My Sindh: By Najmul Hasan

Author

In the winter of 1947, Dr. Umar bin Mohammad Daudpota, the Director of Public Instructions, Sindh had sent a message instructing my father to reach Shikarpur, Sindh, where he would be posted as a lecturer at C&S Government College.

We had to flee our home in such a hurry that we just had our clothes on but my mother ran back to the house, at the risk of her life, and brought back a (Potli) bundle containing her jewelry, some cash and some important papers including diaries of my father and grandfather. We, (my self, my two elder brothers, and my parents) had traveled by train via Khokhrapar border. At some junction, my father had gone out in the town and bought two ' Lihaf ' and two thin ' Razai ', to ward off the cold air seeping through the windows of our third class compartment. Just before that, a Hindu family had given us a thick Khaddar Chadar to wrap around the children.

We reach Shikarpur:

We arrived in Shikarpur, changing trains at Hyderabad and Kotri. Throughout the way, my mother kept on teasing my father that ultimately he was taking us to his real place-‘Shikarpur’. The joke was that a town with a similar name in UP was known as a ‘Town of Fools’. My father kept on refuting that and saying that ‘this town is one of the most developed towns of Sindh and the very fact that it has a college, several schools including one for girls and two hospitals, it can not belong to fools and does not have any semblance with the Shikarpur of UP’.

Shikarpur. Photo, courtesy Abid Ali Kamboh's blog

We reach Shikarpur around four in the morning. By the time my father went outside the station to find out where we can go, the last 'Taanga' was gone. The stationmaster comes to our rescue and opens the upper class waiting room for us, brings his 'Angeethi' and extra coal to warm up the room. Late in the morning, the attendant will warm up the water in buckets on the same 'angeethi' for all of us to wash up and later have breakfast of tea and 'Papay' (a kind of toast) from the station tea stall.

The stationmaster called a 'Taangaywala' and instructed him to take my father to Arbab Ali Shah who will help us. Father comes back within an hour accompanied by a burly, clean-shaved man with a huge 'Pagri' on his head. My father introduces me and my brothers to him. He talks to us very fondly in chaste Urdu. Later on we will find out that Arbab Ali Shah was an Aligarhian dropout as he ran away to Bombay to become an actor, but with no luck.  

Photo, courtesy 'My Shikarpur' Facebook page

He becomes sympathetic when he finds out that we had no luggage with us. There are two beautifully decorated Taangas outside the station. My father and one of the brothers sit in one with Shah sahib, while my mother, my elder brother and I occupy the other. The tree-lined road is very clean, with neat footpaths on both sides. Just before turning right, on the crossing is Dr. Holland Eye hospital. As we cross the railway phatak, we see a big complex with many buildings on our left. It is the Civil Hospital constructed by a Hindu philanthropist Rao Bahadur Udhawdas Tarachand. On our right is the Government Boys High School and again on the left are the other two buildings of the same high school. Both sides of the road are dotted with beautiful houses and other buildings. Then just before the slope is a Petrol pump, where a jeep is being filled. There are two big glass bottles on top of the pump. Each is a gallon. A guy is moving a handle from right to left to right, filling one gallon at one time and emptying the other in the jeep. Shah sahib seems to be very well respected. Both the pump guy and the jeep driver raise their hands for ‘salaam’.

Rao Bahadur Udhawdas Tarachand Hospital. Photo courtesy 'My Shikarpur' Facebook page

Just down the slope to our right is Jumani Hall, a huge building with lush lawns on both sides of the path. Before the Lakhidar Chowk is a beautiful park. Even in the winter, we can see flowers and manicured hedges. And neat buildings, housing hotels, a cinema and shops surround the roundabout around the Ghanta Ghar.

This is my first introduction to my Shikarpur, which might be a 'town of fools' in UP, but here it is a most developed town brimming with activities, trade and education. I will grow up here, run in the streets, learn to read and write, learn to swim and teach swimming to kids, learn to respect and be respected and learn to love and be loved. I think I am being carried away with emotions. Better come to the point, for which I started writing all this.   

My mother is also awe-struck with the beauty and magnificence of this little town and she is watching all this, holding up her veil, until she realizes there are people all around us and puts it back. Our Taangas come to a stop near a big compound. At the corner is a small mosque and in the center, a tall thick ‘Alam’. This is Shah Sahib's abode. I go inside the house with my mother, where all the ladies of the family live. My brothers stay in the adjoining Autaq (men's living room) with my father. Shah Sahib has come inside the house and is introducing my mother to his wife and other girls, who all seem to be waiting for us. After rapidly instructing his wife in Sindhi, Shah sahib leaves the ladies’ quarters. Shah sahib's wife lovingly hugs my mother, gestures her to take off the burqa and we all walk into a big room. Within minutes, a lady brings a bunch of clothes, two or three pairs of shalwar and qamees, all new. She starts opening the folds and starts measuring those one by one on my mother. My mother starts sobbing at which both ladies try to comfort her but she becomes hysterical. A younger lady jumps and brings in water. It took quite a while for my mother to calm down. She is ushered into a bathroom on the other side of the compound.

Meanwhile, I hear my elder brother calling me from outside. There is Ada Niaz - ‘Niaz Bhai’ - the tailor master, a recent émigré, he is going to sew our clothes on an urgent basis. I am going too much into details. But the purpose is to tell you all, the kind of care those simple Sindhis took of total strangers.  

The next three days, we stayed with Shah sahib. Meanwhile he is taking my father out to introduce him to almost every body in the town. They took him around various houses the Hindus had left behind, ultimately selecting one huge three-storied house for us. Later we will shift to a smaller house but for few years this is our home. Within a week or so, my father and my brothers become part of this volunteer brigade. They know all the vacant houses, so they will take the new comers to the appropriate house, according to the size of the family. Arbab Shah, Wadera Nazir Moghal and a number of others have taken the supervisory position. In the meantime, on my father's suggestion, the so-called committee of elders has selected a huge compound near the Police station with rooms all around. It has been chosen as an interim house. Families of the new arrivals will stay here till they are comfortably settled in some permanent place.

Shams-ul-Ulama, Dr Umar bin Mohammad Daudpoto

After a month or so, my father goes to Karachi to meet Dr. Daudpota, who informs him that because of the budgetary constraints, he will have to wait for his appointment. Dejected and worried, my father returns to Shikarpur, but is soon immersed into bigger problems - helping the never ending influx of refugees and their rehabilitation. Shah sahib asks him about money situation and offers help. My father refuses. By the evening two big bags, full of wheat and rice arrive. My elder brother asks the guys about who sent the bags? They don't know. They have orders to drop the wheat and rice at this house. My father will come to know about the bags' mystery much later. Shah sahib had lamented in the company of some friends that my father has not yet got the job. So one of them, a landlord, sent the produce.

Three more months passed. Just opposite our house lives Himmat Ali Shah. His wife has become a friend of my mother. I will sometimes go with her. The two and many other ladies chatted every day for hours. My mother speaking Urdu and all of them speaking Sindhi. But they understood each other very well. My mother is picking up some words of Sindhi and they are using Urdu. Amazing!

