Category: Articles

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan The Chaudhries of Gujrat have been prominent in politics for three generations. I have known all three of them. Their patriarch was Chaudhry Zahur Ellahi emerging onto the national scene from rural Gujrat during Ayub Khan’s regime. He was a close associate of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in the National Assembly…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I have vivid memories of PTI’s founding event at Holiday Inn, Lahore in April 1996. My late friend Ahsan Rashid, Mehmood Awan, and I drove to the venue ahead of IK to get a feel and flavor of the attendees. The hall was abuzz with anticipation. Mazhar Sahi, a former…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan There are many versions regarding the final words of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto before he was led to the gallows. There is one, favored by his supporters. It narrates that as the noose was tightened, Bhutto was in a defiant mood andtold the highly nervous executioner, “finish it”. Then there are…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan One of my favorite pastimes on our farm was to have “poona,” an indigenous variety of sugarcane, harvested and have it squeezed for fresh “roh”, sugarcane juice. After sunset in autumn evenings we would sit under a banyan tree near a “karaha” an oval wide utensil heated by firewood, to…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan It was early days of PTI and Chairman Imran Khan gave me the responsibility of organizing the Party. Mairaj Mohammad Khan, a political icon, at one time designated successor of Bhutto, was PTI’s General Secretary. Since he was based in Karachi, he was unable to spend time in Islamabad. Hence…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Nearly a hundred years ago in 1920 USA amended their Constitution prohibiting production, imports, transportation and sale of Alcohol nationwide. It was a radical change that was in the making since the 19th century led by fundamentalist Protestants seeking to rid the society of itsmoral ills. It was called “Volstead…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I was in my library prepping for a long–distance call when the ground under feet started to move. It did not register right away; however as tremors continued I called my wife and staff to step outside; by then it was all over. The duration was a little over a…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan “Chuj tey bolday sun hun chananee we boldi aiy.” In the days gone by, wheat and chaff were separated manually using a hand held device called “Chuj”. It was used mostly by women sitting in groups. It was scene worth watching; “chuj” emitting a rhythmic sound. It was a part…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan I have shared this anecdote previously; however events of 8th March gave it a new meaning. In 1997 we were organizing PTI and holding corner meetings for Chairman Imran Khan to mobilize support for the forthcoming elections. One such meeting was held in Kahna, a suburban town near Lahore. I…

STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan Pakistan has only one national anthem, however on occasions a particular song sinks into the psyche of the nation and takes on proportions larger than the anthem. During 1965 war Madam Nur Jehan’s rendering “meray dhol sipahia tano rab diya rakhan” was a tonic that galvanized the nation. It captured…