Islamic Society 30 Apr 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
Hamid Gul, Uzma Gul, Varan Bus Service and the Transport Jihad

How honest is General Hamid Gul, the saviour of Pakistan, the guardian of jihadis and the Taliban?

Uzma Gul, the daughter of former ISI chief General Hamid Gul, runs a transport company called Varan Bus Service in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and has, through her strong connections with the establishment, got monopoly in bus services in some areas in violation of the Constitution of Pakistan. 10 or 11 army generals are the shareholders in her company. She started the Varan Tours with millions of rupees loaned to her and her husband by the Askari bank and now she has a fleet of buses running from Rawalpindi to Taxila. Varan Bus Service is owned by the daughter of the former ISI chief, General Hameed Gul, now the most right wing spokesman of Islamic fundamentalists of Pakistan. His politics of course started after he had secured the financial and economic interests and for his family, using his General’s uniform as the password.

Apart from her transport business, she runs her export and import business of pharmaceuticals, wool and beverages.

Her company is so powerful that event the traffic is afraid of challenging its operators over traffic law violations. The buses run by her had killed 17 people in the past four years. Once she was also arrested and put behind bars by military police but her powerful father got her out.

Uzma Gul and her father Hamid Gul do not leave any opportunity to acquire land or business opportunity. According to Daily Pakistan, although the daughter of the ex-ISI chief Hameed Gul claimed that he had only two squares of land, the paper referred to an investigative report which gave proof that he had acquired 15 squares of land along the Indian border at a time when he was serving as a major. He ousted a number of farmers from their land who then moved the High Court. When the court decided the matter in his favour by the year 1986 he had become corps commander and was well on his way to becoming the ISI chief and many plaintiffs had begun to stand down.

Other headlines:

PPPP warns against Varan ‘monopoly’

They accused the government of pushing hundreds of poor transporters to starvation

Hameed Gul's daughter speaks out!

Uzma Gul the transporter

Hameed Gul's acquired land

Hamid Gul, Uzma Gul, Varan Bus Service and the Transport Jihad

How honest is General Hamid Gul, the saviour of Pakistan, the guardian of jihadis and the Taliban?

Varan Bus Service was established with millions of rupees loaned to the daughter and son-in-law of a former ISI chief, General Hameed Gul, now the most right wing spokesman of Islamic fundamentalists of Pakistan. His politics of course started after he had secured the financial and economic interests and for his family, using his General’s uniform as the password.

Here is the story which tells numerous tales of how the Generals would not let any business opportunity slip by. Despite the ideological rhetoric and slogan mongering, facts in this story will shake up readers:

"Situated in and around the federal capital, the Rawalpindi/Islamabad district is politically critical because of its proximity to the heart of all government operations. Last summer the CMKP began to reorganize its wing in the area, placing special emphasis on attracting working class youth to the party ranks.

Among other issues, cadres began efforts to develop political consciousness in workers in the Varan city bus service. These efforts have resulted in increased police surveillance and repression of the party and its supporters. This is how the struggle of CMKP started in the district of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Varan city bus service is a private company that provides urban bus transport in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The company is headed by politically powerful shareholders who enjoy very strong connections with the establishment. Its owner, Uzma Gul, is the daughter of the former Director General of the ISI (Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence Agency), Hameed Gul, who some people might remember as the man who headed the anti-communist campaign in Afghanistan, and as a major patron of all right-wing groups in Pakistan.

In addition, 10 or 11 Army Generals are also shareholders in the company. Using its connections as leverage, Varan has acquired special concessions from the Pakistan Government. For example, it has exclusive public transport rights within the city. No other transport company is allowed to operate within city limits, giving Varan a monopoly over transport in certain areas. This company is so powerful that even the Traffic Police is afraid of challenging its operators over traffic law violations.

[Reference: The Generals' Monopoly Bus Service Faces a Rough Route in Islamabad By M T Butt]

http://www.satribune.com/archives/200502/P1_varan.htm

Source: Asia Times Online: http://forum.atimes.com/post.asp?