One day my mother asked Himmat Ali Shah's wife, if she knows of any jewelers?  She says yes of course. My mother tells her she wants to sell some bangles. She says you don't have to. How much money you need? My mother refuses and insists on selling the bangles. The next day Mrs. Himmat gives her 350 rupees saying that the bangles were pretty thick and heavy, but you know these jewelers. They will never give the right price. Gold in those days was around sixty rupees a tola (100 grams).

Menu in our house those days used to be Khichri (rice and lentils) for lunch, any daal or vegetables with bread for dinner. Meat, once a week. How much meat my brother used to bring from the market? Half a pound. Aik Pao for all five of us. My mother will mix potatoes, bhindi (okra) Gobhi (Cauliflower) with meat to make it more filling. Once in a while we will have minced meat, but that too with potatoes or peas.

C & S Govt. College, Shikarpur. Photo, courtesy 'My Shikarpur' Facebook page

Three more months. Still no word from Karachi. My father has started visiting the Government College. The principal, Arif Ali Shah Gilani is very sympathetic, but cannot do any thing. In the meantime, there have been many appointments. Ziauddin sahib, Akhtar Raza, Hasnain Kazmi, and many demonstrators. No letter for my father. Gilani sahib suggests my father should go to Karachi and ask Dr. Daudpota. Father is worried. How to go to Karachi? There is no money. He talks to my mother, who says he must go immediately. But how?  How? By train. I will give you the money. Father is flabbergasted. How much you saved in India? Mother just laughs. But rushes to Himmat Ali Shahs'. This time bracelets will bring three hundred rupees by the evening. Mother cries. But no body knows the reason. Only I knew.

Father leaves for Karachi the very next day. Dr. Daudpota says he signed his letter of appointment last month. He asks for the file but there is no copy of the appointment letter in the file. Those were hectic days. Every thing was in a mess. Father returns with the good news, a back dated appointment letter, in his hand.

You must be getting bored with all my details. Let me conclude the story: Two years later, Mrs. Himmat asked my mother: Are you saving any money or ....? No. No, I always save, my mother replied in Sindhi. She can now speak the language haltingly. Why are you asking? Actually, I needed some money. Can you spare some? Yes, yes, of course. All of it. I will be back in a jiffy.

My mother returned and gave Mrs. Himmat 500 rupees. Mrs. Himmat gives her back one hundred rupees. Goes inside and comes out with a silken handkerchief tied neatly. A small ' Potli '. 'Take this. You can give me the 250 rupees later on’.

My mother started crying. For hours. Nobody could stop her.

Najmul Hasan is a print and TV journalist. He did his B.A. from C&S Government College, Shikarpur and M.A. from Karachi University. He started his journalistic career with PPI (Pakistan Press International News Agency) in 1964, joined daily The Sun since it started publication and joined PTV as News Producer in 1973. In 1986, he migrated to USA and did a Pakistani TV show for about 17 years in New York. Now he lives in Toronto-ON, Canada.

Zardari’s PPP & Choudhris’ PML-Q to Wed Soon, II: New Wave of Political Maneuvers in the Country; Ministerial Candidates are Finalized; Only Legharis Pose Obstacles?

By Aijaz Ahmed

Islamabad: The news of political realignment and the new alliance between the PPP and PML-Q before the forthcoming federal budget is seen as a new set of political maneuvers in the country to keep the present government afloat until the next elections.

Every talk show and news bulletin has given extensive coverage to the new deal being worked out between the two arch rivals. Ch. Shujaat Hussain, chief of PML-Q has himself confirmed that the deal between the two is underway. ‘We are discussing ways and means of a political agreement with the government; however, who will be the minister and which ministries will be given to us is yet to come in the discussion’, he added.

Commenting on the deal underway, Ahsan Iqbal, the spokesman of PML-N observed that ‘any deal is based on two aspects, Asool (Principles) or Hasool (gains). The PML-Q has compulsions because of the corruption case against Moonis Elahi. The PPP may provide them some relief, and thus they are going to join the government’.

Responding to the derogatory comment of the rival Muslim League, Ch Shujaat observed that the case is with the Supreme Court, Zafar Qureshi, former director FIA has submitted his report and the case challan to the apex court and nobody even the PM or the President can intervene now and it is the Supreme Court which has to decide the case on merit now.

Faisal Saleh Hayat, a PMLQ stalwart while responding to a query in this regard maintained that the Q league has been offered power sharing rather than ministries. No final decision on our part has been made as yet, he claimed. Faisal has also confided to few journalists in the federal capital that he was also offered a lucrative ministerial portfolio; however he is undecided as yet.

Contrary to his claims, the party insiders on the condition of anonymity reveal that Besides Ch Pervez Elahi, Ch Wajahat, Riaz Hussain Qureshi and Waseem Sajaad, could be among the lot who are to be sworn in. The oath taking is being planned on April 28^th, subject to a final decision, PML-Q sources further confided. Mushahid Hussain Syed, Secretary General of the party has also to be adjusted, and keeping his background, command on international relations and expertise, he is being tipped as new Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations, sources claimed.

On the other hand, a handful of party parliamentarians are claimed to be opposing the deal, as they will not get anything out of it. Those who are opposing the deal include Nausheen Saeed, and Leghari brothers i.e., Jamal Leghari and Owais Leghari, political and legal heirs of former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari.

To appease the Leghari family, and to ensure future scenario, Maqsood Ahmed Khan, a senior Leghari sardar and uncle of both Jamal and Owais is being tipped as new Governor Punjab.

Sardar Maqsood maintained good relations with BB Shaheed even after his brother dissolved her government. He is now leading the Leghari tribe in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Owais has recently won a national assembly seat vacated due to death of his father, Farooq Leghari, a former PPP leader who shortly after being elected as President by party sided with the establishment and dissolved the second BB government under the corruption charges. Raza Hayat Hiraj, a former Patriot of PPP in 2002 assembly is also said to be reluctant in embracing the deal, however, they all are said to have been ‘managed’, except Legharis of Dera Ghazi Khan, sources confided.

On the other hand, President Zardari is also said to be having tough time by his party mates and PPP hawks, having strong sentiments carrying since the days of Zia ul Haq. Ch. Zahoor Elahi, Father of Shujaat was said to be a collaborator in hanging of ZA Bhutto in 1979, and was murdered by a PPP supporter and Al Zulfikar activist Razaq Jharna.

President Zardari himself called Q league as Qatil League when Mohtarma Benazir was martyred on December 27, 2007. Ever since the tragic incident, much water has passed under the Indus bridges, and now the bitter taste between the two new look parties is turned in to sweet taste.

‘I called the party in government Qatil league, and the party was being led by Musharraf. I still consider them qatil league’, said president Zardari while clarifying the situation at recent party CEC meeting at Naudero House on April 04 on the eve of 32nd death anniversary of ZAB. ‘Choudhris are now no more with the establishment, beside they have parted ways with Musharraf’, he opined.

