‘Sharam Karo’ roared Khawaja Asif in the joint session of the Parliament on April 06, 2015. Kaptaan and his team had to helplessly endure the tirade of a third rate politician from Sialkot. His father Khawaja Safdar headed Zia’s Majlis-e-Shaura which may sound respectable in Arabic but in Punjabi ‘Shaura’ is considered to be a bad word. The Khawajas of Sialkot like the Khawajas of Aibak road have known to be elected through manipulated electoral exercises; both of them are included in the four test case rigged constituencies as claimed by PTI.
Aitzaz Ahsan came to their rescue. He talked about the Elephants of Porus who pounded their own army. As always Comrade Ahsan was eloquent, majestic and effective. In the last joint session when Chaudhry Nisar threatened to take him to court, Barrister Ahsan replied, ‘I will take you to the cleaners’ and it was enough to halt the Zia Camp whose political credentials he fully understands.
Today PTI is without its Ahsan. Comrade Ahsan Rashid one of the founding members of the party and Ex-President Punjab passed away on Nov 25, 2014. In his death it seems that the party has become an orphan and in the words of Comrade Aitzaz Ahsan, been taken over by the Elephants of Porus who are good for photo sessions only. Raja Porus was defeated by Sikander by the stampede of his own beasts that only looked big and powerful on the outside but lacked the capacity and sagacity inside to fight it out. The battle for change is no bed of roses and cannot be achieved by parliamentary debates only. In order to deliver on its promise of ‘Naya Pakistan’ the party needs all its Ahsans, not just the ‘Daagis’ of the Zia and Musharraf ‘ herds who are constantly in pursuit of greener pastures.
Lahore has a history of resistance. When Lawrence of Arabia was discovered hiding in Neudos Hotel (currently Avari) , there were demonstrations and he was whisked away to destabilize the Middle East instead of Afghanistan. The mess in the region including the current conflict in Yemen is of his making. Then Bhagat Singh revolted against the British Raj and was hanged in the Borstal Jail at current day Shadman Chowk which has now been named after him.
We the students of the 60’s and 70’s then took on the might of the first khaki empire under Ayub Khan. There were battles pitched on the Mall after which we carried our fallen Comrades to the emergency rooms of Mayo Hospital. The first and only honest ballot in 1970 was a game-changer. It brought the comrades into power. During this period there were solid democratic gains including the promulgation of the unanimous 1973 constitution which has kept the federation together.
The lawyers and civil society movement against the regime of Pervaiz Musharaf was another significant event in our struggle for change. Under the leadership of Comrade Ahsan we marched on to Islamabad several times. While we fought battles outside the Marriott Hotel, Musharraf’s camp was enjoying the perks and power of office inside. Incidentally most protests started from Zaman Park from the house of Barrister Ahsan who was under arrest there. In Islamabad again, the base was the residence of the Barrister but the charge was led by Comrade Ahsan. The last encounter was bloody, the tear gas and lathi charge was heavy and we saved ourselves from injury by taking refuge in the side streets of the capital.
President Farooq Leghari, after dismissing the government of his own party, initiated the process of political cleansing through ruthless accountability. Law Minister Fakharuddin G. Ibrahim promulgated an ordinance under which all kinds of defaulters were deferred from contesting elections. The accountability cell was headed by a retired Judge of the High Court. The Khakis were willing to extend the term of the caretaker government for purposes of political purging but Leghari Sahib chickened out. His fear was political isolation if both the frontline parties got together. In the words of Dr. Mubashir Hasan; ‘Farooq Leghari was trained to be a bureaucrat’.
It is indeed strange that some of the returning PTI parliamentarians called on the Speaker, as shown live on television. They wanted him to know of their return. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq refused to comment but responded with an old Indian song, ‘Hum Bhool Gaye Har Baat,’ and then came the tirade on the floor. Khawaja Asif roared and roared while the Kaptaan and his Elephants watched clueless. In Punjab, when someone says ‘Sharam Karo!’ there has to be an appropriate reaction.
In the 90s when Raza Rabbani was speaking on the floor against Nawaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif charged and manhandled him. He was not allowed to speak while the speaker kept silent. After signing the Charter of Democracy (read: deceit), they no longer criticize each other unless it is something personal.
Where were the Comrades of the Kaptaan in the absence of PTI’s Comrade-in-Chief, Ahsan Rashid? He was greatly missed. PTI needs people like you.