Sunday, May 15, 2011

not FRIENDS but MASTER - Asjad Bukhari


One of the proud Pakistani and fan of first Pakistani military dictator posted video report of USIS on Youtube and recently it was also circulating on Facebook. This report is about Pakistani military dictator Gen Ayub’s eight days official visit to US in 1961. In this visit Gen Ayub and his daughter Begum Aurangzeb received warmed welcome by President Kennedy and other dignities from US. This note is my brief after watching that ‘historic’ video.

On October 7, 1958, General Ayub with the support of Iskander Mirza declared Martial Law in Pakistan. Within three weeks Iskander Mirza was ousted by General Ayub Khan, who then declared himself President and later Field Marshal. Some authors (e.g. Quaid-e-Azam as Governor General / Qaum Nizami) suggested that General Ayub’s rise to power was his decade long planning and desire for politics. That was the time in the history of Pakistan when sincere political activists like Hasan Nisar were tortured and murdered as punishment to criticise and resist against military dictatorship. Progressive newspapers like Pakistan Times and daily Imroz were nationalized. Famous poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz described that era in this stanza:

Nisar main teri galiyon k aa watan, k jahan - chali hai rasm k koi na sar utha k chale
jo koi chahanewala tawaf ko nikle - nazar chura k chale, jism-o-jan bacha k chale

[May I be a sacrifice to your streets, oh motherland, where
It has become custom that no-one shall go with head lifted]

Another poet and political activist Habib Jalib, could not ignore the injustice during General Ayub’s time. His poetry attracted large number of public as he recited poems against dictator and condemn him strongly:
Deep jis ka mehellaat hi main jalay, Chand logon ki khushyon ko lay ker chalay,
Wo jo saye main har maslihat kay palay; Aisay dastoor ko,
Subh e bay noor ko, Main naheen maanta, Main naheen jaanta.

(The light which shines only in palaces, burns up the joy of the people in the shadows Derives its strength from others’ weakness, That kind of system, like dawn without light, I refuse to acknowledge, I refuse to accept)

Bees gharanay hein abaad – Aur karorron hein nashaad - Sadar Ayub Zindabad.
(Twenty families are becoming wealthier and millions are becoming deprived, long live president Ayub).
On foreign front General Ayub further downplayed relations with USSR while signing defense treaties and leasing a airbase to USA.

With this political scenario in mind now watch this 20:49 minutes USIS report. At dinner President Kennedy, welcome military dictator from Pakistan with the words “No one could be a more welcome guest than President Ayub”. Throughout in this media report you will notice USIS titled Pakistani military dictator as ‘President Ayub’ instead of his favourite title Field Marshal Ayub Khan. Why? Definitely American democrat government was giving deceitful impression to American public that our loyal friend General Ayub Khan is democratic civil president of Pakistan. In other words, state department don’t want to tell American public that they like democracy in US but they support military dictators in developing world to follow their imperialistic agenda.


Precisely this video report ends with “…he (Gen. Ayub) impressed people (of US) by his force and loyalty“. The key word here is ‘loyalty’. I think this was message that imperial power was expecting General Ayub as loyal servant instead of equal status friend. But our potato-head dictator never understands and in the end of his career he complained as “Friends not masters”, Anyway like other dictators he never accepted his mistakes being dictator and also being founding father of Pakistan Army’s supremacy on all other institutions of the state. Since 1958 Pakistan turned into security state instead of welfare state and since that civil military relations are not settled.

For video click here:




ڈی این اے ٹیسٹنگ افسانہ اور حقیقت

آجکل  شجرہ نسب  کے  لیے  ڈی این اے ٹیسٹنگ کا رواج عام ہورہا ہے لیکن اسکے رزلٹ کے بارے میں بہت سی غلط فہمیاں پائی جاتی ہیں- اس بلاگ میں اس کی...