Choudhris of Gujrat have worked with all the military dictators including Ayub Khan, Zia & Musharraf

 To make the new deal acceptable to party leaders, the Choudhris narrated an interesting story to party fellows regarding murder of Ch Zahoor Elahi. In words of Ch. Shujaat, he along with Pervaiz Elahi had a meting with Razaq Jharna the murderer of elder Chaudhry. ‘During the meeting in camp jail Lahore, we asked Jharna whether he is a real murderer or is implicated so as an innocent should not be hanged? Jharna while accepting his crime clearly indicated that he committed the act. He also indicated that the elder Chaudhry was murdered on the verbal orders of Mir Murtaza Bhutto’. Murtaza Bhutto was reportedly leading the terrorist outfit Al-Zulfikar, a claim of establishment, which was time and again refuted by Bhutto family.

Both Zardari and Choudhris clearly stated that PPP, BB or any other party leader had nothing to do with the murder, and Murtaza is no more alive now, they maintained. The clarification has worked, and now PPP leaders seem to have accepted the deal, said a party insider. However, Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed, a former Q league leader and chief of Awami Muslim League still believes that “Hunooz Dili Door Ast”. ‘PML-Q may support the government, but accepting ministries will be a difficult political step for the party’, he observed.

On the other hand, sources in the power corridors have confided that the deal between the two parties will not be confined to the center. In second phase, a no confidence motion is being considered against PML-N government in Punjab, where both can secure a simple majority in provincial assembly Punjab.

Zardari's PPP & Choudhris' PML-Q (Qatil League?) to Wed Soon!

By Aijaz Ahmed

PML-Q delegation led by Choudhry Shujaat calls on Zardari (file photo from internet)

The Pakistan Peoples Party led government seems to be out of trouble for now in the parliament as the Q faction of Pakistan Muslim League led by arch rivals of Bhutto family, the Choudhries of Gujrat are ready to join the government with some powers, perks and privileges coming the way of former CM Punjab Ch Pervez Elahi, sources in the federal capital reveal.

The sources in the power corridors are quite confident that the deal is finalized, and will be acted upon shortly. The Q league has been offered six to eight ministries with Pervez Elahi as deputy prime minister, sourced confided adding that the later will be sworn in as senior minister.

It is further learnt that the Q league members will take oath of their ministries during the first phase of extension to be done shortly. All details are finalized and deliberations among the Q league ranks have been completed as well.

The PPP-Q League deal is marriage of convenience as government under pressure is forced to take bitter pill half heartedly, said a PPP insider, adding that the core committee, PPP Punjab leadership, party ranks from different divisions of Punjab and the parliamentary party at center have been taken into confidence.

‘The in and out game by MQM and pressure it exerted on the government over different issues forced us to think about offering Q league for joining the government’, he said. ‘It was not a happy decision, but MQM left no option for us except embracing arch rivals like the Choudhries of the Q league which once President termed as qatil league, he maintained. 

‘The way Zulfiqar Mirza had to leave his ministry and the way MQM left federal cabinet on very minor issues was beyond political morality, and inclusion of Q league in the federal cabinet will squeeze MQM demands’, party insider added.

‘The next budget is due within next couple of months and we don’t know what could be the MQM reaction when the time will come to pass the budget and finance bill’, he said and adding that ‘the threats for present democratic dispensation and rumors about setting up of technocrat’s government under Imran Khan was an additional factor’.

The same factor was a cause of concern for PML-Q that made it thinks for joining the government, party sources revealed.

The discussions within the party ranks are completed said a PML-Q leader. He dispelled the impression that Mushahid Hussain and Amir Muqam are opposing the deal. In fact Faisal Saleh Hayat had some concerns and those were confined to his constituency and family.

Catering to the concerns of Faisal Saleh Hayat, President Zardari himself assured him to remove them. In fact he was much concerned about Begum Abida Hussain, his close relative, but staunch political opponent in his hometown Jhang. Abida Hussain will be adjusted in Senate or will be nominated as ambassador to one of the major global capitals, sources said.

The Party was ready to join the government two months ago but the issue of Moonis Elahi becomes hurdle to it, party insider said adding that the only consideration in the party discussion last week was the issue of Moonis. Majority of the leaders were in favor to join the government, but they were of the view that the step will not go well with the workers and the family as long as Moonis is in the jail.

The government had very limited options in this regard as the issue is with the Supreme Court. ‘Peoples Party has made the way for us, it has done what it can in this regard, Zafar Qureshi, the man implicated Moonis in National Insurance Company Scam has been removed and he has nothing to do with case any more’, he said added that ‘we have no reason to remain out of the cabinet any more, and the deal could be implemented any time from now onwards’.

Contrarily, the move has forced MQM to rethink its decision to not rejoin the cabinet, sources said adding that the two ministers may be sworn in again from the party during the next phase of cabinet extension.       

HEC: Story Of Gross Injustices To Smaller Provinces

By Aijaz Ahmed

Islamabad: The country witnessed a high drama in the past few weeks as certain people with vested interests, some pro-establishment media hawks, bureaucrats and few so-called intellectuals created uncalled for hype and misgivings against the government decision to devolve the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan & hand over some of its powers to the provinces according to the 18^th Constitutional Amendment. The opposition has cowed down the present government, weak as it is, and it may delay the devolution of a federal agency, which doesn’t have any justification to exist anymore. The education is a provincial subject and all the relevant subjects need to be transferred to the provinces, sooner the better.

Higher Education Commission like all other federal departments and agencies has been widely accused of following policies detrimental to smaller provinces. It is also accused of gross injustices in awarding scholarships and carrying out other projects completely ignoring the smaller provinces.

HEC officials at times have denied any bias against smaller provinces but its decisions tell a different story. A major injustice to smaller provinces has been revealed in the award of the scholarships just last year.

The commission in its sixteenth meeting last year decided to award scholarships for higher education at foreign universities under International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP). Out of the total of 61 scholarships, no scholarship was awarded to any university in Balochistan while only one scholarship was awarded to a student from the University of Karachi, Sindh. 36 scholarships went to Punjab, 19 to Islamabad and 5 to Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa.

The confirmed scholarships were awarded in the fields of Agriculture & Veterinary Sciences (8), Biological & Medical Sciences (5), Physical Sciences (11), Engineering (1), while conditional scholarships were awarded in the fields of Agriculture & Veterinary Sciences (11), Biological & Medical Sciences (13), Physical Sciences (3), Engineering (5), and Social Sciences (4)

The confirmed scholarships in Agriculture & Veterinary Sciences were warded to Omar Hafeez Malik (University of agriculture Faisalabad), Hafiz Mahkum Hammad (University of Agriculture Faisalabad), Shahbaz Ahmed (University of Agriculture Faisalabad), Syed Shahid Hussain Shah (University of Agriculture Faisalabad), Amir Raza (NIBGE, Agriculture University Faisalabad), Hamid Mustafa (University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences Lahore, Musarat Shaheen (NIBGE, Agriculture University Faisalabad) and Ghulam Shabir (NIBGE, Agriculture University Faisalabad). Five Scholarships for Biological and Medical Sciences were awarded to Akhtar Rasool (NIBGE, Agriculture University Faisalabad), Arif Mehmood Khan (NIBGE, Agriculture University Faisalabad), Mohammad Asif Ali (University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences Lahore), Muhammad Sajjad (University of Punjab) and Noor-us-Saba Aijaz Butt (University of Punjab, Lahore). Confirmed Scholarships in the field of Physical Sciences were awarded to Fazal Akbar (University of Peshawar), Javed Ali Khan (University of Peshawar), Amir Badshah (Quid e Azam (University Islamabad), Maria Saadia (University of Peshawar), Adnan Ali (The Islamia University of Bahawalpur), Aysha Kausar Malik (Quid e Azam University Islamabad), Azra Yaqub (Quid e Azam University Islamabad), Shehla Parveen (The Islamia University Bahawalpur), Sara Aftab (QUA, Islamabad), Abid Ali (QUA, Islamabad),  Andaleeb Azam (University of Peshawar) and for Engineering only one confirmed scholarship was awarded and that too was to University of Punjab.

