Another Forgotten Hero of Pakistan

satyamvada,

Please inform me what your point of dispute is. What truth have I twisted? Just merely throwing up allegations will not win you your argument. Ayesha Jalal`s and the views of her `commie` professor are far from spin... infact they have exposed the googlies of history. My sources generally are history books from both sides of the border as well as Nehru`s own personal diary as I have quoted above.


WRT the post you put up about the mullahs... fine I accept your view wholeheartedly. Please inform us why the Congress Party chose to ally itself with such groups.... like the Majlis-e-Ahrar and the Deobandis? Majlis-e-Ahrar was officially part of the Congress Party since November 1940... it is the same Majlis-e-Ahrar which started to agitate for an Islamic state in Pakistan.


These are the ironies of history.... I can see why facts make you uncomfortable.

Mantolives`ji

I am waiting for you to post references that you used for this article.
I know you are a fan of that spinner Ayesha Jalal.

One thing - your intentions (of making Pakiland a secular, or atleast to reduce
the influence of religion) may be good, but you should not indulge in
twisting truth about JeeNhabhai or others and indulge in manipulations, to place
blame on one person or the other.
Pakistan is a large country - no one person can impose their will on everybody
unless society is willing. The so called leadership of Pakistan has only done
what the people want.

The first thing in curing a problem is to understand that there is a problem
and identify the source of the problem. Trying to place blame on individuals
or digging up some irrelevant quote by the gujju JeeNhabhai is useless.

#64 by Mantolives

“While I may not agree with your conclusions always”

You are doing a whole lot better than my wife…she wouldn’t agree with any -:)
Thanks anyway! I appreciate that. I just hope that you keep writing what you feel good about.
There aren’t very many books on Pakistan’s left. You will find bits and pieces spread all over. We tried to put things together and I was part of the research group but we had to face lots of trouble when we were conducting interviews. It was Zia era and Military intelligence thought we were planning some leftist coup.
There used to be an underground paper called “surkh Parcham”. That had lots of info, but I doubt that you can find it anywhere now. Viewpoint’s archive could be a good source. At least you would get to read some editorials by Mazhar Ali Khan. If that archive exits, then I can possibly arrange your access to it.
Better still, may be you wanna try and do some research for a book on Pakistan’s left-:)

Zakk/HP: ``A book on Pakistans left and centre of left parties s something that is the need of the time, people like Wali khan, Ajmal khattak and Sherbaz Mazari should be interviewed before their stories vanish from history. ``

Sherbaz Mazari has a very good book out titled, ``A Journey to Disallusionment.`` It covers Pakistan`s history in a lot of detail.

HP,

While I may not agree with your conclusions always... but I am very impressed with the depth of your knowledge about Pakistan`s history. Can you recommend any good books on the history of Pakistan`s left? or leaders like Mazhar Ali Khan etc?

My Khala and Khaloo are committed leftists who haven`t left that fold since the 1970s and a lot of what I know about the left is the little I picked up from them on dinner table.

Freesoul,

The intent of this article is not to dig deep to find leaders. It is to show that the Pakistan Movement was not a monolithic movement ... that there was enough diversity in it, and the horrible mangling of history under Zia to some how create an Islamist foundation where there is none, is wrong. If the mullah, who opposed Pakistan for whatever reason, keeps harping about his version of the Islamic state, we atleast should have the right to rebutt their views.


One should not criticize for the sake of criticism.

Dawn`s magazines are full of human interest stories. I particularly liked this recent one -

http://www.dawn.com/weekly/review/review4.htm

i dont know veeresh sahib .. oops i mean veeresh the elder -- as in dont know who reads editorials -- hahaha actually come to think of it, editors write them, and in pakistan people do read them, unless its editors pretending to be readers and emailing us letters on them -- why no, i don`t know where jhelum is, pray tell me -- veeresh sahib, jokes aside, plz stop before you make a complete fool of yourself --

jay --please check the archives or read the paper more closely -- human interest stories generally do not feature on news pages -- i know that is changing, or has changed, in the case of newspapers in india -- but we still ocassionally have such stories on the news pages -- the weekly magazines have their fare share of them tho -- and since you ask, here`s something from Dawn`s Metro section -- a weekly column -- this one came april 5, 2004 --




Singing in unison

By Karachian

Church choirs are coming into their own. Hamilton Mathew, choir director at the city`s Central Brooks Memorial Church, says that his choir is very busy these days. ``Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday.

Now we are making preparations for two equally important religious services: Good Friday and Easter. We have to put in a lot of effort. Regular practice sessions are conducted, and since we are a team it is imperative that all members are present during rehearsals,`` he says.

Choir practice sessions, though tedious at times, are generally a lot of fun. Youngsters gather in the church compound and play cricket as they wait for their companions to arrive. When all have gathered inside, the practice session begins with a prayer.

