Hats off to Mian Sahib

For saying ‘No’ to the US President

I never thought I’d live to see the day when I’d have a word of praise for any ruler of Pakistan. But, here it goes: hats off to Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif for turning down President Obama’s offer to meet him for 10 minutes during his recent visit to New York to attend the United Nations’ annual General Assembly meeting. You have made the nation proud by being the first Pakistani head of government to gather the courage of saying no to a US president.

Somebody had put a picture on Facebook of a frightened Obama looking at the beaming Sharif. As they say, a picture says a thousand words, and that one truly did. The prime minister also took proved many a cynic wrong when they were pretty sure that his speech at the UN would not include any reference to the Kashmir dispute or the drone strikes. He dealt adequately with both the issues.

Even otherwise, he is a changed man since assuming the office of prime minister for the record third time. In a word, one sees him as a hands-on chief executive. I can say through a personal experience of some two decades ago that he was not fully in charge of his government for the first time round.

It was in November 1992 that Benazir Bhutto announced the launch of a long march to Islamabad to topple the Nawaz Sharif government. I then worked as executive editor at the dear departed The Muslim. I well recall how the government had panicked. The capital was under siege of the police and the Rangers.

One evening, as I drove towards home along the Jinnah Avenue, my car was suddenly stopped by a truckload of cops who did as much damage to the vehicle as they could by pounding their batons, dragged me out, beat me well and proper, threw me in the truck and took me to the Kohsar Police Station.

I was taken to what appeared to the Station House Officer’s room. A senior police officer was already sitting there. I asked him if the police knew who I was, he said yes. After staring at me for some time, he walked out and an armed police constable came in to stand by the door.

I’d cut the story short to state that I was released from unlawful police custody by early morning when a large number of journalists reached there. No case had been registered against me. The reason for targeting me, apparently, was not just what I wrote in the newspaper but to convey a message to the rest of the journalist community in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. For, mine was quite a senior position.

Anyway, when I turned up at the office later that day, my colleagues were all in rage. Joined by other journalists from Rawalpindi and Islamabad, we took out a procession and walked up to the parliament where the Senate was in session. The leader of opposition in the Senate, Farooq Leghari, came out and gave the routine speech denouncing the government.

The journalists kept on protesting and demanding action against the police for many days, but the government would not move. One day, Mushahid Hussain Syed called to inform me that a journalists’ defence committee had been formed that included himself, Naseem Zehra and the late Ghani Aarabi, and that I was to accompany them to meet the prime minister.

After some hesitation, I agreed. When we met Nawaz Sharif, I being the aggrieved party, was seated next to the prime minister. Mushahid narrated my story. After listening to him, the prime minister gave me a shock by turning to me to ask the question, as to who I thought was responsible for the incident.

I found myself at a loss for an answer. It was my turn to take the prime minister by surprise. I simply looked at him and said that he was the prime minister and he was asking me as to who in his government was responsible for the police action against me! Considering that I was pulling a fast one at him, he ducked the question and asked around what should be done.

Somebody, the prime minister’s press secretary Anwar Mehmood I think, suggested that an enquiry committee be formed. So, the committee was formed and that was the end of the matter, except that I was eventually forced to resign from my job at The Muslim.

It was later, after the government had been dismissed that I came to know from a well connected friend that Mian Sahib actually did not know who was behind the incident as that was the doing of Brig Imtiaz who then headed the Intelligence Bureau.

Years passed by till my father left this world in 1999. Chaudhary Nisar, then special assistant to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif again, came to our place for condolence. Incidentally, his native village, Chakri, is not far from mine, Pindor. As he was leaving, he asked me why I had stopped writing for newspapers. Half seriously, I said he would get me thrashed again if I wrote anything.

He laughed out and assumed me that it would not happen again. So, Chaudhary Sahib, I hope you would stand by your word now that I have resumed my newspaper writing after a gap of nearly six years.

But seriously, keep it up Mian Sahib. Thanks for getting rid of that look from your face which, as I had noted in these columns some time back, seemed to be asking as to who had pushed you in the turbulent waters of our homeland. Your task is no doubt daunting, but given the commitment that you and your team clearly have, I am confident you can see us through.

Just one polite reminder in conclusion: Iran is too important a neighbour to be ignored. It does not take a great strategist to fathom that we do need to have at least one friendly country around Pakistan.

The writer is a senior journalist and analyst whose latest book on Iran’s nuclear programme, ‘Iran and the Bomb: Nuclear Club Busted’ has recently been published. He can be reached at [email protected]