According to the HEC record, Conditional Scholarships were awarded to Muhammad Asif Idrees (Lahore), Ghulam Rasool (Faisalabad), Shaista Javaid (Faisalabad), Muhammad Arshad (Faisalabad), Muhammad Yusuf Ali (Faisalabad), Sardar Bacha (faisalabad), shahid Masood Shah (NIBGE, Faisalabad), Muhammad Tahir and Rahim Ullah, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied (PIEPS) and Saeed Ahmed and Muther Mansoor Qaisrani of Quid e Azam University Islamabad. Conditional scholarships for the students of Biological and Medical Sciences were distributed among Saira Ali, Hina Jabeen, Muhammad Shahid, Romana Iftekhar, Muhammad Atif iqbal, and Rakhshinda Sadiq from NIBGE Agriculture University Faisalabad, Naila Safdar, Saad Ullah Khan, Gulab Sher, Umm e Kalsoom, and Bushra Khan from Quid e Azam University Islamabad.

All three conditional scholarships were awarded to Saima Kalsoom, Hanif ur Rehman, and Misbah Mumtaz of Quid e Azam University Islamabad. Five conditional scholarships in the field of engineering were awarded to Asim Shahzad (University of Engineering & Technology, Taxila) Atif Aslam (NIBGE, University of Agriculture Faisalabad) and Ata ur Rehman, Khizar Hayat and Ata ur Rehman Makhdoom of PIEAS.

Four Conditional Scholarships for higher education in social sciences were awarded to Muhammad Nauman Abbasi (Bahauddin Zakria University Multan), Muhammad Islam Shah of Karachi University, Muhammad Anwer, Karachi University, and Khadija Aziz of University of Peshawar.

The HEC record clearly indicates that only five scholarships were given to Peshawar University and no student from Gomal University was awarded such scholarship from KPK. No single scholarship had been awarded to politically alienated and troubled province of Balochistan, while Sindh had been awarded only one scholarship and that was conditional and was awarded to Karachi University. Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan were completely ignored while Seraiki belt of Punjab had also been met with similar treatment as only three scholarships were awarded to politically ignored and socially backward Seraiki belt. Rest was given either to Lahore, Faisalabad or Islamabad while Pothohar region, the nursery for army recruitment was also given two scholarships.

It is to remind that the Parliament through 18^th Constitutional Amendment had devolved certain functions of HEC and only a Commission will remain at center under federal list to check standard of education. The decision was challenged at Supreme Court, which till the new legislation asked HEC to continue working. Meanwhile the HEC bosses while taking advantage of situation indulged in the propaganda and the Chairman Javaid Laghari himself claimed that the government’s decision has resulted in stoppage of heavy US Aid funding to HEC for its projects in different fields, but the claim was refuted and rejected immediately by US Embassy in Islamabad.

Notes From My Memory, Part VII, By Mir Thebo: Rasool Bux Palijo, a Politician, a Tactician & a Writer

Author

In early 1960s, Rasool Bux Palijo and I were neighbors in Rosy Corner flats in Hyderabad. Those were very dirty pigeon hole flats in Tando Wali Mohammad area. Palijo lived on 2nd floor while I lived on the 1st. floor. Occasionally I went to his flat. He had no furniture and no proper bed in the flat. Palijo hated cleanliness. One could rather say that he hated regular life therefore he didn’t like well-dressed petty bourgeoisie people. He never cared about food. Shoes would be lying over the floor. He had good collection of books but they would be scattered all over the place. He didn’t like to live there so most of the time he remained outside.

By profession, he was a lawyer, a mediocre advocate at that because he was not interested in practicing law, although he was intelligent and had a logical mind. He had a small office in the Circular Building, which didn’t look like a professional lawyer’s office. He didn’t care much about these things. He was a good reader though. He read non-fiction, fiction and poetry books. He loved Shah's poetry. He was also an admirer of Shaikh Ayaz’s poetry. In later period, he disowned Shaikh Ayaz and his followers glorified Ustad Bukhari more than Ayaz but they were friends during 1960s. Ayaz also liked Palijo.

Rasool Bux Palijo with Shaikh Ayaz

Palijo also read Urdu, Russian, Chinese, English and Arabic literature. He had good knowledge of history and international situation. He also had a good knowledge of the history of Sindh. He was great at appreciating someone. He will make you fly higher and higher until you reach the top of the world. He would say things that will make you wonder if you really possessed such ‘qualities’ as mentioned by Palijo. But if you disagreed with him, he will throw you in the dust mercilessly so much so that he will not allow you even to protest. He is a witty person with good sense of humor. He has good hospitality. He will serve you meals and every thing including drinks, etc. I have few chances to drink with him along with other friends. I never observed him out of control but he is careful not to drink too much with casual visitors.

Palijo was a Marxist at that time. I don’t know if he still is or has changed as many of us old Marxists have said goodbye to our once favorite ideology of Marxism. During my last meeting with him at his residence in Naseem Nagar in 2005, he came across as neither a Marxist nor a Maoist. He didn’t mention either of them in his analysis. He sounded like a populist Sindhi nationalist political leader.

Palijo with NAP chief Khan Abdul Wali Khan & peasant leader Fazil Rahu

Palijo is considered to be a great tactician but sometimes he is caught in his own tactics and faces failure. Many times he has stumbled and fallen down but he has good stamina to rise up again and start a fresh. He is very swift in changing tactics and at that moment he never cares about the principles. Any way lets talk of his life of the earlier period of 1960s. As a politician, you will see his glimpses many times in my memoir.

In 1960s, Palijo was General Secretary, National Awami Party (NAP), Hyderabad City. NAP at that time was the open united front of the CPP headed by Khan Abdul Wali Khan. At that time Palijo looked more a man of literature than a politician. He had friendship with writers and poets like Mohammad Ibrahim Joyo, Shaikh Ayaz, Tanvir Abbasi, Rashid Bhatti, Ibn-e-Hayat Panhwar and Shamsher ul Haidri. Palijo also had good relations with G. M. Syed. He was an admirer of Syed and Syed also liked him. I really don’t know what compelled Palijo to jump into the hot waters of politics. Basically he was a man of literature and loved to live more blissful life with never ending passions.