Uzma Gul, daughter of Lt. Gen (R) Hamid Gul, is the CEO of the renowned (or notorious?) urban bus service , Varan Tours, in the twin cities of Rawalpindi-Islamabad.

Born on 16 August 1964 in Quetta, Uzma Gul used to be a very naughty, restless and hyperactive child and the word 'tomboy' would best describe her exuberant childhood. She spent her childhood all over Pakistan due to her father's postings and had to frequently change schools. On this she says "I'm a child from everywhere and yet nowhere". She has fond memories of her childhood especially the time that she spent on her father's postings in Jhelum and Multan. Uzma Gul completed her intermediate from CB College Rawalpindi after which she immediately got married to her cousin. During her married life she completed her graduation from Punjab University.

In 1991, Uzma Gul started an intercity bus company by the name of Varan Tours from Sargodha to Rawalpindi. As time passed on she also ventured into the business of import and export, mainly pharmaceuticals, wool and beverages

Uzma Gul (in her own words) draws inspiration from Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Mahatir Mohammad, Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, and her own father.

She enjoys listening to music. Some of her favorites are K.L. Sehgal, Khurshid Begum, Fareeda Khanum, Kanan Bala and Iqbal Bano. Among the new ones, she admires Atif Aslam, Ahmed Jahanzeb and Jal.

She is a good swimmer and fond of water sports. She enjoys watching tennis. Her favourite tennis players are Rafael Nadal, Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova.

She is a pet lover and very fond of cats. She is a passionate environmentalist and has an avid interest in organic farming.

Uzma Gul is the eldest of four. She has two brothers and a sister (late). Her husband was a fighter pilot in the PAF and is now her business partner as well.

Source: http://www.pakistanileaders.com.pk/profilesdetail.php?id=630

PPPP warns against Varan ‘monopoly’

ISLAMABAD Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) threatened nationwide protests on Tuesday if the government continued to allow Varan Tour buses, a private transport company, to monopolise routes in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

PPPP parliamentarians Raja Pervez Ashraf, Zamurd Khan, Chaudhry Qamaruzza-man Kaira, Sherry Rehman, Farhatullah Babar and Enver Baig alleged at a press conference that the government was favouring the company because it was run by Uzma Gul, daughter of General (r) Hamid Gul.

They said the Constitution barred awarding monopolies to individuals. They also condemned the government for registering two cases under the anti terrorist act against Mr Khan for leading transporters in rallies against the company. They said Mr Khan was accused of burning two Varan buses, but the incident had helped the company because the buses were insured.

They accused the government of pushing hundreds of poor transporters to starvation.

“General Musharraf has taken absolute control of the country whereas Ms Gul has taken full control of transportation in the twin-cities,” said Ms Rehman. “They could not find terrorists in Wana and are now bent upon labelling elected representatives as terrorists,” said Senator Enver Baig. Mr Ashraf said the government was actually using the cases against Mr Khan to press him to switch loyalties. He said cases should instead be registered against those who had deprived transporters of their livelihood by giving benefit to the daughter of a general. Mr Khan claimed he had received several threatening telephone calls since joining the protesting transporters but vowed to continue his struggle for their cause.

Daily Times, Thursday, April 29, 2004

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_29-4-2004_pg7_26

....

Hameed Gul's daughter speaks out!

Writing in daily Pakistan magazine Tanvir Qaiser Shahid revealed that the buses run by ex-ISI chief General Hameed Gul's daughter Uzma Gul had killed 17 people in the past four years. The bus service called Varan was run on loans taken from Askari Bank. This year in January when a Varan bus killed a student, boys got out of hand and torched 10 Varan buses. Uzma Gul said after that that students should be disallowed motorbikes. According to daily Pakistan, Varan buses owned by the daughter of ex-ISI chief General Hameed Gul have caused a lot of unrest in Rawalpindi and Islamabad where they ply in great strength. After the students burnt ten buses in the wake of an accident, owner Uzma Gul got her service to strike, which led to great discomfort among the commuting citizens. SSP Rawalpindi said that he could not allow Varan to kill ten people in a year, especially as a sub-inspector Ismat Niazi that he had fired for drunkenness was now employed by Uzma as her adviser. Varan tours had 12 legal complaints (parcha) against it in Rawalpindi while Varan had 26 complaints against students.

