“When we were enslaved, we could imagine freedom, but now that we are free, how will we imagine subjection?” – Saadat Hasan Manto
Manto meeting Khan is akin to what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. The two are as different as they are similar. Holding truth on a high pedestal is common ground but ways to achieve, perceive and conceive the truth could not have been more stark for the two.
The Ludhiana-born stalwart known as Saadat Hasan Manto was a novelist, screenplay writer and now remembered as a celebrated thinker of British India and later Pakistan. The government awarded him with the Nishan-i-Imtiaz in 2012, fifty seven years after his passing. He led a rather troubled life with family pressure, societal restlessness and inner bedlam. Manto tried filling the void in his heart with alcohol as he waged a crusade against societal norms. He seldom found pockets of happiness throughout his time, choosing to lead his life as a mirror for society.
After countless trials for obscene writing and criticism of the worst kind, he would reply with what would become folklore, “Who am I to remove the clothes of this society which is already naked?”. Manto in “Naya Pakistan” (Urdu: New Pakistan) would have defended the power of the pen, waged an ideological war against the sitting government and would refuse to be silenced by both the seen and unseen forces in society. Let’s look at the condition of Manto, if he were brought back to life.
The year is 2021 and Manto is engulfed in despair, for his writings have reached blind eyes. He has realized that Pakistan did not progress since his demise in 1955 and people did not pay heed to what he preached. A question is intriguing his subconscious, “how would the Prime Minister take to this literary critic of society?”
Word has reached Manto that the premiere has blamed the clothes women wear for rape.
“If a woman is wearing very few clothes it will have an impact on the man unless they are robots. It’s common sense.” – Imran Khan
The writer who conformed to nothing or no one, has sent the Prime Minister a copy of the short story “Thanda Gosht” (Urdu: Cold Meat). This is one of Manto’s most celebrated works in which a Sikh man rapes a dead corpse and upon confessing to his wife during intercourse, get’s stabbed and killed. Along with the short story, Manto is sending a question to the leader of the country, “Was the ‘Kafan’ (Urdu: Shroud) enough clothing for the dead or does that have an impact on a man too?” Khan has replied in a manner that has become custom for the premiere: he has rubbished Manto’s views and put an end to the dissent.
In “Naya Pakistan” (Urdu: New Pakistan), journalists fear for their safety and livelihood and writers are pressured to be subservient to the establishment. Pakistan’s 145th position in the World Press Freedom Index is indicative of the peril truth seekers face in the country. Manto is also facing this calibre of censorship but his words are echoing further into the minds of the power-hungry aristocrats. He had predicted heightened censorship for the future in his essay, “By the Grace of Allah”. His ethos belittles narratives from the elements wishing to censor him:
“If you cannot bear my stories, that means this is an unbearable time”. – Saadat Hasan Manto
The controversial writer is visiting Bani Gala to meet with Khan. The premier has asked for a private audience with this literary crusader. Khan asks Manto why he never wrote about the good things in the country and continues to follow a pessimistic approach to his writing. Manto has replied as Manto knows best, “Literature is a symptom of the state of society”. The two stand on opposite ends of the spectrum as one is adamant that the country is improving while the other says the only thing improving is delusion.
All things considered, it wouldn’t be a far fetched idea to think the two would admire each other in a peculiar yet evident manner. Steadfast in approach, working for societal revolution and having a defined belief system is what links the two figures. Manto is perceived as a frustrated victim of circumstance and Khan as an undeterring leader who wants to last. Fate and time will tell us how Khan will be remembered in the history books. As for Manto, his words are testament to his condition:
“….and it is also possible that Saadat Hasan dies, but Manto remains alive”. – Saadat Hassan Manto