Great scholar, Ghulam Mohammad Girami

In that period, there was a big controversy between progressive writers and the conservative group headed by Sardar Ali Shah from daily Mehran newspaper. Conservative group’s main target was Shaikh Ayaz. The group was also critical of other progressive writers; some of them were working with Sindhi Adabi Board. Ghulam Mohammad Grami wrote a brilliant article in quarterly Mehran 'Mashrqi Shairi, sandas fani qadur ain un ja rujhanat' (Eastern poetry, its artistic values and its trends). Palijo wrote a masterpiece ‘andha undha wej'.

After 4th March, 1967, Palijo foresaw the rising tide of nationalism in Sindh and realized that the Communist Party was unable to coop with a Sindhi national movement so he distanced himself from the party and became an outspoken nationalist leader with socialist ideas. His friendship with the party finally ended after an unfortunate incident at a NAP Sindh meeting presided over by veteran leader Shaikh Abdul Majid Sindhi. A renowned advocate Hafiz Qureshi was also in the meeting. Qasim Pathar was with Palijo. Qasim was a member of the party (CP). He later became important figure in Palijo’s party with Mao's thoughts. Then he was with GM Syed. Syed liked Qasim very much. Qasim was a long time friend of mine. Irrespective of his party positions and affiliations, we remained friends till he breathed his last.

Qasim Pathar was also with Palijo at our Indus Hotel meeting when he and his friends disrupted our function. I asked Qasim: ‘why you people are sabotaging our function’? He replied in a sadistic way: ‘don’t you know what happened in NAP meeting with Palijo? It is tit for tat.’ In the NAP meeting on some resolution on national question, Palijo challenged the Urdu-speaking leadership of the party and made some insulting remarks for them. When Shaikh Abdul Majid Sindhi tried to calm down Palijo, he didn’t even spare the much-respected veteran leader and uttered some derogatory remarks for him. At that moment one worker from GTS (Govt. Transport Workers Union) picked up a chair to hit Palijo but Dr Aizaz Nazir stood in between them and stopped the angry worker from hitting Palijo. Palijo always used to call Dr Aizaz in hatred Dr Shombe because of his dark complexion (leftists used to hate Shombe as after the death of one of Africa's reputed nationalist leader of Congo, Americans had put him in the power as a puppet).

Veteran leader Shaikh Abdul Majid Sindhi

After that incident, Palijo became staunch enemy of the party. He in a short time organized some young enthusiastic nationalists like Masood Noorani, Yousuf Talpur, Iqbal Tareen and some others and brought them to our convention in the Indus Hotel. They one after the other forcibly snatched the mike and with rhetoric tried to exploit the national feelings of students from rural Sindh. Their main contention was: ‘why didn’t you guys invite us to participate in this function? Are we not Sindhis? Are we not progressives? You didn’t invite us because your ‘panahgir’ (refugees) leadership didn’t like us', bla, bla, ... From our side Jam Saqi who was elected president of SNSF, Mehar Hussain Shah who was elected VP, me elected as General Secretary, Shah Mohammad Shah Joint Secretary and Ahmed Khan Jamali who became president in 3rd convention of SNSF tried to control the damage done by them. After the convention we held a party meeting where student cadre put forward a proposal to hold another convention but the party took the position to announce the panel and not to hold another convention so we announced the panel in the press conference. This was the first progressive students organization on Sindh basis.

Ideological enemies together in central prison Hyderabad and celebrating Syed's birthday in jail:

At that time, Ayub khan always put the political opponents behind the bars in Defense of Pakistan Rule (DPR). All dictators of the world are the same. They love to imprison, kill and torture opponents. Midnight knock at the door always gives shock to the political activists. I was in sound sleep when the knock at the door awakened me. It is strange that knock at the door in late hours of the night always creates some kind of unknown fear inside you. When I opened the door, I saw police and a police officer said you are under arrest under DPR. They took me to the Hyderabad Central Prison. There I saw other comrades also. Jam Saqi, Mehar Hussain Shah, Hidayat Hussain and Nadim Akhter were among them. The next day they brought Rasool Bux Palijo, Yousuf Talpur, Masood Noorani, Iqbal Tareen and Ghulam Mohammad Sario.

There was also a host political prisoner, the prisoner who was already there. He played the role of host, offered you something to eat and tea and told you the rules and regulation of the prison. That was comrade Ghulam Mohammad Laghari, the famous hari (peasant) leader of Sindh. He was in the jail for a long time. He welcomed us. He actually became very happy to see us. It is ironic to see other friends in prison and be happy. All political prisoners feel happy when they see other fellow political prisoners in jail. Comrade Laghari was alone in prison. He was khadar posh, tall, strong man with strong built but the longer term in jail had made him little bit sad.

Great peasant leader Comrade Ghulam Mohammad Laghari, who spent large part of his life in jail. In the photo, he is holding his son, Mansoor Hussain Laghari

There we celebrated the birth anniversary of G. M. Syed. Rasool Bux Palijo and others made very impressive speeches. Please read the details in the next installment. 

Note: all the photos are taken from internet.

Bahrain Puts Pakistan on Front Burner: II; Pakistan Army Contingent Secretly Moved To Bahrain to ‘Restore Peace’ & Protect Bahraini, Saudi & US interests

By Aijaz Ahmed

Although Pakistan has agreed to provide complete support for peace and security of Bahrain where political turmoil continues unabated, the decision might make it pay heavy price in terms of its good neighborly relations with Iran.

“Pakistan has stood and will stand with Saudi Arabia in the interest of peace. Pakistan understands and supports the Saudi stance in the Gulf and Middle East,” Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani told visiting Saudi National Security Council Secretary General Prince Bander Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud who recently concluded his visit to Islamabad.

While peace is being maintained to some extent in the troubled area of Bahrain, the fate of civilian Pakistanis is endangered and unclear. Almost 5000 Pakistanis are forced to live in camps set up by security officials for victims of the bloody clashes between the demonstrators and security forces.

Local residents completely disgrace Pakistanis, many of them were attacked and injured, while some of them are also killed, confirms FO officials. The reason behind their venom is very simple. The first fire opened on the demonstrators, which resulted in the killing of a local demonstrator, was by the gun of a Pakistani soldier employed in Bahrain Police.

It is to remind that almost 65,000 Pakistanis are living in Bahrain and a significant number of them are employed in security forces and police and are responsible for providing security to the knig, royal family their properties, government officials and the official installations.

No Pakistani whether Sunny or Shia will be allowed to live in the mainstream localities and settlements, announced the leaders of the local demonstrators agitating for democracy. Although majority of them are Shia, they have developed very strong sentiments against Pakistan despite the fact that the movement is reportedly being supported by Iran.

Bahrain protest

The point where Iran entangles with Saudi Arabia is matter of concern for Pakistan in the situation specially for present lot of political leadership, sources in the FO observe. Nawaz Sharif being the personal friend of royal family of holly kingdom and the King himself can not defy the wish of the King Abdullah who fears his own very survival because of this situation, they added.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s reaction to the situation is understandable as the party has had sour relations with the kingdom since the ZA Bhutto was hanged. It is understood that Bhutto family believed that Saudis did not play their due role to save the life of a leader like Bhutto. The sentiment got more stronger among the party cadre and leadership when Nawaz Sharif got a safe passage due to Saudi intervention in 2000.

