non-violent nationalism.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on what Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan preached: non-violence, social uplift and discipline among Pashtuns.Step 2: Recall that the Khudai Khidmatgar cadres engaged in constructive work, education and protest against colonial rule.Step 3: Option c explicitly mentions social and religious reforms, which matches his emphasis on changing society from within.Step 4: Option a and option b refer to later political positions and are narrower than the broad reformist and nationalist agenda.Step 5: Therefore, the primary purpose is best captured by option c rather than stating all of the above.

Verification / Alternative check:
History texts on the freedom movement describe the Khudai Khidmatgar as a reformist and nationalist movement that applied Gandhian non-violence in a frontier region known for tribal warfare. The movement sought to transform social customs and fight British rule, not primarily to create a separate Pakhtoonistan. Exam guides summarise its aim as social and religious reform combined with anti-colonial struggle, aligning closely with option c.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Countering the communal propaganda of the Muslim League: This was a later political stance, but not the basic founding purpose of the Red Shirt Movement.Establishing a separate Pakhtoonistan: The idea of Pakhtoonistan gained prominence later and cannot be described as the primary purpose of the original movement.All of the above: This overstates the scope of the original objective; the foundational focus was on reform and non-violent resistance.

Common Pitfalls:
Because Frontier Gandhi later opposed partition and had conflicts with the Muslim League, some students assume that his movement was mainly anti-League or separatist. To avoid confusion, remember that the original Khudai Khidmatgar Movement was rooted in social and religious reform and non-violent struggle against British colonial rule, reflecting Gandhian principles in a frontier context.

Final Answer:
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan organised the Red Shirt Movement primarily for social and religious reforms combined with non-violent resistance to British rule.