``It does get a little frustrating when all the choir members do not turn up on time, since little can be achieved without the rest. However, it`s a blessing to be able to use the gifts God has bestowed upon us to praise Him. May our praise be acceptable in His sight,`` says Mr Mathew.

New director

The Germans have sent at least two women directors to head their cultural centre in Karachi following 9/11. Dr Marla Stukenberg became director of the Goethe Institut in early 2002. She was succeeded by Josef Bornhorst, who had mostly worked in South American countries. Now we have Dr Petra Raymond, who assumed office as director on April 1.

``I might have taken office on April Fool`s Day, but I am very serious about my job,`` says Ms Raymond good-humouredly. Armed with a PhD in the history of the German language, Ms Raymond headed the German cultural centre in Ghana from 2000 to 2004. She is happy that she will have the honour of signing the rent agreement of the future premises of the Goethe Institut, which will be housed in Suman House right across the Chief Minister`s House.

Goethe Institut officials point out that under German regulations the cultural centre must be housed in an earthquake- resistant building. They recall that they had a hard time finding such a building in Karachi. They heaved a sigh of relief when they found Suman House, which meets the requirement.

Enter Muttahida

The ``clean sweep`` claimed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the recent by elections in Karachi and elsewhere in Sindh has brought to the fore a number of realities. First and foremost is the fact that the Muttahida now plans to be an active political player at the local level instead of opting out of the process like it did the first time round. This has its obvious repercussions for those who, in the absence of this key party in urban Sindh, claimed perhaps an undue share of seats.

More important still is the fact that unlike in the past, when office-bearers of participating political parties were required to resign from their party memberships before filing to contest the ostensibly non-political local body elections, no such restriction was imposed by the authorities vetting candidates` credentials this time round.

The byelections were held under the same laws that governed the conduct of the local body polls held two years ago, and this exposes the hollowness of the restriction.

Local governments in the democratic world are meant to be a nursery for political parties, enabling them to train their cadres at the grassroots level. Under the existing dispensation, it is a big anomaly that Pakistan`s political parties are denied that advantage.

If any other political party had claimed open victory in the manner the Muttahida has done, it would have perhaps risked a wholesale disqualification of the successful candidates.

Whether by doing so, the Muttahida has flung the door open for other parties to follow suit and make the authorities re-think the non-political philosophy remains to be seen. The Muttahida`s opponents will, of course, argue that one would have to be on the right side of the government to do so.

As for Karachi, one hopes that the city government, now with a good number of Muttahida members sitting on the opposition benches, will have more to show for its conduct than just putting up huge billboards with religious inscriptions, all at the taxpayer`s expense.

Aali`s national songs

Lyrical dohas may be the forte of Jamiluddin Aali, but he is equally popular for his national songs. And he has composed quite a few of them over the past 40 years. His latest poetic composition became the theme song of the 9th SAF Games, launched recently in Islamabad amid much fanfare.

``Three years ago, the chairman of the SAF Games organizing committee, Lt-Gen Syed Arif Hasan, asked me to compose a theme song for the major sporting event. Realizing that it was an honour for me, I readily agreed to compose a national song - a job which I have always enjoyed doing,`` says Karachi-based Aali.

``The song urges the participants of the games to transcend their national prejudices and adopt a sportsmanlike attitude,`` he explains. It was the 1965 War which got Aali to compose his first national song. Sung by the late Noor Jehan, Aey watan ke sajeeley jawanoon gained tremendous popularity.

Unhappy with the turn of events in 1971 and the imminent dismemberment of Pakistan, Aali composed his second national song, Jeeway, jeeway Pakistan, in 1971. Moved by the plight of the prisoners of war following the 1971 war, he composed Aey des ki hawaoin, sarhad ke par jao in 1972.

As the world celebrated Women`s Year in 1976, Aali composed Hum ma-ain, hum behnain, hum baiteyan - a song that was banned by the Zia regime and was subsequently employed to good effect by the Benazir government.

Ten years later, Aali wrote a song, Jo nam wohi pahchan, Pakistan, at the request of former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan. In 1996, he composed another national song, Mera inam Pakistan, for the celebrated singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In 1999, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif got him to write a national song, Yaum-i-amn-o-baqa, commemorating the first anniversary of the detonation of the atomic bomb. Unlike the government that has repudiated most things redolent of atomic bomb celebrations, he still owns his song and the message it conveys.

email: karachi_notebook@hotmail.com.

Veeresh

The answer to your question regarding the price of newspapers and magazines is that, the GOP controls the import and distribution of all print paper and print material. There are two benefits in doing that (a) kickbacks (b) absolute control over dissemination of information and knowledge. In addition, government controls information by controlling its advertisements to the print media. In a country where everything from God to cricket is controlled by the gevernment, control over advertisements give them godlike powers. Technically and legally there is no censor over news in Pakistan, but government still has an absolute control over dissemination of information aka spin doctroing. The information doesnot get past middle class, which by the way is the most miserable and ineffective/neutered (khassi) class in Pakistan. No small or rural business can afford to get its advertisements in the newspaper because it is expensive and there is no readership among the masses. Never in my life I have seen an advertisement by a local manufacturer of agri equipment in the newspapers; never an ad from a workshop; a bakery; so on and so forth...