Uzma Gul the transporter

Daily Pakistan wrote that ex-ISI chief General Hameed Gul's daughter was a brave transporter owning a fleet of buses that plied from Rawalpindi to Taxila. But she faced a lot of resistance from the administration and other vested interests in the business. Once she was also arrested and put behind bars by military police but her powerful father got her out. She began by running one bus in Sargodha in 1994. Then she became an exporter of medicines to Central Asia. Now she had a fleet in Rawalpindi but her facilities for passengers were minimal and sections set aside for women were too small. According to daily Pakistan, owner of Varan Tours, Uzma Gul got into trouble with corps commander Rawalpindi over the adda of her buses as the area belonged to the army which had acquired it. Not only was the corps commander against her and once shouted at her but DC Rawalpindi Major Ziaul Haq too began harassing her. According to the paper the area she used to park her buses was worth crores of rupees.

Hameed Gul's acquired land

According to daily Pakistan, although the daughter of the ex-ISI chief Hameed Gul claimed that he had only two squares of land, the paper referred to an investigative report which gave proof that he had acquired 15 squares of land along the Indian border at a time when he was serving as a major. He ousted a number of farmers from their land who then moved the High Court. When the court decided the matter in his favour by the year 1986 he had become corps commander and was well on his way to becoming the ISI chief and many plaintiffs had begun to stand down. The title of the investigative report was: General Hameed Gul nay sainkron aikar arazi kaisay banayi (How did General Hameed Gul acquire hundreds of acres of land). The land was in Shakargarh in three villages called Adha, Auliya and Bhopa.

Source: rantburg.com

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicSociety_1.aspx?ArticleID=2781

Islam and the West 30 Apr 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
Muslims in Denmark: Their role in growing Islamophobia

Salute the Danish Flag - Symbol of Western Freedom!

The rest of Europe saw the Scandinavians as free-thinking, progressive and infinitely generous in their welfare policies. Denmark boasted low crime rates, devotion to the environment, a superior educational system and a history of humanitarianism.  Denmark was also most generous in its immigration policies - it offered the best welcome in Europe to the new immigrant: generous welfare payments from first arrival plus additional perks in transportation, housing, and education. It was determined to set a world example for inclusiveness and multiculturalism. How could it have predicted that one day in 2005 a series of political cartoons in a newspaper would spark violence that would leave dozens dead in the streets -all because its commitment to multiculturalism would come back to bite?

By the 1990s the growing urban Muslim population was obvious - and its unwillingness to integrate into Danish society was obvious. Years of immigrants had settled into Muslim-exclusive enclaves. As the Muslim leadership became more vocal about what they considered the decadence of Denmark's liberal way of life, the Danes - once so welcoming - began to feel slighted. Many Danes had begun to see Islam as incompatible with their long-standing values: belief in personal liberty and free speech, in equality for women, in tolerance for other ethnic groups, and a deep pride in Danish heritage and history. -- Susan MacAllen

Susan MacAllen’s blog can be dismissed as one-sided and racist. It does not contain any criticism of Denmark’s right wing policies which led to ghettoization of Muslims. Nor does it criticise the policy to encourage imams so that immigrant populations from Muslim countries don’t join unions. The role of the media which antagonised Muslims by unleashing a tirade against Islam and the Muslims and encouraged Islamophobia among the local population has also not been mentioned.  But New Age Islam is nevertheless publishing it as it contains a grain of truth and may inspire some badly-needed introspection among Muslims living in Scandinavian or other European and Western countries where similar situations prevail. It is in any case important for us to know what the majority populations think about us in countries where we live as a minority -- Editor

Muslims in Denmark: Their role in growing Islamophobia

Salute the Danish Flag - Symbol of Western Freedom

By Susan MacAllen

In 1978-9, I was living and studying in Denmark. But in 1978 - even in Copenhagen - one didn't see Muslim immigrants.

