16th December is the 52nd anniversary of the surrender by Pak Army in Dhaka. Quad-e-Azam’s Pakistan was truncated within 25 years of independence. Bengalis, who were 56% of the population, formed their state. I vividly remember the pain we felt at this national humiliation. As president of the Punjab University Student’s Union, a powerful body, we were bamboozled and paralyzed.
Over time, facts emerged about this debacle. The in-depth report of Justice Hamood-ur-Rehman was concealed to prevent the nation from finding the truth. It finally came out via a leak by an Indian journalist. This surrender was a final of events started by Ayub Khan. He despised East Pakistanis as “bhooka Bengalis.” These prejudices corroded the very basis of Pakistani statehood leading to the breakup.
We brought December 16 upon ourselves by mistreating our Bengali brethren and denying them respectful participation.
We as a nation were fed lies that we swallowed by the mouthfuls. We were led to believe that the breakup was a result of an international conspiracy, Indian aggression and Bengalis being traitors. While there may be some elements of truth in it, in reality, we brought it upon ourselves by mistreating our Bengali brethren and denying them respectful participation in the affairs of the State.
Before the start of hostilities, we undertook a visit to East Pakistan as a student delegation to foster “brotherly relations” with students there. Professor Waris Mir was our team leader. I had a great personal rapport with him. There were many hair-raising experiences that I will share at another time However, one visual is imprinted in my mind. Chittagong was part of our itinerary; a lush green city nestled amongst hills. On our way from the airport, I saw a white palatial residence atop a hill. I asked our guide about it; he informed me it is the Commissioner’s residence where you will be having afternoon tea.
That afternoon we met the Commissioner. He proudly gave us a guided tour of his residency including the balcony where he can look down on his “bhooka Bengalis.” While tons of material is available on the debacle of East Pakistan, I urge my readers to watch a compelling documentary on YouTube by Hamid Mir “Who is Responsible for the Separation of East Pakistan”.
Within what remains as Pakistan, we have been invaded multiple times.
We have seen that bureaucracy has no spine when faced with raw power; it has unfortunately extended to the judiciary too. Supreme Court Justices are proudly declaring that civilians should be tried in military courts. Justice Munir’s invention of the “law of necessity” has invaded the workings of CJ Pakistan and CJ Islamabad. ECP has become a street brawler; bringing down Imran Khan seems to be his sole purpose in life. Conduct of lower judiciary openly trampling the laws is now an everyday affair.
The whole nation has become paranoid. There is a constant fear that someone is out to get you. Entire government machinery is deployed to systematically dismantle PTI and chase away their candidates. Patwaris are gathering “fards” of lands of PTI ticket holders and the tax department is harassing PTI supporters as police attack and destroy their homes. We have become a dysfunctional State.
We are now condemned to borrow more to repay loan instalments. We are selling our income-generating assets to foreigners. We have become a vassal state for Middle-Eastern kingdoms. I
Then there is a security shutdown. We have become irrelevant to the West; they don’t need us anymore. If anything, we have become an irritant. West treats us as an ally of China and the Chinese no longer trust us.
Washington is preoccupied with Ukraine and Israel. Pakistan is the least of their concerns; maybe a tag-along for future use.
Increased terrorism is a failure of intelligence. This sham democracy is headed towards an economic dictatorship as seen in Myanmar and Egypt. Free and fair elections are a mirage. Can the people regain their country?
The writer is the director of CERF, a non-profit, charitable organisation in Canada.The weiter can be followed on twitter at following id: @HafeezKhanPU