General Pervez Musharraf

General Pervez Musharraf

Can anyone please  decipher  a riddle for me which is haunting me for six years since the  previous and the present “ Democratic Goovernments “ took over ?

Even in purely democratic countries , a pendulum of likes and dislikes is constantly moving . The governments fear it . The movement of the  pendulum is indicative of its popularity  for eg. Gallup Polls in the USA and helps them to keep on their toes constantly . Even then governments lose their popularity by the third year in office .

My riddle was why the popularity graph goes down in Pakistan within one year of taking office . In the case of the previous and the present  ‘ democratic ‘ governments is that they have a past baggage  .

I have never known General Musharraf except what appears in the media . Like every person , he had his plus and minus points .  Suffice to say that as long as generals were not associated with politicians , they appear sincere in doing their work . I am not discussing the personal failings of an individual but official dealings . General Musharraf is a patriot and  seemed sincere in his efforts to accomplish gigantic projects  . Advisers make or break a leader . ( Please read Qudratullah Shahab’s “Shahab Nama “ particularly the portion which relates to General Yayha .)

Hazrat Ali ( May Allah be pleased with him ) was once asked why the affairs of the Caliphate went wrong during his Caliphate . His answer was that he was the adviser to the first three Caliphs whereas his advisers were incompetent and incapable .

In the modern era , the media plays the role of advisers thanks to the grant of freedom to them by General Musharraf  .Whether or not , it had used that freedom to better the living conditions of the 180 million people of this blighted land is open to debate . My vote goes to the negative . The level of discussions is abysmally low .

Pakistan’s history can be divided into two parts

1.     Civilian Governments

2.     Military dictatorships

Briefly civilian governments had been known and are known for palace intrigues whether the ruler was Malik Ghulam Muhammad , Khwaja Nizamuddin , Mian Mumtaz Daultana or Iskandar Mirza or the present lot . Little or no work was done or they are capable of doing except for lofty words and empty promises . Credit which is due for military men  for something useful is given to undeserving people . For eg . the foundation stone for the steel mills in Karachi was laid by the Soviet President , Podgorny in 1970  with the President  General Yayha standing beside  clapping .

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in spring 1977 decided

1.     Declaring Ahmadis as non Muslims

2.     Introducing the Hadood Ordinance .

The media in Pakistan continues to blame General Zia Ul Haq for the second step .

After Bhutto initiated the nuclear programme , it was kept going by General Zia till the completion of the mission and after his sudden and mysterious death by the then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan whereas Bhutto’s daughter , Benazir , capped the programme to please the White House .

The country was on the take off stage economically in the times of Field Marshal Ayub Khan . The growh rate was 8.2% next only to Japan with 9 % as its growth rate . Divisive tendencies came much later in the early 1990s . After Ayub Khan resigned , I rushed to a friend and found him gloomy  . He said in Urdu

“ Ab jootian mein daal bata gai “

Every time I see the dull performance of the ‘democrats’ I remember his words .

Incidentally only the military dictators in Pakistan resign.

I am sorry for my candid views .  

Mahfooz ur Rahman

Islamabad

November 15, 2014       

      

MY RAMBLING THOUGHTS

                        MY RAMBLING THOUGHTS.

Rambling thoughts , like dreams , lack cohesion and consistency .  I had read books written by the late Justice Muhammad Rustom Kayani , the former Chief Justice of the West Pakistan High Court . His rambling style was very amusing .

Last night , I had a tete a tete with the late Talat Mahmood , the singer , on my laptop .  

 My rambling thoughts often trouble me .  From my childhood days , I have been reading about Allama Iqbal that he was a great poet and a dreamer for Pakistan and that he was our national poet . However we have been paying only lip service to him . His anniversaries are only remembered . A piece of news appearing on those occasions in the country’s dailies. On the contrary , India has given him a pride of place . One of his poems “ Sare Jahan Se Accha   Hindustan humare “ is placed next to the nation’s national anthem .It is played at every national event in India and elsewhere .

Is  Pakistan under duress  of any big power to forget about Allama Iqbal ? Where lies our independence and sovereignty ? Similarly Muslim heroes of the past were removed from the school text books .

Last night , I sent emails to some of my contacts asking a question as to who was I .

 In the days of Ayub Khan , the President was emphasizing ' national integration ' left , right and centre .  I was in College then . I used to tell my friends that there were two ways in which national integration could be achieved 

1.   Cross migration within the provinces eg. A Sindhi moves to KPK . a Pathan moves to East Pakistan . A Punjabi moves to Sind .