Saudis during the course of the passing years did not try to remove this misunderstanding, rathe their inclination remained very focused and clear in building strategic relations with Zia, the Pakistan Army and then with Sharif family and another dictator General Musharaf.

PPP, which was being led by a lady of Iranian origin (Begum Nusrat Bhutto) at that time, built good and strong relations with Iran. However, the present government’s dilemma is the strategic interest that has been built in a particular way during the military regime of Zia, subsequent half baked democratic dispensations of BB and Nawaz Sharif and then by General Musharraf.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have strategic relationship in many fields. The kingdom is center of Muslim belief, the King is Khadim e Haqrmain Shareefain, Pakistan owe Saudi support in number of areas particularly in view of the support for Pakistan’s nuclear program. Additionally Saudi Arab has special nexus with United States, the FO sources maintain.  

Besides Saudi Arabia, Bahrain has been for long time a US stooge in the Gulf region and has been the gracious host for its Fifth Fleet from where US forces keep an eye on oil shipping lines and more importantly Iran, sources add further.

The Fifth Fleet, comprising 30 ships and 2 aircraft carriers, has an operational area covering the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the east coast of Africa. Some 4000 American military personnel live in Bahrain.

US 5th fleet in Bahrain

Bahrain has also been provided with latest military equipment including fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, and battle tanks (some of which were used to confront demonstrators), they added

US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen last month visited the oil rich kingdom to reaffirm the American support of the King and his visit was followed by President Obama’s statement in favor of the monarchy.

It is very much evident that when our leaders are talking of importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region in the context of uprising in Bahrain, they are actually referring to securing critical US interests, which otherwise would be seriously threatened in case monarchy is overthrown and Shia majority comes into power, claims an analyst, Baqir Sajjad, at Pak Foreign Policy Blog.

The Saudi prince, towards the end of the meeting, indicated to the prime minister that Riyadh was ready to pay any price to Pakistan for its help in aiding Riyadh deliver its commitment with Washington for protecting US interests in the region.

In response, Pakistan has started providing critical support to guard strategic interests in Bahrain sources claimed and added that a Pak Army contingent is secretly moved to Bahrain, which can provide its services to GCC shield force if required.

In addition, almost 2000 former military personals and fresh but strong built youngsters are hired and will be sent to Bahrain shortly, sources confided. A camp for this purpose was established at a five star hotel of Lahore. The selected persons are being provided a short term but advance training on modern lines so as they can be sent shortly to Manama, Bahrain.

The prime objective of the fresh recruitment was to strengthen security of troubled hit small kingdom of Bahrain, besides they will look after and rehabilitate the displaced Pakistanis, sources maintained.  

Government Judiciary Row III, Reopening of Bhutto Case: Will It Be Punjab V/S The Rest Again?

By Aijaz Ahmed

Bhutto at Lahore High Court, late 70s

Supreme Court of Pakistan has fixed initial hearing on 13^th April in the presidential reference to reopen Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case and its decision is yet to come but the president’s move has already generated a heated debate is in the country. While some people have expressed their support for the reference calling it a chance for the apex court to correct a historic wrong, there are some people, groups and parties on the other side of the fence, mainly from Punjab, who have opposed the move and termed it as an attempt to further divide an already divided country.

Be it PML-N that took a surprising anti-establishment stance in the recent years after Musharraf ousted its leader from power and the country and a pro Iftikhar Chaudhry led judiciary stance since March 2007 or Tehrik e Insaaf, Jamaat e Islami or other religious parties, all are on same page in this case.

‘The reopening of Bhutto case will open a Pandora box if the case is opened by judiciary or any one else’, said Siddiq ul Farooq, former spokesman and central leader of PML-N, adding that the discussion about wrong doings of ZAB will also be opened for debate. The stance taken by PML-N leader was not in isolation, rather the party decided to oppose this move by the PPP.

However, in view of PML-N’s relationship with military establishment of Zia ul Haq era when dictator himself had prayed for his life to be donated to Mian Nawaz Sharif and the present relations of CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and Leader of the opposition Ch. Nisar Ali Khan with military trop brass, the stance taken by party is understandable but what surprises people of Pakistan was the response of Mr. Jamal Laghari, elder son of Late Farooq Laghari, who was elected as president of Pakistan by Pakistan Peoples Party. He also served on different party offices with Ms Bhutto. Jamal Laghari while commenting on the reference maintained that the Pakistan’s debacle in 1971 and creation of Bangladesh should also be opened for hearing. He also indicated that ZAB played a role in breaking of Pakistan, but he remained tight lipped on the role Bhutto played for release of prisoners of war of Pakistan Army and returning of 5000 square kilometer of land that India captured along with eastern borders of present Pakistan during the war.

Irfan Siddiqui, a close confident of Mian Nawaz Sharif and a pro PML-N analyst claims to be independent while in his furious columns and comments on the case, he clearly sided with the party he is associated with. In a comment, he raised questions of legality on how the court will be able to reopen the case as according to him the decision in Bhutto case and his hanging is a past and closed transaction. Ansar Abbasi, a pro PML-N journalist from Jang Group, and many other senior and so-called independent journalists in the chorus, also supported him.

What was common among all these leaders and journalists from Punjab was their anti Bhutto past and political approach very close to PML-N and the military establishment. From Siddiq ul Farooq to Ansar Abbasi and Irfan Siddiqui every one also tried to widen the present gulf between president Zardari and the Judiciary. Their argument reflects their opinion that the reference was actually aimed at pressurizing the judiciary. This might be true and eventually is happening. To pacify the sentiments of Sindh, they all also speak about greatness of ZAB and observed that the nation did not accept the decision and termed his hanging a judicial murder. But Jehangir Baddar, Secretary General Pakistan Peoples Party thinks other way. He termed the reference an effort to correct history and to remove stains on his personality, beside the reference will help judiciary in bringing the confidence of the people back in justice system.

PPP Senator Faisal Raza Abidi maintained a position, which tends to bring the judiciary under pressure. Faisal in his response said that it is now turn of judiciary to give justice to Pakistan Peoples Party and the people from smaller provinces; he also supported the argument of opening all cases including that of creation of Bangladesh. It will really expose real culprits and role of the then establishment and drawing room politicians who are now posing as self-proclaimed saviors of Pakistan.

Lines are being drawn in the favor and opposition of the reference with politicians, journalists, media people, so-called independent analysts and intellectuals from Punjab and some other Bhutto haters on one side while the rest of the people on the other side. The question arises will this reference also be seen as a case 'Punjab vs the rest of the country'?

Meanwhile, the law ministry moving further on the reference has submitted a formal application with Islamabad Administration for obtaining attested copy of the first statement of Masud Mehmood, then FSF Chief and government approver in the case. The sources reveal that Mr. Masud Mehmood in his first statement recorded by Islamabad Magistrate did not mention ZAB’s name nor did he point a finger towards Bhutto; however during the testimony in front of anti ZAB CJ of Lahore High Court Maulvi Mushtaq, he reportedly changed his first statement under pressure sources maintained. Another application has also been furnished to Lahore High Court for examination of the record of the case and for attested copies.  

