STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
I am a veteran of student politics. In 1970 elections Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto won by a land slide in West Pakistan. He demolished all opposition parties. The majority party, Awami League that won more seats than PPP was denied power by General Yahya Khan. It led to mass resistance by East Pakistanis. The military dictator’s response was to crush the opposition through brute force. It led to military action based on false assumptions that Bengalis are not a martial race and would soon buckle under. Bhutto went along because he realized it was his chance to get into power, Pakistan be damned. Bengali resistance, backed with Indian support, ended in defeat; culminating in humiliating army surrender.
Pakistan was truncated and traumatized. General Yahya and his crony generals messed up in their ill planned efforts to enforce their will through the barrel of the gun. It led to ascent of Bhutto into power in what remained of Pakistan. ZAB was raised in nursery of military dictatorship of Ayub Khan. After brief flirtation with democracy pushing his socialist agenda that enamored the disenfranchised majority of West Pakistanis, Bhutto reverted to his comfort zone of dictatorial rule. His political opponents were demoralized and diminished, therefore unable to offer much resistance.
In the meantime Pakistani youth were enamored by the global movement of “Youth Power” showcased throughresistance to Vietnam war. Punjab University was the largest hub of student activism. Resistance to authority is in the DNA of youngsters driven by idealism and freedom. I was the outgoing President of PU students’ union. During my tenure we were able to organize Punjab-wide student unions onto a formidable platform. The first election under PPP regime were in Punjab University. Javed Hashmi, my General Secretary, was IJT’s Presidential candidate. Me and my entire group went flat out in Hashmi’s support. It was a test case for the young, aggressive Mustapha Khar, Bhutto’s protégé in Punjab. It was a clash of “power center” and “students’ street power”. We faced police coercion and PPP’s goons attempting to steal the elections.
We resisted all forms of authoritarian brutality, including multiple police cases ranging from treason to murder. Ultimately, our street power prevailed and Hashmi was declared President of Punjab University. During these trying times I met Nawabzada Nasrullah, a democracy icon, with late Rana Nazar Ur Rehman. When confronted with such insurmountable odds one needs reinforcement every so often. Puffing on his “hukka”, a hubbly bubbly, his words of wisdom have served me well all my life. “Puttar,breaching a well–built wall sheltering the power structure progresses one stroke at a time. If you don’t have the stamina or determination, don’t embark on that journey.” It took seven years of devoted struggle by Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Javed Hashmi, Liaqat Baluch, Farid Piracha, Ehsan Ullah Waqas, Tariq Chaudhry and many other valiant leaders and activists to remove Bhutto.
Bhutto had an edge; his support base among the masses remained intact despite General Zia’s weaning away all the PPP leaders. His daughter Benazir stepped into his shoes with popular support and was able to carry the mantle forward. Unfortunately, none of these tools are available to the present lot; installed through theft of a popular mandate on Feb 8th by General Asim and his cronies. Nawaz Sharif, once a popular leader, has lost his bearings. His greed for wealth through corruption stands exposed. His lack of courage to stand up for his beliefs and his submissive compromises to keep his family in power has driven away his support base. Sharifs are now legless, surviving as “chamchas” of Generals. They are a hated lot; terrified of appearing in public.
Their arch nemeses at one stage, Zardari is now their closest ally. Equally corrupt, he has squandered Bhutto’sgoodwill, grooming his son, Bilawal, in his own mode. They all survive as touts of power center in GHQ, Rawalpindi under General Asim Munir. Pakistan has seen a litany of army dictators who usurped power when the nation was receptive to their intervention against vastly unpopular regimes. They deployed their military might judiciously to consolidate their rule and weasel their way to legitimacy.
This time around General Asim does not enjoy any of those luxuries. His predecessor, Bajwa ousted IK whose popularity has snowballed with every passing day. Army has lost its sheen and has never been so despised. Asim’s power center revolves around his ability to deploy force to overcome all hurdles. He has earned two distinctions. He is wickedly ruthless and a vicious plotter. He has beaten prior dictators in brutality destroying sanctity of homes and demonizing women and children. His first false flag operation of May 9th bombed. Now he has commenced his 2nd one through Faiz Hamid’s arrest to push him to entrap IK.
Asim’s shenanigans have survived through CJ Kazi and ECP. All their encirclement of past 28 months can be blown away as tempo of street power begins to build up. PM Shahbaz is toothless and CM Maryam is a laughing stock as a Tik Tok wannabe. Historically changes in subcontinent have come from the North. It is happening again from KP. The positive development on 13/14thAugust was the response to IK’s call in Punjab, Sind and Baluchistan. Masses are shedding their fear and coming out. Its time for the youth to take the lead as we did in ‘70sand become the real heroes of Pakistan’s liberation from the clutches of power–hungry Generals.