The Danish population embraced visitors, celebrated the exotic, went out of its way to protect each of its citizens. It was proud of its new brand of socialist liberalism one in development since the conservatives had lost power in 1929 - a system where no worker had to struggle to survive, where one ultimately could count upon the state as in, perhaps, no other western nation at the time.

The rest of Europe saw the Scandinavians as free-thinking, progressive and infinitely generous in their welfare policies. Denmark boasted low crime rates, devotion to the environment, a superior educational system and a history of humanitarianism.

Denmark was also most generous in its immigration policies - it offered the best welcome in Europe to the new immigrant: generous welfare payments from first arrival plus additional perks in transportation, housing, and education. It was determined to set a world example for inclusiveness and multiculturalism. How could it have predicted that one day in 2005 a series of political cartoons in a newspaper would spark violence that would leave dozens dead in the streets -all because its commitment to multiculturalism would come back to bite?

By the 1990s the growing urban Muslim population was obvious - and its unwillingness to integrate into Danish society was obvious. Years of immigrants had settled into Muslim-exclusive enclaves. As the Muslim leadership became more vocal about what they considered the decadence of Denmark's liberal way of life, the Danes - once so welcoming - began to feel slighted. Many Danes had begun to see Islam as incompatible with their long-standing values: belief in personal liberty and free speech, in equality for women, in tolerance for other ethnic groups, and a deep pride in Danish heritage and history.

An article by Daniel Pipes (left below) and Lars Hedegaard, in which they forecasted accurately that the growing immigrant problem in Denmark would explode. In the article they reported:

“Muslim immigrants.constitute 5 percent of the population but consume upwards of 40 percent of the welfare spending.” “Muslims are only 4 percent of Denmark's 5.4 million people but make up a majority of the country's convicted rapists, an especially combustible issue given that practically all the female victims are non-Muslim. Similar, if lesser, disproportions are found in other crimes.

“Over time, as Muslim immigrants increase in numbers, they wish less to mix with the indigenous population. A recent survey finds that only 5 percent of young Muslim immigrants would readily marry a Dane.” “Forced marriages - promising a newborn daughter in Denmark to a male cousin in the home country, then compelling her to marry him, sometimes on pain of death - are one problem.”

Muslim leaders openly declare their goal of introducing Islamic law once Denmark's Muslim population grows large enough - a not-that-remote prospect. If present trends persist, one sociologist estimates, every third inhabitant of Denmark in 40 years will be Muslim.” It is easy to understand why a growing number of Danes would feel that Muslim immigrants show little respect for Danish values and laws.

An example is the phenomenon common to other European countries and Canada: some Muslims in Denmark who opted to leave the Muslim faith have been murdered in the name of Islam, while others hide in fear for their lives.

Jews are also threatened and harassed openly by Muslim leaders in Denmark, a country where once Christian citizens worked to smuggle out nearly all of their 7,000 Jews by night to Sweden - before the Nazis could invade. I think of my Danish friend Elsa - who as a teenager had dreaded crossing the street to the bakery every morning under the eyes of occupying Nazi soldiers - and I wonder what she would say today.

In 2001, Denmark elected the most conservative government in some 70 years - one that had some decidedly non-generous ideas about liberal unfettered immigration. Today Denmark has the strictest immigration policies in Europe. (Its effort to protect itself has been met with accusations of “racism” by liberal media across Europe - even as other governments struggle to right the social problems wrought by years of too-lax immigration.)

•        If you wish to become Danish, you must attend three years of language classes.

•        You must pass a test on Denmark's history, culture, and a Danish language test.

•        You must live in Denmark for 7 years before applying for citizenship.

•        You must demonstrate intent to work, and have a job waiting.

•        If you wish to bring a spouse into Denmark, you must both be over 24 years of age, and you won't find it so easy anymore to move your friends and family to Denmark with you.

•        You will not be allowed to build a mosque in Copenhagen.

•        Although your children have a choice of some 30 Arabic culture and language schools in Denmark, they will be strongly encouraged to assimilate to Danish society in ways that past immigrants weren't.