Omar 56 - no, Alephnull is not me. Hello Alephnull, while I like your ``handle``, would you please convince Omar that I am me and you are who?

Omar ji, my humble question on why newspapers and magazines cost so much in Pakistan has till not been answered by you. However, along with the surprise invitation I have received for lecture circuit in towns like Multan and Jhelum, in Pakistan (you know where they are, right?) has come the information that a new newspaper is about to be launched, in Pakistan, with Urdu and English editions, at the target price of Rs 2.50 . . . and the new machinery for this (by Heidelberg, computer to plate top of the line and even I am amazed at the NexPress 2100 ordered . . .) is already on its way to Karachi port.

Omar ji, please appreciate - I am just a seeker, and always willing to learn. Sitting here in India I sought and was able to find out . . . why don`t you too? I mean, editorials are fun, but only other editors read them, right?

Omar,

One more question about dawn. As an avid dawner, I have never come across a human interest story in dawn, about something good a pakistani has done, story of some pakistani who has come up due to hard work, some artsitic achievemenyt.

If there was ever one in recent times pl give me a link. Dawn is full of killings and death, any where and every where.

yes i saw that post veeresh the elder -- i also know that alephnull isn`t you -- or is he?

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YLH,

thanks for the reminder.

There are many in this category of Pakistanis, of the gem quality that can always

make us proud, but unfortunately are mostly hidden.

The powers that be are beginning to get some sense of direction

and for you to resurrect such a true hero can only be judged as a plus.

Ras

Mantolives,

Please put up references of where you get your info from
You peddle a lot of bs just like Ayesha Jalal.
YLH also keeps repeating that the mullahs did not support Pakistan - but he
doesnt say why some of the mullahs did not want Pakistan. The mullahs
did so because they realized that their effort at making India dar-ul-islam would be
jeopardised. They opposed partition not because of any love for India.

We in India also are never told this truth in our schoolbooks - we are just told
that there were a lot muslims who opposed partition.


For others:
Ayesha Jalal got her PhD from an Indian Commie Prof. The Commies
in India supported Pakistan.

#46 by Zakkk on May 5, 2004 8:32am PT
”My understanding is that Wali Khan fell out with the communists in the 1970`s particularly Bizenjo.”

I can give you the story behind that falling out but of course it is one sided. I don’t know what Wali Khan’s explanation would be.

Bizejo was not a communist. He was a Baluch Nationalist.

Some told me that after Bhutto took over in 1971 and the assembly was restored, Wali Khan became the leader of opposition and he felt that he could be the next Prime Minister of Pakistan. So he wanted to keep a policy of confrontation with Bhutto and work with the Islamic Parties so he can gain some ground with the Army.

Bizenjo, Sardar Ataullah Mangel, and pretty much all Baluch leaders including Khair Bux Marri never really liked Bhutto themselves but at that point of time they wanted to keep their govt in Baluchistan and work with Bhutto.

So Bezinjo following that Baluch line advocated negotiations and non confrontation with Bhutto at the center. That was not what Wali Khan wanted. He called Bizenjo “ Baba-e-Muzakarat” (Father of discussions).
A confrontation between Wali Khan and Baluch took place in a meeting in Lahore around 1972-73. Baluch favoring a working relationship with Bhutto, and Wali Khan opposing that. Communists in NAP were in a dilemma. Communists did not like Bhutto either and they were under pressure from the Sindhi Nationalist groups that hated Bhutto. Communists drew most of their political support in Sindh and it was not possible for them to ignore Sindh delegation and side with Baluch. Communists supported Wali Khan and NAP decided to take a confrontational approach to Bhutto.

Baluchs were democrats. They went with the party line and ended up being the worst sufferers when Bhutto decided to eliminate Baluch govt under the Army and possibly Shah of Iran’s pressure. In 1973 the Baluch and NWFP govts were dismissed. NAP was banned again and all Baluch leaders, Wali Khan Khan, Ajmal Khattak and Communists including Jam Saqi were involved in the Hyderabad Conspiracy case. Sardar Khair Bux Marri and Ajmal Khattak ended up in Afghanistan. Rest of them spent four years in Jail.

Of course, this is one side of the story.

#46 by Zakkk
“Another element to the leftist movement was the Bhashani-Walis split in the 60`s?”

That was mainly because of USSR and China split in 1960. The communist party in India also split about the same time. The pro-China elements under Bhashani left to form their own NAP.

Manto

What is wrong with you - with you people are either heroes or vilians - have you ever been impressed by a human being? Why such hero worship? Why such longing for a paternistic relationship, always?