2.   Inter marriages within provinces.

This way we gradually  would be  a melting pot like the USA .

 But was not to be . We stand divided into provinces . Within provinces between people speaking the same language and so and so forth .

My question still remain .Who am I ?

Qudratullah Shahab’s book “Shahabnama “ must be read to have a fair idea of the events before and after Partition . Suffice to say that my parents and extended family passed the gory drama  played by the Hindus and the Sikhs against the  Muslims and vice versa . However my question is that if Pakistan was meant to be secular as interpreted by some people on  Mr. Jinnah’s address on 11^th August 1947  why  India was divided into two countries ? And after Partition what is happening now for the past thirty years . Muslims killing brother Muslims in the “ pristine name of Islam ?. It is an article of faith with me that Allah has not delegated His Attributes to anyone  howsoever pious he might to judge any brother Muslim .

Irrespective of the fact that we are overwhelmingly Muslims , we carry  very poor impression of being liars and cheats . We lie easily . Food , drugs and virtually everything are tempered with . Food and drugs adulteration is a crime in most countries in the world . Here it is no so . Famine is raging in Tharparkar  in Sindh .Each day , children are dying but the Provincial Chief Minister denies it .

We have in our midst the example of the Noble Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ) ,his gentle behaviour , his kindness with sundry folk even those were not Muslims . Numerous people embraced Islam seeing that . However we lack that . The behaviour of  most of us , including the ulema ,is outrageous and conceited .

There are two obligation that a Muslim must fulfill

1.     Obligation towards Allah to follow the tenets of Islam , and

2.     Obligations towards humanity .

We strive to follow 1 . However we neglect 2. howsoever easy it may be like for eg. meeting ones parents with a smile or remove a banana or an orange peel on the way . If perchance someone slips on it , it is funny for the onlookers . The secular west has been striving to abide the “obligation to mankind “ by practicing good governance and not preaching . They have a cardinal principle to provide easy and comfort to the maximum number of people without any discrimination of nationality , race , sex , white or black . They are heavily taxed to provide service whereas majority of us do not pay taxes  . But some of us belong to the class of ‘holy cows’.

I am reading Oscar Wilde’s plays for the upteempth time  to help someone to understand the English hypocrisy for his homework . A typical example of English hypocrisy is Tony Blair . As a student of English Literature , I am familiar that the common people , the cook , the maids and including the apothecary ( doctors) , the common clergy i.e. parson used to back door while entering English homes . Well Pakistan society has subtle distinctions and not so distinctions between the haves , the lords and masters and the ‘slaves ‘ or the serfs who have ” no right  to live” .

  

In summers this year , Israel attacked Gaza as we all know . Each day there were comments on Facebook condemning the former . Eid fell during those days . Muslims forgot Gaza and sent Eid messages much to my chagrin .     

Mahfooz ur Rahman

Islamabad

October 30, 2014        

    

   

A grim tragedy -Mr. Himayatullah's suicide

A grim tragedy – Mr .Himayatullah’s suicide.

It happened one Sunday evening in September-October 1958 . The evening was pleasant . The entire Cadet College was enjoying a fascinating football match between the College with visiting team . We were fully absorbed in the match proceedings because our College was winning .A shot rang out : the sound of a double barrel gun . I thought that one of the teachers , Mr.S.A.S.Zaidi , was enjoying hunting in the valley outside the College’s campus.

The next day , while we were waiting for Mr. Himayatullah to take his class Mr. Khalid Amin , another teacher entering the room . I was in tenth class .He made a shocking announcement that Mr. Himayatullah blew his brains out the previous evening . He used a double barrel gun and pulled the trigger with his great toe . His discussions with his colleagues was enough to make a folk lore. After classes and lunch , we trooped to his room . It was a very grim to behold . Blood and his brain spattered the room.

Mr. Himayatullah was a quiet man . He did not enough clothes . In the summers , he wore white shirt and trousers while in winters , he wore a green blazer with his trade mark white dress. His green blazer was torn at the rear . Cadets used to say that he wore a tail coat .

His funeral rites were held at night behind the Jinnah Wing shortly after his death . None of the cadets was informed of it because we were very young . But we felt that something was going there . Subsequently , after his burial pieces his clothing was there for some days till they were removed . However , my dear friend , Tariq Ikram, haunted me every night . I had a difficulty sleeping .

The motive of his suicide remained a mystery because we were very young to understand . There were two rumours : one was he had been jilted by his Swiss girl friend and had married another man and two he was the son of some Indian nawab . his father died followed by Partition . After Partition , the family was in deep financial straits