We Wish You Happy Birth Day Palijo Sahib: By Nazir Laghari

Seventh year of the imprisonment term of Rasool Bakhsh Palejo Sahib had begun. The political romance of working class of the country had not yet hit the despondency and people were suffering for their political consciousness – deep wound caused by the hanging of ZA Bhutto was still not heeled. Following the historical resistance put up by the people during MRD movement in Sindh, the anti people forces were uniting and reorganizing on war footings. Secret Agencies were using their organizational resources to reorganize and strengthen the racist neo colonial ruling elite. MRD was still relevant but the agents of State Establishment, who had seeped into the MRD, were dictating the genuine forces to implement Establishment’s designs. The demigods of Sindhi nationalism were receiving bouquets from General Zia ul Haq, General Jahandad Khan and other army Generals. The local agents of the intelligence paraphernalia were asking the people to disengage from the politics so that ‘independence could be achieved’.

Political prisoners were kept in different rooms but in same building of Special Ward of Jinnah Hospital at that time. Rasool Bux Palijo, Jam Saqi and Jamal Naqvi were prisoners of the Special Ward – soon G M Syed too was transferred to this ward too. Rasool Bux Palijo was transferred from Kot Lakhpat jail where he had spent many years. Tired and unmotivated jail guards used to sit outside each room and would allow meeting of political workers and journalists with the prisoners on payment of five rupees.

I was going to meet Rasool Bux Palijo after seven years – much water had flown under the bridge in these 7 years. Bhutto was hanged, cold war in Afghanistan was in its last phase and heading to its end. Indira Gandhi was murdered in India – the leadership of controlling forces of the world capitalism had been taken up by Ronald Regan and Margaret Thatcher – the path was cleared for capitalist’s hegemony of multinational and transnational companies in the world – all preparations were finalized for new world order. With this perspective, I had a lot to talk to Palijo Sahib.

Rasool Bux Palijo is highly well read pragmatic politician and is known as magician for organizing various classes of people. He applies his wide knowledge to his politics and his political moves. He had told me some 25 years ago that political consciousness is creeping into the Arab world – he had also said that the political change is imminent in the Arab World in next 30 years – Arab people would come out on streets against their rulers while on the other hand the regional racist agents of the leaders of the world capitalism would jump to capitalize on fall out of Arab consciousness yet the Arab people are bound to break the freezing stalemate and they will prove to be a nightmare for the hegemonic multinational companies dominating the Arab resources of energy. Arab people would enter into long battle with world capitalists for reasserting ownership on their resources. They will employ amazing guerrilla tactics and pragmatic wisdom and will fight with full force against the dominant unjust world order – though they will be crushed time and again, they will face humiliating defeats but they will rise again from the ashes. However the most testing time for them would come while battling with collaborators of South Asian regional racist dominating forces who will use from naval forces to suicide bombers for browbeating and subjugating Arabs in order to continue hold on their resources.

In our meeting after 7 years, dialogue remained mostly confined to the future events that would take place in 25 to 30 years’ time. I wanted to talk about political scenario of the country, new dimensions of historical MRD movement, Afghanistan’s proxy war and Army dictatorship in the country but in turn Palijo Sahib handed me over a packet containing his five books and said that we can discuss about the future of this region after I have read these books.

Today Rasool Bux Palijo Sahib’s political party ‘Awami Tahreek’ and its allied parties are celebrating his 81^st birthday and I do not know why on this day I remember G M Syed. I had attended many functions of GM Syed’s birthdays. I remember well that on the occasion of celebration of his 87^th birthday, I was seated next to him and he was furiously insisting on the spiritual hanging of Mr. Bhutto, who went to gallows with honor and dignity. Those days Palijo Sahib used to say that Bhutto has earned honor and dignity for his coming seven generations. Today Rasool Bux Palijo has reached the stage of G M Syed and the political force ‘Awami Tahreek’ having unparalleled political vision and wisdom in the history of Sindh has retreated uncrowned – it has suffered at the hands of petty self serving egotism – the party expected to provide inspiration and help to Sindhi people come out of despondency and feelings of helplessness, has become victim of opportunism. I shudder at the feelings of failure of politics. I pray to God that may the political process and political activism live long in nook and corner of the country. I congratulate Rasool Bux Palijo Sahib on his 81^st birthday today.

(This article was published in daily Jang on the occasion of 81^st birth day of Rasool Bux Palijo. We are publishing it here with the permission of Mr. Nazir Laghari) 

Translated into English by Haider Bhurgri

Government Judiciary Row-II, Reopening of Bhutto Case, a Test For Independent Judiciary; Presidential Reference May Become a Source of Political Re-alignments

By Aijaz Ahmed

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

The president’s move to submit a reference for reopening of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case at Supreme Court under Article 186 of the Constitution of Pakistan has sparked a new debate and certain questions have been raised including a million dollar question that where will Punjab stand? Undoubtedly, the move is a clever one, and will serve the government and the Peoples Party in many ways. One aspect of the reference is seen as an effort to mend fences with the higher judiciary as in the reference, president has shown his full confidence in the Supreme Court. Secondly it will on one hand give the higher court an opportunity to correct a historic mistake and on the other hand it will force the judiciary to admit blunders committed by judiciary itself exposing the nature and extent of injustice even at the highest judicial level. The favorable decision will also help in bringing the pro dictatorship elements in the establishment under scrutiny that have been in connivance with judiciary and civil bureaucracy against democratic leadership.

In case the present judiciary fails to correct a historic injustice to Bhutto family and the PPP, the onus will be shifted to the judiciary and the anti judiciary elements in smaller provinces particularly in Sindh will justify their sentiments, said a PPP insider, adding that: ‘we always remain victim of the establishment-judiciary nexus and this is the time for both to taste some hot waters. If the historic mistake was not corrected now, the reputation of the present independent judiciary will wither away and that will be more dangerous to the already fragile federation’.

‘Come what may, you have to give the decision, and it is we who can forgive’, said president Zardari while addressing the gathering held at Garhi Khudabakhsh to pay tribute to their leader on his 32nd anniversary. ‘How come the people who took oath under Zia’s PCO can be declared judges if Dogar is a not a judge’, asked furious president adding that ‘we want to correct a historic mistake’.

The reaction from political leadership from Punjab and smaller provinces will be more interesting as the initial reaction suggests that both seem to be poles apart. The reaction from the pioneers of the Q League will be understandable. Ch. Shujaat Hussain and Ch. Pervez Elahi are opposing the reference and that is understandable in view of the nature of the relations the family and the elder Ch. Zahoor Elahi had with Bhutto and Zia. They had a special role in the hanging of Bhutto. They had even kept as a souvenir the pen that Zia reportedly used to sign the hanging till death orders for ZAB. However, their newly engagement with PPP will be under pressure if the decision came other way from the apex court. Mushahid Hussain is playing neutral while PPP Patriot fame Faisal Saleh Hayat and Riaz Hussain Peerzada are feeling the heat as it is the case about their former Shaheed leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Imran Khan and Jamaat-e-Islami are as usual running against the wind but PML-N has surprisingly decided to oppose the reference as Ahmed Raza Qasuri did. Syed Zafar Ali Shah, a PML-N central leader and a legislature in the upper house i.e. Senate of Pakistan while strongly opposing the reference, made it clear that there is no such provision and judiciary could in no way change its own decision.