Omar 47/48/49 . . . please see Alephnull`s post 101 on your board, where he clarified that it was Romair who quoted Baker . . . I don`t know which board and behind whose back you refer to . . . yes, by all means, Veeresh the wiser/elder will do . . .

There is one thing about journalists and their sacred cows . . .

veeresh sahib -- your post #29 -- what the!!! -- i said no such thing anywhere -- jesus !

tch tch -- talking about people`s backs (which i suppose here means talking about someone on a board where they can`t respond !!! now how ethical is that veeresh saaaahib!?!

if i may call you (and to borrow your euphemism for me), veeresh the elder --

My understanding is that Wali Khan fell out with the communists in the 1970`s particularly Bizenjo..Ajmal Khattak still insists he is a leftist but his loyalty to the Walis comes first.


Another element to the leftist movement was the Bhashani-Walis split in the 60`s?

I believe that had to do with Ayubs chinese policies?

To me, it is surprising that ppl dig deep in the history to look for some `leaders` whose thinking resembles theirs. It is perhaps pathetic, if the motive is to increase the self-esteem of the self or the nation.

Now, what is going on in theis artcile and the thread, is that we recreating history to invent leaders. ``Mian Iftikharuddin`` is dead like Jinnah. They were all ineffective people for obvious reasons that we r all witnessing. What Jinnah thought of Pakistan, doesn`t matter. What ppl of Pakistan want, does. What ppl wanted before 1947 did matter, not what the leaders and demagoges did. People made the history, their laziness or their hard efforts. And they did what they did, is based on the culture and the particular environment/setup. This is how history should be read. Merely analysing some Tom dick and Harry (and what was in their tiny minds) would not lead us anywhere.

#40 by Zakkk

“people like Wali khan, Ajmal khattak and Sherbaz Mazari should be interviewed before their stories vanish from history.”

I think there is web site about Wali Khan. He wrote a book too. Sherbaz Mazari, I think has written a book too. Honestly, as far as I remember Sherbaz was stupid as hell. He was actually in conflict with his older brother Balkh Sher Mazari. His brother was PPP. Originally Sherbaz was independent assembly member and later joined NAP. He became president of a party that had leftover elements from NAP. I can’t remember the name of the Party now. He was president by default as most of the Baluch and Pakhtun leadership was in Jail.

Ajmal Khattak is a fascinating story.

Ajmal Khatak was the editor of Ghaffar Khan’s mouthpiece pushto newspaper “Shahbaz” in Peshawar.
He was reportedly a communist sympathizer but as I had heard, was never a communist party member. In 1974 when NAP was banned he left Pakistan for Afghanistan and was given political asylum.
There were stories about him during his stay in Afghanistan. He reportedly became friendly with the communist leaders of the Afghanistan after King Zahir was over thrown and leftist came into power in Kabul. Wali khan was able to secure his return to Pakistan from Gen. Zia along with Ghaffar Khan, who was also in Kabul during the communist takeover there. Ghaffar Khan did not like those leftist.

Ajmal became the first politician in Pakistan to meet Musharaf after the overthrow of Nawaz Sharif.
…And that confirmed stories about him in Kabul. The leftist in Kabul questioned his loyalty to the left.

I think he is pretty much retired now.
That’s what I know.

Yasser Sirji 37 . . .

agreed that Netaji aligned with the Nazis and Japanese, but he did not make any efforts to hide this relationship, and if you go through Peter Ward May`s book on the INA, he made it clear that the alignment was for a specific purpose too. With the Baker interview, I wonder if Ms. Sarwari informed the reader as well as others about Shri Baker`s rather ill-disguised background? SO I would not use the Netaji/Baker co-relation, I think.

I do agree with the enemy of the enemy bit, but for credible and true media, as I have been explaining to Shri Omar Quraishi the Young too, more than one aspect of any mind bending have to be presented to the potential ``client``. Otherwise it becomes ``propaganda``. I would be grateful if Ms. Sarwari or you could explain this to people who choose to quote her interview with the Rev Baker as ``gospel``.

rgds/Veeresh

#41

pray tell how did india become baaghiraja`s country??? is that kind of how saudi arabia has become yours?!

by baaghiraja on May 4, 2004 12:06pm PT
~My Country right or wrong,
If right will continue to make right
If wrong will make right ~

TWO WRONGS in my view. It should have been:
My country, Right is wrong. Period.

---

I totally agree - your country ( India ), wrong. Period

YLH/Mantolives:

A few questions ..when did Mian Iftikhar die? Where was he originally from and what work did he do in the area he was from? is his family still in politics?

Was Iftikhar ever a member of NAP?

A book on Pakistans left and centre of left parties s something that is the need of the time, people like Wali khan, Ajmal khattak and Sherbaz Mazari should be interviewed before their stories vanish from history.

~My Country right or wrong,
If right will continue to make right
If wrong will make right ~

TWO WRONGS in my view. It should have been:
My country, Right is wrong. Period.

