There is an old saying ‘bus ho chuki namaz, musalla uthaiye’. It is used to convey to the concerned person that there is nothing left to talk about and they had better leave. This saying aptly fits the circumstances surrounding Dr Tahirul Qadri’s ill-timed arrival and brief interference in political affairs.
Dr Qadri landed in Lahore late last year, apparently uninvited by any political party, disturbed the whole atmosphere in the country and then threatened the rulers and all the political leaders with ultimatums and dire consequences.
How he came to the conclusion that, as a foreign national, he could interfere in Pakistan’s internal affairs is anyone’s guess. After all, he is a Canadian national who has taken an oath of loyalty to that country.
I found it beyond comprehension that a government, which goes out of its way to obstruct the judicial process and refuses to implement judicial orders, could facilitate Dr Qadri’s political activities. Rather than ‘controlling’ him, they ‘collaborated’ with him in his ‘cabin’ and obeying his orders and directives.
We all saw how the most senior leaders of the ruling clique adopted submissive and overly friendly postures. The MQM leader declared Dr Qadri to be his elder brother and even ordered the MQM leaders in Karachi to obey the Doctor’s orders without consulting him.
But then, sooner than expected, the whole game collapsed. While the MQM and Imran Khan’s PTI had not taken part in Qadri’s ‘long march’, the PPP created an impression that Dr Qadri was its con man to derail the forthcoming elections so that it could carry on in power.
The JI, the JUF and the PML-N paid no attention to him or to his activities. Mr Ahsan Iqbal called him a capsule which turned out to have no effect and he may have been right, since Dr Qadri’s arrival and activities turned out to be no more than a temporary drama.
There is an Urdu saying that when a jackal is doomed, it runs towards the city and provides opportunity for its own demise. The same seems to have happened to Dr Qadri.
Having gained some publicity and the attention of the rulers, he became too big for his own shoes and decided to take on the Supreme Court. This turned out to be his undoing. He was so sure of himself that he felt the honourable judges would behave as the rulers had done and would accede to all his unconstitutional demands. A few pertinent questions and strong remarks from the chief justice were enough to deflate Dr Qadri’s balloon but it was a bit too late for him to realise his mistake.
Har chand Daag ek hi ayyar hey magar/Dushman bhi tau chhatey huey sarey jahan key hain (Though Daag is very cunning, his opponents are even more so).
Had Dr Qadri had this petition submitted by a local colleague, he would not have faced this kind of humiliation. It will be better if he remains in his adopted country and concentrates his energies on his religious activities.
Moving on let us review the performance of the outgoing rulers. Mr Bhutto gave the PPP their slogan of ‘roti, kapra, makaan’. Although Bhutto’s nationalisation policies played havoc with our industries and education system, his policy of the liberal issuing of passports to the common man was an excellent one. We are now reaping the fruits of that.
However, Bhutto will always be remembered for laying the foundations of our nuclear weapons programme, which provided us with formidable defence.
But now see who is leading the team; a gentleman having a very tarnished reputation for corruption. Thanks to the last five years of governance, we are now equated with the worst and most corrupt countries of the world. Name any evil and you will find it in Pakistan. Nonetheless our leaders still have the guts to boast about their performance.
The harm they have inflicted to the country over the past five years, puts the worst periods of the preceding 65 years to shame. Here are just a few examples: the price of the dollar increased from Rs60 to Rs100; petrol prices increased from Rs56 to Rs108; diesel from Rs39 to Rs115; CNG from Rs30 to Rs75; the price of motorcycles increased from Rs50,000 to Rs68,000; air conditioners from Rs15,000 to Rs40,000; flour from Rs13/kg to Rs37/kg; sugar from Rs21/kg to Rs65/kg; milk from Rs25/litre to Rs72/litre; cooking oil from Rs90 to Rs190, GST from 15 percent to 25 percent; tax on mobile calls and SMS messages from 15 percent to 21 percent; DAP urea from Rs1300/bag to Rs4700; the problem of loadshedding increased to almost five times as compared with the past; electricity prices rose from Rs2.13/unit to Rs9.38; gold from Rs20,000/tola to Rs63,000. This is what the PPP’s democracy has done to the people.
The common man is unable to sustain this inflation and is gasping for relief but our leaders console them by saying “Bibi zinda hai, Bhutto zinda hai”. While the rulers live in huge, castle-like bungalows, wear expensive designer suits and drive the most expensive bullet-proof cars, a large number of the people go without food, are deprived of a proper roof over their heads and no clothes to wear. Meanwhile, the leaders keep telling them that “democracy is the best revenge from you”. For God’s sake, enough is enough.
‘Bus ho chuki namaz, musalla uthaiye’ (It is over, now get lost).
The government’s term is over, but the outgoing rulers are still demonstrating their expertise at using national resources to their own advantage. Funds are being distributed left, right and centre. The Supreme Court and the Election Commission seem to be powerless as it is not possible for them to be aware of each and every wrongdoing. The only consolation is that in the end, the rulers will pack up and go – a dream come true for all of us.
To end on a positive note: an important and invaluable book entitled ‘Tareekh-e-Wazirabad’ (The History of Wazirabad) by Hafiz Mushtaq Ahmad Kokab is now available. It is a treasure of knowledge and information on the city’s history, background, people, the British period, the Independence Movement, industry, commerce, politics and politicians.
We all know about the excellent cutlery produced in Wazirabad, which has a good export market and earns valuable foreign exchange. The city has produced many well known politicians, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan being one of them, and scholars like Justice Yaqub Ali Khan, Justice S A Rahman, Hamid Nasir Chatha, Hamid Ahmed Khan, former Chancellor Punjab University and, of course, Munnu Bhai, Ata ul Haq Qasmi and the great Krishan Chander.
Hafiz Kokab has immortalised Wazirabad in this 550-page book. It contains many important photographs and is published by Manzoor Aam Press, Mohammed Nagar Railway Colony, Wazirabad (Tel: 0300-6220366)
Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com
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