In 2006, the Danish minister for employment, Claus Hjort Frederiksen, spoke publicly of the burden of Muslim immigrants on the Danish welfare system, and it was horrifying: the government's welfare committee had calculated that if immigration from Third World countries were blocked, 75 percent of the cuts needed to sustain the huge welfare system in coming decades would be unnecessary.

In other words, the welfare system as it existed was being exploited by immigrants to the point of eventually bankrupting the government. “We are simply forced to adopt a new policy on immigration. The calculations of the welfare committee are terrifying and show how unsuccessful the integration of immigrants has been up to now,” he said.

A large thorn in the side of Denmark's imams is the Minister of Immigration and Integration, Rikke Hvilshøj. She makes no bones about the new policy toward immigration, “The number of foreigners coming to the country makes a difference,” Hvilshøj says, “There is an inverse correlation between how many come here and how well we can receive the foreigners that come.”

And on Muslim immigrants needing to demonstrate a willingness to blend in, “In my view, Denmark should be a country with room for different cultures and religions. Some values, however, are more important than others. We refuse to question democracy, equal rights, and freedom of speech.”

Hvilshøj has paid a price for her show of backbone.

Perhaps to test her resolve, the leading radical imam in Denmark, Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, demanded that the government pay blood money to the family of a Muslim who was murdered in a suburb of Copenhagen, stating that the family's thirst for revenge could be thwarted for money. When Hvilshøj dismissed his demand, he argued that in Muslim culture the payment of retribution money was common, to which Hvilshøj replied that what is done in a Muslim country is not necessarily what is done in Denmark.

The Muslim reply came soon after: her house was torched while she, her husband and children slept. All managed to escape unharmed, but she and her family were moved to a secret location and she and other ministers were assigned bodyguards for the first time - in a country where such murderous violence was once so scarce.

Her government has slid to the right, and her borders have tightened. Many believe that what happens in the next decade will determine whether Denmark survives as a bastion of good living, humane thinking and social responsibility, or whether it becomes a nation at civil war with supporters of Sharia law.

And meanwhile, Canadians clamour for stricter immigration policies, and demand an end to state welfare programs that allow many immigrants to live on the public dole. As we in Canada look at the enclaves of Muslims amongst us, and see those who enter our shores too easily, dare live on our taxes, yet refuse to embrace our culture, respect our traditions, participate in our legal system, obey our laws, speak our language, appreciate our history.. . we would do well to look to Denmark , and say a prayer for her future and for our own.

The author is contributing editor for FamilySecurityMatters.org

Source: gerryporter.blogspot.com

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamAndWest_1.aspx?ArticleID=2782

Current affairs 30 Apr 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
At long last, a firm step forward

An obstacle here, of course, is that the Pakistani side appears to have repudiated the understandings reached between 2004-2007 on maintaining the territorial status quo, making borders irrelevant, demilitarising the area and crafting administrative links between the two parts of Kashmir. But even that is not the biggest problem since either party is well within its right to walk away from the back channel. Today, however, the real challenge in reviving and working the back channel is the lack of clarity in Islamabad about who Riaz Mohammed Khan — the designated counterpart of Satinder Lambah — will report to. -- Siddharth Varadarajan

At long last, a firm step forward

Siddharth Varadarajan

The meeting in Bhutan between the two Prime Ministers has opened a path, but India and Pakistan are not out of the woods yet.

India and Pakistan wisely decided to transcend the confines of nomenclature and form in the dialogue

The talks will not work if the leaders succumb to the temptation of playing to domestic galleries

The history of India-Pakistan relations is full of examples of leaders from both countries travelling to distant points on the globe — from Tashkent and New York to Sharm el-Sheikh and Havana — to meet each other only to end up standing still. Meetings held in the subcontinent, on the other hand, have invariably led to breakthroughs, big and small. Think Simla and Lahore, Islamabad and Delhi. Each of these encounters produced conceptual breakthroughs that briefly carried some promise of momentum before being swamped by the forces of inertia, dead habit, treachery or bad faith that are the constants in this cursed relationship.