My dear Veeresh 29,

``he claims that your significant halff endorses the neo-Nazi Baker`s views on Kashmir?``

I am not too sure about Aisha`s endorsement of any Neo nazi... but it is true, it is not any more so than the Neta ji was allied with the Nazis (i.e. the enemy of thy enemy is thy friend)... Ms. Sarwari (she is keeping her Maiden name) does not like interacting on this site for precisely these reasons... too much word twisting.

#36 by Mantolives

“I think you are confusing the NAP with the Pakistan National Party...”

No! I am not. Nataional Awami Party was NAP. Pakistan National Party came into existence for a very short period.

About Ayesha Jalal ‘s book.

Alama Mushriqi was a Pagal and Jinnah was right about him. Ahrar was a party of Maulana Hasrat Mohani and he was another nutcase.

Ayesha Jalal never met any communist while researching for her book. She did not even meet Mazhar Ali Khan, who I think, was still alive when her book came out. I can be wrong here but “Viewpoint” was still in circulation then. Then the Communist saga was so well hidden in Pakistan right after partition that she may not have given it much thought. Not every history book is a final word on some historical events.

About Mian Iftikhar and Jinnah. What I had tried to suggest here that even though Mian Iftikhar was not a communist himself, he was a great communist sympathizer and often helped the communists. The meeting that you referred to, may have taken place on behalf of the communist party itself as by that time communist party of India was already supporting the Pakistan demand. The date CPI actually passed the resolution would be of no interest now. But I think I have the time period right.

I am writing most of it from my memory of reading books and meeting people in Pakistan more than twenty-two years ago. I don’t expect myself to remember all the dates correctly.

I hope some day you will write about Mazhar Ali Khan too.

HP...

I think you are confusing the NAP with the Pakistan National Party...

The rest of the info is correct.

Jay,

What blighted stars are you talking about?



HP,


In one of the footnotes in Ayesha Jalal`s famous book I found this information... Jinnah rejected the overtures of three groups to join up with the league in the struggle for Pakistan (whatever that meant)....

The first group was the Ahrars... Ironically they had been officially the part of the Congress Party since November 1940.... They told Jinnah that they would support Pakistan if it was based on Islamic principles .... Jinnah rejected them. The Ahrar then reaffirmed its ties with the Congress and declared Jinnah to be the Kafir-e-Azam. I think this episode is full of irony.

The second group was the Khaksars ... Led by Inayatullah Mashriqi this was a pro-Nazi group as its leader the self styled Allama Mashriqi had met Hitler in 1929. This same group tried to assassinate Jinnah in 1943. Jinnah rejected the Khaksars because he was personally averse to Mashriqi, and also because Mashriqi kept issuing statements and ultimatums to him to come to terms with Gandhi. Another Irony.


The third group was that of the Communists. Their help was rejected... no reason is given.

(Source: Page 91 footnotes 33, 34.... The sole spokesman)



In any event ... Mian Iftikharuddin came over to the League side around 1945 after meeting Jinnah at Simla. According to him, Jinnah`s arguments were most reasonable and convincing... and according to Iftikharuddin all arguments were political and economic and none were religious. What Jinnah might have said only Iftikharuddin knows, but whatever he said on that fateful day in Simla convinced Iftikhar of his cause. I am ready to admit however that Pakistan as it came into being on 15th August 1947 was not what Iftikhar was after... as we also know very clearly that this wasn`t what Jinnah was after either.


Politics has many different permutations...

-YLH

Wajahat,


I am presenting my point of view.


While Shahabnama is an interesting read.... but Shahab is obviously lying in the book. Some people actually quote his book as some sort of history... it really was the mixture of delusion and fantasy.

“Iftikharuddin was the only Muslim MP to speak out against it. Later he jumped off the League ship, and formed his ‘Azad Pakistan Party’ committed to liberal secularism in the country.”

A little note about the Azad Pakistan party-

This was the first political party of the former congress supporters in Pakistan. The left wing of this party was the communist party itself. The Communist Party of Pakistan was a quasi-legal party in Pakistan until I believe 1990. It operated under many covers. Later on Azad Pakistan party was merged with the left, liberal and congress followers parties in the East Pakistan to form the National Awami party. The National Awami Party or NAP as it was popularly known then, again consisted of communists from both wings of Pakistan plus former congress political workers. National Awami Party took lot of pounding from the army in 1971. Gen.Yahya Khan banned the party for opposing the Army action in East Pakistan. About 70% of the communists in west Pakistan were sent to jail in 1971.

In 1974, the National Awami Party was again banned By the Zulfiqar Bhutto and the Army for opposing the Army action, in Baluchistan. Most of the Baluch leaders were arrested along with Wali Khan and several Communists in another conspiracy case that was called “Hyderabad Conspiracy case”.

The Pakhtun section of the former National Awami Party is now in the Awami National Party(ANP) headed by Wali Khan’s son Asfandyar wali.

