In April 1979, I had the chance of seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. As a young trainee engineer, I stood before one of the wonders of the world with my Zeiss Ikon camera ready to click. My colleague who hailed from Peshawar called it ‘dinga’, (Slanted). The word ‘dinga’ is a Punjabi word and carries a message of impropriety. The Leaning Tower’s stability is linked with height. Construction of the tower was started in 1173. In 1178 when the fourth floor was being built the structure started to tilt due to the shifting soil which got destabilized. Since then, there has been a constant struggle to save the tower from collapse as its foundation are poorly laid.
Pakistan started off well with Karachi as its capital. Lahore, being a border city was not considered safe. On the Quaid’s invitation Muslim businessmen from all over India established their businesses in the new land. In 1953, it was felt that being a port city Karachi was vulnerable to attack from the Arabian Sea. With security in mind, Jauharabad in District Khushab was selected as the site for the new capital. It was a fully planned city named after Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, a stalwart of the freedom movement. After the passage of the first Constitution in 1956, a democratic Pakistan was on track to emerge as the first ‘Asian Tiger’. Ayub Khan’s martial law in October 1958 derailed the entire system from which recovery has been an uphill task. The usurper not only abrogated the Constitution, he decided to move the capital to Rawalpindi/Islamabad.
Rawalpindi was a garrison city where the Northern Command of the Indian Army was located which is now called General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistan Army. My memory of the city consists of Tongas and bakeries and hardly anything else. There used to be a ‘Pindi Club’ on the Mall Road which has been taken over since long by the Khakis. There was serious water scarcity, with no running taps. My father’s family, after migrating from East Punjab decided to settle here as it was closer to Kashmir and they wanted to migrate back to their roots in the valley. After marrying my father, my mother — who hailed from Lahore — had to move to Rawalpindi.
When the settlement of Kashmir was delayed, she convinced my father to start a new life in Lahore, which was the top city of the subcontinent. While I was born and raised on the Mall Road of Lahore, I spent considerable time with my grandparents in Rawalpindi. As the family house had a water well, people of the locality came to fetch water which reminded me of village life.
Controlled democracy through ‘Mazboot Markaz’ was Ayub’s approach. He ruled with an iron fist, operating through rogues and rustlers. West Pakistan was run by Nawab Amir Muhammad Khan of Kalabagh, while the Eastern wing was under the control of Abdul Monem Khan. In order to control the economic centre of the country, train loads of ‘Pashtuns’ were sent to Karachi. Then Gohar Ayub Khan was sent to take over Liaquatabad to consolidate his power over the city
Ayub Khan, the first usurper and dictator had no moral or legal authority to move the capital of the country close to his office in Lal-Kurti and home in Hazara. A Greek architect called Constantine’s Apostolou Doxiadis was hired to design the new city. By 1966, essential development work was completed. Thus started a new era of corruption, nepotism and loans. The Supreme Court was hurriedly moved to Lahore, while the first assembly met in Ayub Hall in Lal Kurti.
The Murree Brewery house on GT Road was turned into the President’s residence, which is now the Army House. The General suffered a serious heart attack in 1968 which resulted in him losing his grip over power, by March 1969 he was out of office.
Controlled democracy through ‘Mazboot Markaz’ was Ayub’s approach. He ruled with an iron fist, operating through rogues and rustlers. West Pakistan was run by Nawab Amir Muhammad Khan of Kalabagh while the Eastern wing was under the control of Abdul Monem Khan. In order to control the economic centre of the country train loads of ‘Pashtuns’ were sent to Karachi. Then Captain (R) Gohar Ayub Khan was sent to take over Liaquatabad to consolidate his power over the city.
Bengalis were totally lost in the new capital and so were the smaller provinces. Finally the bubble burst against Ayub Khan and his ‘Mazboot Markaz’. Provinces demanded autonomy. Islamabad could no longer keep the federation intact. Bangladesh emerged as an independent country. The 1973 constitution guaranteed provincial autonomy and devolution of power in what was left of Quaid’s Pakistan. Zia, the third usurper then tried to reverse the democratic gains. Rogue political parties like MQM were launched in Karachi and Urban Sindh. Musharraf continued with same roguery during his term of office.
Finally, the 18th amendment has cut Islamabad to size. To save the ‘Leaning Tower’ in Pisa, counterweights are attached. Experts believe that it is a poison which has to be constantly treated. The faulty foundations of our Islamic republic need to be stabilised, otherwise the tilt will continue. Islamabad is as ‘dinga’ as the tower in Pisa, which must be addressed before gravity takes its toll.
Islamabad has great outdoors, it is a fun city with wild ‘Bhang’ (cannabis) growing all over. Though it is called the twin city of Rawalpindi, the two cities have nothing in common.
The status-quo is well entrenched here, it is not easy to push for change in this artificial capital which is miles away from the rest of the country. Kaptaan is trying to dismantle the pillars of central authority like the PM House and the Governor’s Houses in other cities. As President Dr ArifAlvi has decided to live in the MNA’s hostel. All these are good signs but will they be able to correct the foundational faults of Islamabad? Only time will.
The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation. Email: [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, September 28th 2018.