Apart from PPP, its ally ANP from KPK and Pashtunkhwa Mili Awami Party of Mehmood Khan Achakzai, the pro federation with nationalist stance from Balochistan are siding with PPP and the developing scenario clearly indicates the future politics. Zahid Khan, Secretary Information of ANP while commenting on the matter, maintained his party position that ZAB was hanged till death under dubious circumstances. He termed the sentence a judicial murder. Bilour brothers and Haji Adeel also shared his views as well. One is not certain of the MQM stance as it depends on the whims of its London-based supremo.

The PMLN position and the party’s initial decision to oppose will clearly widen the gulf between the biggest province and smaller units and will also decide further that the Punjab is siding with establishment once again.

Notes From My Memory, Part VI, by Mir Thebo: Revolutionary Romanticism of 1960s & 1970s; Formation of SNSF

Author

Those who were young in 1960s and early 1970s were either part of it or were witness to a great romantic period in every field including politics, literature, art, movies, music, culture, etc. Those were the years when one indulged in discussions on the sense of alienation, existentialism, writings of Sartre, Camus, Dostoyevsky, Andre Gide, Franz Kafka and also talked about the dissidents like famous Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. One would endlessly talk about Joseph Stalin's daughter, Svetlana’s revelations about her father, the iron man of the Soviet Union and about Boris Pasternak who wrote the novel Dr. Zhivago. One could reminisce how Pasternak was not allowed to go abroad to receive the Noble Prize for Literature. Khrushchev had told him that: ‘if you go abroad, you will never come back to Russia’. Pasternak had responded: ‘leaving the motherland will be equal to death for me. I am tied to Russia by birth, by life and work’. His mistress and beloved Olga was sent to prison just to punish his soul.

It was during that period that the talk of the town were the polemics of Euro communism, Latin America’s national liberation movements, the foco theories of revolution through guerrilla warfare, Frantz Fanon’s book “wretched of the earth” about Algerian liberation and third world’s colonized people, the suppression and their psyche, the Trotskyite revolutionaries (whom we Leninist hated much as they minimized the role of Lenin) and about the gulags labor camps. It was said that millions of innocent people died in the camps.

Victims of Mai Lai Massacre

Discussions during that period also focused on the civil rights movement and the anti war movement against Vietnam War. Anti war songs became popular like "Don’t be a hero, don’t be a fool in your life, come back and make me Ur wife". Very horrific pictures of war were published in Time and Life magazines like one picture cutting the stomach with big knife of a an alive Vietnamese and the massacre at Mai Lai (those army personnel were tried and court marshaled by military tribunal and were punished with rigorous imprisonment and long jail terms) and pictures of self immolation of Buddhist monks in Saigon (Hochi Minh City) in the protest against war. It was amazing to see that the monks were so disciplined that while burning they won’t cry with pain. They would accept death with calm and dignity. The fascinating stories about Vietnamese prostitutes were also published how they supported the Viet Cong and gave them money earned by prostitution.

Hippie culture in 1960s

 Rise of Hippie culture and use of drugs in the west and in America were rampant during that period. So the two trends, revolutionary and pessimistic, were running side by side, but the revolutionary trend was in full swing throughout the world, especially among youth everywhere. They were resisting the tyranny, injustices and wars.

In May 1968, Paris saw the great uprising and it seemed as a new revolution was in the offing there by the workers and students. As revolutionaries do in the initial stage, they put barricades in Paris. Sartre and others supported them but president Charles de Gaulle, who was very popular at that time, acted against the movement. At one point, he was so confused that he secretly slipped away from the presidential palace and went to the military head quarters and made plans to ‘retake’ Paris. With many efforts by the French bourgeoisie, the movement eventually subsided. The movement didn’t succeed also because the French Communist party and its biggest workers union, CGT, didn't support the un-organized uprising. Communist parties never support utopian goals. They had reservation about Che's guerilla warfare tactics also and Moscow was a factor in the failure of PLO too. Moscow didn’t want to get into the troubled waters because of these extremist movements. Moscow was already exhausted by the Caribbean missile crisis. But the uprising in Paris achieved something: they got rid of conservative political forces. Their slogans were very much attractive like “Man is neither Rousseau's noble savage, nor the Church’s or La Rochefoucauld’s depraved sinner. He is violent when oppressed, gentle when free". And “We don’t want to be the watchdogs or servants of capitalism”.

Thousands of students and workers took to the streets in 1968 in Paris

Formation of Sindh National Students Federation:

International situation and the 4th March 1967 event in Hyderabad gave us boost in Sindh. Initially, we in the left movement were the only organizing force in Sindh. So many students approached us from interior of Sindh. They mostly were from lower income groups. Some of them were from landlord families also. Sindh University students were not that much attracted to our work because after 4th March, the nationalist feelings were much higher while we professed that we were communists first and that we analyzed the situation from the Marxist point of view. Secondly because they were scared of the intelligence people and thirdly because the students didn’t like whole-time politics. Some students didn’t like our appearance in shabby clothes and thought we didn’t look clean as the students ‘were supposed to look like’. We used rubber ‘Hochi Minh chapal because the first lesson we learned was to ‘de-class our self’ because we were the representatives of the proletariat (working class). Jam Saqi was more declassed than me in that. Students with love used to call him “Registani Uth” (camel from desert).

Jam Saqi, former student leader & activist, who suffered torture & years of imprisonment for his politics

Another reason for our disapproval among SU students was that we didn’t attend the classes and we didn’t look like students. I can give you one small example that will explain the situation: during my election campaign for the position of General Secretary of the Sindh University Students Union, my brother, Mukhtiar Thebo (he was student of M. A. and was always well-dressed) asked one girl student to vote for me. She said: "ok, introduce him to me. Let me see him. I have not seen your brother Mir". When the girl saw me, she said abruptly to my brother: ‘this young man doesn’t even know how to dress properly. If you be the candidate, I’ll be canvassing for you Mukhtiar but not MIR’. At that time no girls were with us. Only some sisters of comrades were with us. Some intellectual students from Urdu and Sindhi backgrounds were with us. They included Nadeem Akhter, Hidayat Hussain, Ahmed Khan Malkani, Saleem Qazi and Aslam Qazi, both brothers of Ali Qazi, Uzair Soomro, grand son of Allah Bux Soomro, Hilal pasha etc. We decided to form a student organization on Sindh basis. The first convention of Sindh National Students Federation was held in Hyderabad at Indus Hotel in 1968. It was well-represented convention. Many delegates came from all over Sindh but a very unfortunate incident occurred as Rasool Bux Palijo and his new political friends disrupted the function. Before that another bad incident had occurred with Mr. Palijo at the hands of Urdu comrades in the meeting of National Awami Party, Sindh. What happened in that meeting with Mr. Palijo, see in my next note.