To the list of promising South Asian summits can now be added the name of Thimphu, where Manmohan Singh and Yusuf Raza Gilani met on Thursday. Defying naysayers within their respective establishments and wider strategic communities, the two Prime Ministers crafted a simple but elegant formula for breaking the current impasse, thereby ensuring that the process of engagement — stuck for several months — now has some chance of moving ahead. The Foreign Secretaries and Foreign Ministers have been tasked with meeting each other to assess the current state of the relationship and identify the reasons for the trust deficit. This is to be the first step in what will eventually lead to a dialogue process aimed at discussing and resolving all outstanding issues and disputes.

With the “composite” nature of the dialogue becoming a political stumbling block, India and Pakistan wisely decided to transcend the confines of nomenclature. The process they engage in may eventually take the form of the composite dialogue or, more likely, improve upon it. But that will depend on two factors, both equally important: the results of the review the two sides conduct, and their ability to reduce the trust deficit.

For India, the restoration of trust depends on very simple metrics. New Delhi's overarching priority is to get Islamabad to honour its commitment to prevent terrorists from using Pakistani territory to launch attacks on India. Mr. Gilani reiterated this promise in Bhutan but the Manmohan Singh government will need more than mere words in order to convince sceptics at home. It needs the seven Lashkar-e-Taiba men currently on trial in Rawalpindi for their involvement in the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai punished. And it needs credible evidence that anti-India terrorist organisations like the LeT and their leadership no longer have the freedom to operate. Infiltration levels in the valley, which have been rising over the past few months, also need to fall.

Even within the constraints of what Pakistan's increasingly independent judicial system is prepared to accept, there is a lot more that the Pakistani government can and must do to address Indian concerns. The current thaw assumes the absence of engagement is making it easier for the military establishment in Pakistan to justify the continuation of its links with anti-Indian extremists. Prime Minister Singh's decision to agree to the resumption of dialogue is based on the principle of trust but verify. If terrorist groups continue to speak and operate with impunity, chances are any substantive talks the two sides begin on issues like Kashmir or Siachen will flounder. After all, the oxygen of trust is needed to scale those daunting heights, which no leader has managed to ascend so far. As for water, it is hard to imagine India agreeing to surrender rights given to it by the Indus Water Treaty or shouldering obligations not enumerated there — which is essentially what Pakistan would like it to do — in the absence of trust and normality. Putting the terrorists out of business is, therefore, very much in Pakistan's interest.

As the two sides review the relationship, they will try and come up with a framework that can build on what the composite dialogue has accomplished so far while transcending its limitations. It is clear, for example, that bureaucrats and officials have done all they could to resolve Sir Creek and Siachen and that those discussions have reached the stage where a dialogue between politically-empowered envoys is the only way a settlement can be produced. Similarly on the “core issue” of Jammu and Kashmir, the back channel has proved to be a more effective platform for serious negotiation than the front channel operated by the two Foreign Secretaries. Should the Kashmir dialogue, too, be made political?

An obstacle here, of course, is that the Pakistani side appears to have repudiated the understandings reached between 2004-2007 on maintaining the territorial status quo, making borders irrelevant, demilitarising the area and crafting administrative links between the two parts of Kashmir. But even that is not the biggest problem since either party is well within its right to walk away from the back channel. Today, however, the real challenge in reviving and working the back channel is the lack of clarity in Islamabad about who Riaz Mohammed Khan — the designated counterpart of Satinder Lambah — will report to.

Political circumstances allowed General Musharraf to work within the dictum of l'etat c'est moi and India dealt with him as such. But today there is no clarity. Depending on how the wider internal politics in Pakistan plays out over the next year, some clarity may emerge. It is in India's long-term interest that democracy in Pakistan gets stabilised and empowered. This means, every effort must be made to work with Prime Minister Gilani and his government, while keeping lines of communication open with other political parties and leaders. There have also been suggestions in several high-level Track-II meetings that a dialogue between the intelligence chiefs of both countries could serve a useful purpose. These are issues that need to be discussed and evaluated when the Foreign Secretaries and Ministers take stock of where the relationship stands.