The history of Pakistan’s left is not well known but they are still fighting it out with the army in Pakistan.

YLH

I have a slight problem with your otherwise apt article. You tend to generically bemoan and admonish certain historic events and personalities without giving a proper explanation for your bandishments. It leaves those who have absolutely no idea about that particular issue or person confused as to the nature of the fallacy. I do beleive that you journalistic style therefore resonates the very biased tabloid style of writing rather than objective investigative style that should be adopted specially when reffering to or writing about history. (This is in reference to your castration of QA Shahab)

YLH,

You have once again dived deep into the cesspool of TNT geneology and come up with fossilised crap and is trying to palm it off as gem. It is people like you ho sustain the myths of TNT.
Time to accept the reality, it is because of TNT that pakistanis had to abandon all of their social history and create a new one based on the book. That is why the hoodood came to existance. That is why the jihadis are ruling the streets of karachi. That is why the arejun trees are being cut down and replaced by date palms.
Time to get out of the cess poll, look at the sky and see the stars.

#28 by fuzair

Thanks fuzair. You saved me the trouble.

That exactly was Communist Part’s contention that they never supported General Akber and there was no conspiracy. Though, Poshni did suggest that there was something going on within the army. The whole thing was a major set back to the left in Pakistan.

Hello Yasser . . . sorry for the deviation . . . but on Omar Quraishi`s board on Bollywood, he claims that your significant halff endorses the neo-Nazi Baker`s views on Kashmir? Is that right, just want to know?

rgds/Veeresh

manto...
qurratulain hyder is dead? that is news to me. she was hounded out of pakistan during ayub era after completing her magnum opus..`aag ka darya` whose central character was named gautam nilamber which caused a flutter amongst the keepers of the faith. altaf gauhar and qudratullah shahab were also partly responsible for her second migration. she went off to london in early sixtys and approached indian government through their british high commissioner, used her influence in the government circles in delhi and was granted indian nationality. i have not heard of nehru`s involvement in this case, however, nehru did his utmost to stop josh malihabadi from migrating.

Here is an interesting account of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case, apparently by one of the conspirators himself!

http://dawn.com/report/islamabad/north13.htm

optimum:

...the boss yells at the husband...who barks at the eldest child...down to the dog barking at the cat....

...the feudals cornering the legislature...and ultimately…the tanks and planes supporting them and other usurpers...

...in short for any meaningful and far reaching reforms the occupying army has to be tackled...

:)

rgds

t

Dost Mittar:

I agree. It is not this actual feeling of superiority. It is more a feeling of being rather inward looking. I also observed this in undergrad when a Canadian friend accused us Indians of being snobs.

I was taken aback since we were all middle class kids with some sort of aid. Hardly rich people to look down upon others. But then I understood when he pointed out that few Iindians made the effort of making conversation with non Indians. We had our own sports, songs, movies, popular culture and were simply too self absorbed to care much beyind the comfort zone about the American culture around us.

HP,

Jam Saqi another Communist party Gen. Sec is still alive and lives in Hyderabad Sindh<<

I guess he was the one long incarcereted during Zia era. When he came out of jail, we, in communist party`s students wing, sincerely thought he would lead the progressive movement in late 80s. The drunken b@stard married a very young girl, and then joined tableeghi jamaat !

Manto sahib,
You might be right about what made qurat-ul-ain hyder leave pakistan but I don`t know from where you got the news of her death. She is alhamdulillah alive and living in india but is not doing too well due to health related reasons.

Regards,
Aasif

Ferozk,

Rawalpind Conspiracy case was no coup d` etat. It was lie like many others by Pakistan establishment. It was an attack by the Pak Army and Bureaucracy against the liberals and leftwing in Pakistan.
Please bear with me. I will hopefully write about it this evening.

Yasser,
My sources are some high level people in the Pakistan left movement. Including Faiz and Mazhar Ali Khan (Tariq Ali’s Father). If you know Mrs. Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan (I hope she is still alive) and can get in touch with her you will hear some stories. You can argue with communists in Pakistan but they were not liars and opportunists.
I have these stories corroborated by many other sources too including Imam Ali Nazish the last Communist Party Gen. Sec. In Pakistan, Sobho Gianchandani, another Communist party organizer alongwith Sajjad Zaheer in 1949 is alive. He lives in Larkana(must be really old though). Sobho was not part of the pindi conspiracy but he spent 5 years(approx) in jail about the same time.

Jam Saqi another Communist party Gen. Sec is still alive and lives in Hyderabad Sindh. Dr. Mubashir Hassan and His Wife Dr. Zeenat Hassan may have some info on this.

Manto:
``It comes down to basically you pakis don`t hold a candle to us Indians right...``

..no, it just means that we are too self-absorbed.:)

ps: there is a typo in the last line of the last paragraph before the saying....

it should read `Mian Iftikharuddin resisted all such attempts` and not `attempted all such attempts`

Noor...

