The expression “More loyal than the king” comes in handy, now and then. In our neck of the woods, the equivalent Urdu expression is “Shah se zyada Shah ka wafaadar.”
Conveys the exact same meaning, but since it happens to be a literal translation, one thinks it is just that. A plain translation of the English expression.
Another local expression, the origins of which I know nothing about, has the same feeling, except with far greater bite.
Daig se zyada chamcha garam.
I would have attempted to translate it but there would be too much lost in translation. You know your Urdu, dear reader, so why bother?
One thought of that in the aftermath of the controversy of the late Abdus Sattar Edhi’s interview, where he had accused General Hameed Gul and Imran Khan of trying to use him to dislodge Benazir Bhutto’s government. And then threatened to have him picked up when he refused to have any part in it, leading him to flee the country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBUHHRoWw3M
Now this is an older video. But, given Imran Khan’s teflon coating, no hue and cry over it back then. Yes, Imran Khan was asked about it once or twice, and Imran Khan did give a weak-as-water clarification. There was a big drama about this; Edhi Saheb misunderstood me, Khan is heard saying in the video below (online readers can see the video below) and that I only wanted for him to help pressure the government into spending more on health and education.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2x3rve
With the passing away of Edhi, there has been a flurry of emotions in the national psyche. Though he was venerated during his lifetime as well, in his death there was a pathos borne out of an indefinable feeling that we could have somehow done more for him and his mission. The media gave the great man and his life blanket coverage. It was during this emotional maelstrom that the Edhi video resurfaced and questions started being asked again.
Now the legion of the PTI’s online followers and some in the mainstream media, have been falling over themselves in order to prove that it was actually former Baluchistan Governor, Lt Gen Imranullah Khan that Edhi was referring to. The PTI’s official clarification is a simple denial, however.
Despite the PTI chief’s clarification, of sorts, his followers are clinging on to his narrative. Some are even heard saying that Edhi should have been more clear.
This would be like an ANP supporter furiously denying that her party had opposed the creation of Pakistan, while the party’s actual office holders are proud of their Congress heritage.