Alongside this evolving process, forward movement on trade, investment and energy sector cooperation would produce mutual gains that could enlarge the constituency for peace in both countries. None of this will work, however, if the leadership in India and Pakistan succumbs to the temptation of playing to domestic galleries. Going by the record of the past few years, terrorists will attempt to destroy this latest attempt to restart the dialogue. Acting with maturity and restraint in the face of provocation will pay more dividends in the long run. In Thimphu, both Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Pakistani Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi struck the right tone even when “nationalist” questions were thrown at them. If the dialogue process is to survive the critical early months, leaders and officials up and down the food chain in India and Pakistan need to exercise great caution.

Source: The Hindu, India

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamCurrentAffairs_1.aspx?ArticleID=2780

Urdu Section 30 Apr 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com Objectives Resolution and Secularism-Part 16

The founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, wanted a separate country for Muslims but his political upbringing in a pluralist society prevented him from declaring Pakistan an Islamic state. Contrary to the general perception in India, Mr Jinnah was arguably a secular and liberal Muslim who wanted a Pakistan where all citizens would be equal in the eyes of the constitution irrespective of their religion, caste or creed. But leaders like Liaqat Ali Khan and power hungry opportunistic religious leaders wanted it to be otherwise. In this beautifully written series titled, "Objectives Resolution and Secularism", Mr Wajahat Masood delves deep into history to find out how Jinnah's dream of a secular and democratic Pakistan was shattered. -– Editor

“Once again I stress to all the Muslims to co-operate with the government and its personnel against the violators of law, traitors and conspirators who are responsible for this anarchy to save the Hindu neighbours. There will be rule of Constitutional government, not of the traitors, conspirators and unruly mob in Pakistan. The government of Pakistan will take every possible action against such criminals and they will be dealt with an iron hand. My full sympathies are with the Hindus, most of whom were provoked by propaganda. In fact, the main purpose was to drive them out of Sindh. As a result, many Hindus had to suffer. The people who brought Sikhs to Karachi without informing the concerned officials, the District Magistrate and the police and lodged them in the gurudwara could not been tracked as yet, but a full inquiry will be conducted into the matter.”—Wajahat Masood

Objectives Resolution and Secularism-Part 16

By Wajahat Masood

(Translated from Urdu by Sohail Arshad)

Let’s have a look at the proportion of Muslim and non-Muslim (Hindu-Sikh) population in the affected areas, according to the census of 1941:

Area                                           Muslim %                                   Non-Muslim %

Rawalpindi                                  80                                              18.67

Campbellpur                               90.42                                          9.36

Mianwali                                     86.16                                          13.76

Jhelum                                       89.42                                          10.41

Sargodha                                    83.68                                          14.88

Kohat                                         91.99                                          8.10

Gujarat                                       85.58                                          14.2

Multan                                        78.1                                           20.52

Gojranwala                                 70.45                                          22.70

Banun                                         87.6                                           12.90

Sialkot                                        62.09                                          31.12

Lahore                                        60.62                                          35.9

Peshawar                                    90.34                                          9.65

Marwan                                      95.46                                          4.52

Dera Ismail Khan                        85.78                                          14.21

By merely having a bird’s eye view of the religious division of the population in the affected areas, it can be understood which community had the possibility of having an upper hand in case of riots. It should not be surprising then that while giving shape to the Punjab Boundary Force with a view to the possible deterioration of the law and order situation in the end of July 1947, these areas were not brought under consideration because the non-Muslim population there had almost been wiped out or had migrated.

It would not be unrealistic to say that after the formation of Pakistan, no one from the Muslim League leadership except Jinnah made any serious effort to retain Hindu-Sikh population in Pakistan and protect them. Liaqat Ali Khan was trying to consolidate  his electoral base by bringing more and more Muslims from the Muslim-minority areas. The Muslim League leadership was impatiently waiting to grab the urban properties, businesses, costly assets, agricultural land and jobs of the non-Muslims by driving them out.