Quratulain died a few years ago in New Dehli...

YLH/Manto,

Pakistan has a singular history about disclaiming / forgetting their own. Where they cannot, they whine.

You are in fact very rare. Liked this one because of that..

I very openly dislike state of Pakistan. Not Islam or Pakistanies. I only hope likes of you and youngsters amongst Indians will finally do something about it.

I am very, very hopeful about Indians part. Not so much about...

Keep it up as long as you can. And please..please do not get riled up very easily. Every one knows your push buttons. Hope your marriage has some calming influence on you.

BTW. Only your ``Better`` half gets the belated regards and best wishes. I hope you mind :). Yes. I do know the name, if at all that matters, to the ``Better`` :).

Yogiraj

So uncle Dost mittar jee... It comes down to basically you pakis don`t hold a candle to us Indians right...


Little known facts of history are often the most interesting and myth shattering.

Dear Yasser:
One can always count on you to throw light on some little-known facts of history. I will leave the Pakistani part to others, but the following is my speculation on why he is not well remembered in India:
-India had numerous giants, even muslims, involved in the freedom movement; muslims like Azad, Asaf Ali, Ajmal Khan, Bacha Khan, Kidwai and others; even Panjabis like General Shahnawaz Khan. There was no reason to remember someone who betrayed the cause.
-As far as the creation of Pakistan is concerned, the only `villain` in the Indian eyes is the `sole spokesperson` and his typewriter. Nobody there has heard of even Chaudhry Rehmatullah. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan is remembered in India not as the original founder of the two nation theory but a great Indian visionary reformer. Iqbal too is admired greatly for his poetry and philosophy and above all his tarana-e-hind which has the status of a semi-official national anthem in India; his role in the creation of Pakistan is relatively unknown.
-The only group for whom he might be considered important are the communists. But they are, for obvious reasons, keen to forget and make people forget about their support for the Pakistan movement. They have been very successful in this, too.


``Always a fair man, Iftikharuddin called the Indian constitution prepared by Dr. B R Ambedkar a far more Islamic document than the constitution under deliberation in the Pakistan constituent assembly``
Here is something for those who say that Pakistan`s problems started with Zia. It is quite clear that even a communist like Iftikharuddin had to put an ``islamic`` label to show his admiration for a secular document in the early `50s. And as you know from reading the secular columnists in english language newspaper, the tradition continues.....

HP,

I don`t know about your source of information on Mian Iftikharuddin but my paternal grandfather Mian Abdul Hakim Sahab was a very close friend of Mian Iftikharuddin. Mian Iftikharuddin was enamoured by Jinnah`s personality and his vision for Pakistan. It was this vision he chose to follow. The late Mian iftikharuddin spent many an afternoon in my father`s ancestral home.... Mian Iftikharuddin was also the father in law of Yusuf Sallahuddin, the grandson of Allama Iqbal.. Mian Iftikharuddin was a patriot of Pakistan... and an intense Jinnah admirer. That much is clear... 6 months before Pakistan was created, when by no means Pakistan was a reality, Iftikharuddin had the vision and the foresight of starting up the Pakistan Times, sanctioned by Jinnah himself. Mian Iftikharuddin was like Jinnah after something totally different... the fact that he was no believer in the TNT proves the Ayesha Jalal thesis even further.


You are right however on two counts... there was a deliberate attempt by Jinnah to find more ex-congressmen (as he himself was one) and liberals willing to rally around his cause. This was to create the balance that you talk about..


Secondly... you are right. Quratulain was one of the earliest migrants to Pakistan, and was immediately hired in the information ministry. She really wanted to serve this new nation state, and stayed as long as she could... but in the end she was just heart broken especially with the draconian Ayub Regime... she didn`t want to go, she was pushed away.



-YLH

Stuka...


Congress, League etc were not parties... they were movements... and all movements have left right and center.


Khamkhwa,

Please elaborate...

Quratulain Hyder as far as I am aware was personally asked by Nehru to come back to India.

and i always misspell her name. it is qurratulain and not qurratalain, just as nooralain should be noorulain :)

re: Stuka # 1

Rawalpindi Conspiracy was a failed coup d` etat by a group of Pakistan Army officers in 1951.

The reason behind the conspiracy was to remove the government of Liaquat Ali Khan for its luke warm support during the Kashmir crisis of 1947-48. The coup failed, because one of the plotters was a police officer and a friend of General Akbar Khan (I think that is the correct name) and he got cold feet and informed his IG, who called the NWFP government.

In the memoirs of General Ingalls, who was the first commandant of the Pakistan Military Academy, this conspiracy is also mentioned. According to Ingalls, a group of army officers came to see him and asked him to support the coup, but Ingalls not only refused, he informed Liaquat Ali Khan, when the prime minister came to Kakul and was having scotch with Ingalls.

Most of the coup plotters were given sentences ranging upto 15 years and they were tried by civilian judges. Most of the failed coup makers are dead, except for one person, who is nearing his eighties.

Hope this helps.

Ciao

stuka,

egads ji! you are not knowing of ms. hyder? Qurratalain Hyder is a writer, and quite a good one at that, who lives in India now, i believe? one of her best-known novels is called, `aag ka darya` which is also translated into english and is excellent. do read it if you ever get a chance!

http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?531#bio

http://www.wwnorton.com/nd/FALL99/HyderRIVER.htm

hope this helps!

Who is Quratalin Hyder? Damn, what a tongue twister of a name!!

Iftikharuddin seems to exemplify the fact he who strikes a deal with the devil ends up being the loser.

But for the fact Pakistan needs a figurehead to rally around, Jinnah would have met the same fate.

Remember the Mensheviks in Russia whom the Bolsheviks used and then successfully liquidated?

That is the fate of all those who choose to ally themselves with men without principles.

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Thanks for enlightening us. However, both you and HP need to write a lot more on Mian Ifthikar.
That Zaheer and Quarat were both Pakistanis once is indeed revealing.
Cheerios

Here is one from Omar Qureishi`
http://www.pakistanlink.com/Letters/2002/May/24/04.html

...Quratulain Hyder and Nehru..? are you talking about the author of `Meray bhi sanam khanay` and `Aag ka Darya`, the daughter of Syed Sajjad Hyder Yeldrim...you got your facts wrong as for as she is concerned....

Good piece Yasser. Should have elaborated more. Much more.

I think the rejection of Iftikharuddin`s proposal for large scale land reforms and redistribution of vacated lands to refugees in Punjab was the first instance of the split between a stand-out individual like Iftikharuddin and the parasite called the Muslim League. Iftikharuddin resigned from his post as minister as a result of refusal of his proposal.

Though one should be aware of any one ideology, it is quite obvious that those on the right-wing will team up and act in unison to prevent the status quo from being altered. The military in alliance with the bureaucracy (lead by the the parasites Ghulam Muhammad, Mirza, and Ayub Khan), the feudal lords and the Islamic parties are all an alliance willing to deprive, undercut and betray the idealism of someone like Iftikharuddin.

Good point Stuka,
First let me appreciate Yasser for writing about a person who tried his best to make Pakistan a country of forward looking people. Mian Iftikhar was a great man and an idealists.

I believe Yasser himself is not probably aware of complete background of Mian Iftikhar’s switch. History in Pakistan is the most distorted subject. I was thinking of writing about this in detail, after I read this article. I felt that the factors that led to Mian Iftikhar’s switch from Congress to Muslim League, will have be written to complete this story. I will go in details later as I get some time but here it is in a quick note.

Mian Iftikhar till his death was a congress supporter. He never believed in the TNT nor did he believe in Muslim League twist of political realities of India before partition.

Mian Iftikahr actually was a left sympathizer in the congress and very close to Nehru. That was the only part Yasser got right. Around 1946, when it became apparent that India would be divided into two countries, Communist Party of India decided to support the Pakistan demand. All left leaning Muslims and communist sympathizers that lived in Punjab switched parties and many joined Muslim League on Communist party’s insistence. Mian Iftikhar was one of them. He became a minister in the Pakistan cabinet based on a deal that communist’s and former congress people struck with Jinnah. It seems to me that at that time Jinnah was looking to balance the rightwing in the Muslim league. Jinnah failed and so did many former congress members but that story some other time.

Mian Iftikhar was never a newspaperman. He started those papers on communist Party of India’s insistence as the CPI wanted to provide some cover to the leftwing in Pakistan. CPI in fact sent Sajjad Zaheer to Pakistan to establish Communist Party in Pakistan. Sajjad Zaheer was arrested in Pindi conspiracy case. Zaheer later went back to India and Nehru allowed his citizenship back. Sajjad Zaheer’s daughter married Indian movie actor Raj Babber.

Yasser! You are wrong about Qurat ulain Haider. She wanted to remain in Pakistan. After she wrote two books in Pakistan and was roundly maligned by the rightwing in Pakistan, She herself approached Nehru to get her Indian citizenship back. Nehru was gracious enough to do that for her. Otherwise, she would have met the humiliation that Josh Malihabadi suffered in the late age of his life or Faiz Ahmed Faiz suffered thru all the years of exile.

I will write a little bit later about the Pindi conspiracy case.

was the rawalpindi conspiracy the one that involved faiz ahmad faiz and some other members of the army? or am i thinking of something else? they were implicated in allegedly planning an overthrow, and were put in prison?

perhaps the rawalpindi conspiracy refers to something else. i will look it up. : )

Yasser, it would help to provide some more depth to the article if you want non Pakistanis to appreciate it. I have no idea what the Rawalpindi conspiracy or its significance is. Also, some more details on why the disillusionment with the Congress occured, why a leftist would join a party that was more rightwing then Congress etc would be illuminating.