Take the example of the Sindh province where 36% of the agricultural land was pledged to the Hindu population. Interestingly, not a single statement of any religious peshwa condemning the incidents of killing, plundering, arson and rape came into light during the riots spanning several months. Even if a voice was heard, it was of the flag-bearer of the Hindu-Muslim unity, Md Ali Jinnah who had long been declared kafir (infidel) by the religious peshwas.

Ghalib’s friend and Delhi’s renowned religious leader in the 19^th century Mufti Sadruddin  had rightly said:

Kamil us firqa-e-zahad se utha na koi

Kuchh huye to yehi rindaan-e-qadah khwar huye

( No one but no one graduated among the class of the self-righteous,

Only some of the knaves got the honour)

On the occasion of his tour of the riots-affected areas on January 9, 1948, Qaid-e-Azam Md Ali Jinnah had issued a message titled ‘Hindu humsayon ko bachao’ (Save the Hindu neighbours) to the Pakistani citizens:

“Once again I stress to all the Muslims to co-operate with the government and its personnel against the violators of law, traitors and conspirators who are responsible for this anarchy to save the Hindu neighbours. There will be rule of Constitutional government, not of the traitors, conspirators and unruly mob in Pakistan. The government of Pakistan will take every possible action against such criminals and they will be dealt with an iron hand. My full sympathies are with the Hindus, most of whom were provoked by propaganda. In fact, the main purpose was to drive them out of Sindh. As a result, many Hindus had to suffer. The people who brought Sikhs to Karachi without informing the concerned officials, the District Magistrate and the police and lodged them in the gurudwara could not be tracked as yet, but a full inquiry will be conducted into the matter.”

Was this a political statement of Qaid-e-Azam Md Ali Jinnah? Was he resorting to the same ‘hollow rhetoric’ of the politicians that has subjected the political process and the politicians to common disdain for decades in the country?

Let’s take the testimony of the Lieutenant General ( retd)  Gul Hasan on this issue. Gul Hasan was the ADC to Qaid-e-Azam and was also the Chief of the Pakistani Army for a few months after the separation of the East Pakistan.

Let me mention here that Gul Hasan was one of the architects of the dominance of the army over the political leadership, and whenever he mentions any politician in his book, his typical army tone betrays scorn and contempt. In his book, ‘Akhri Commander-in-Chief’ (The last Commander-in-Chief) he writes:

“It was during my last days of my services as ADC that the communal riots broke out in Karachi. In those days Qaid-e-Azam looked very worried. One day he called me and asked if I had sent food to one of my Hindu friends. He was acquainted with his father. Replying in the affirmative, I told him that my friend’s house was located exactly at the same place on Bandar Road which is the centre of the riots. I believe that he and his servants will not have the courage to come out of the house. I further told Qaid-e-Azam that I had been using the Governor General’s car and had given money to the driver from my own pocket to buy essential things. I also informed him of the fact that I had sent all the items to my friend’s house when there was curfew at night.” He looked into my eyes and said, “I am proud of you. Whenever the people of Pakistan are in trouble, we should help them.”

You can see here, Qaid-e-Azam said,” Whenever the people of Pakistan are in trouble, we should help them.’ He did not say, “Whenever the Muslims of Pakistan are in trouble, we should help them.” After the formation of Pakistan, in Qaid-e-Azam’s view the first and the last identity of a Pakistani citizen was his being a Pakistani, rather than his belief.

It is not that during this period of anarchy, the rank and file of the politicians, government officials and common people were totally devoid of such elements who held on to the principles of humanity. In Amritsar alone, eight non-Muslim communist activists laid down their lives while protecting the Muslim citizens. Hayat Ahmad Khan was a highly responsile, respected and sophisticated citizen of Pakistan. He had rendered selfless services to the classical music through Pakistan Musical Conference in Pakistan for a half century. I would rather say that he sacrificed everything for music’s sake.

Having passed his M.A. in English from the Government College, Lahore in 1947, he was ushering in his practical life. His description of Lahore of 1947 in his biographical sketch of Agha Babur is worth reading. It shows that humanity had not completely perished. It had just happened that the evil forces had had a field day temporarily.

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