Signs should be posted all over the country saying “HEROES NOT WANTED WE ARE HAPPY WITH ZEROES”. On March 18, 2013 the hero of the 1965 war Muhammad Mahmood Alam or M.M. Alam passed away. He was one of the most patriotic and outstanding soldiers of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Never married, dedicated his life to his profession of flying, slept on the floor like a dervish. When the moment of trial came in 1965 air combat, he created history. In one sorte he shot down nine Indian Hawker Hunter aircrafts, with three of them going down in thirty seconds to create a world record. He was given the title of, Little Dragon’. Finally in 1982 at the peak of his career he decided to go home as Air Commodore after standing up against the corruption of the then Air Chief.
In order to contain the corruption of the then Air Chief M. M. Alam went to see the President. After bearing him out General Zia replied, “I am the Chief Martial Law Administrator, Chief of Army Staff, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee, President and Chief Executive of the country, you think I do not know what you are telling me”. In schock Alam Sahib replied, “Under these circumstances, I am very concerned for Pakistan and I refuse to serve any longer”. He came out and resigned from his post. To hush up the matter he was retired and honourably discharged from service. Form 1982 till his death at the age of 77 years he led a simple life in Karachi and is buried there as an ordinary citizen.
Alam Sahib was not alone who stood up to the destructive practices of the third usurper. There is a long list of the zeroes who have ruled over us. Around the same time Zia sent his minister for communications to target the profitable Pakistan Rai leways (R). Board meeting was called at headquarters located on Egergon Road Lahore. Lt. Getn ® Saeed Qadir tried to humiliate the professional leadership of the department. In protest the Chairman, Eng. Abul Kalam and Secretary Shehzad Ahmed Khan Career Railwaymen tendered their resignations. It did not end here. The freight profitable business was taken away and handed over to a new outfit called National Logistics Cell (NLC). Since then PR the Pride fo the nation has been off the track. Kalam sahib then went to serve the nation as Vice Chancellor of NED University in Karachi.
Flowers are for the deserving not the plunders and thieves, those who serve not those who usurp. As a nation we are losing our best young minds as they have read the writing on the wall, “Heroes not wanted in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
It is widely believed that; ‘Heroes die young’ but in fact they become legends and live forever. The young seek guidance from the old who should be their role models, zeroes cannot play this role. In a population of over 220 million there are no role models today. The youth remain directionless. Our heroes are not even included in the curriculum. In the landable recent air com bat, I asked my students who was behind the professionalism of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), they were clueless.
It was the leadership of Air Marshals Asghar Khan and Nur Khan who led from the front and selflessly worked to build one of the finest air forces of the world. Nur Khan then handed the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to win laurels for the country. Together they built Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as one of the best air carriers of the globe.
Air Marshal Asghar Khan then entered politics to provide clean and honest political leadership. When he was made to bibe the dust by the establishment by forming Islami Jamhoor Ittehad (IJI) and doling out funds to the corrupt politicians to defeat him in the elections, the Air Marshal decided to go to the court. The famous Asghar Khan case now awaits implementation of the Supreme Court decision. In 2012 he decided to merge his party with Imran Khan’s Pakistan tehrre-e-Insaf. Finally his eventual life came to an end in 2018 when at the age of 96 he passed away. In recognition of his services to the nation the PAF Risalpur Academy was named after him in 2017.
Pakistan is poorly represented and projected in most areas. The young minds are confused. Starting with the founding fathers down to the current leadership nothing should be misrepresented or hidden from the nation. We the members of the first generation of the country had it all. Our elders, teachers, parents were our role models. Now it is upon us to pass on the same value system to our next generation. This task can only be accomplished through projection of our heroes. Those who had the courage to stand up and dissent against all odds in best national interests have to be lauded. This culture of Lotacracy will get us nowhere, zeros cannot deliver, they never have in the past nor will they in the future. This factor is glaringly ignored in the country. Since 1985 till to-dates half of the cabinet members have remained unchanged. Names of the evergreen ministers have been published several times. Those who were part of the problem cannot provide the solution that the people are looking for. A nation that does not revere and recognize its heroes gets nowhere, it remains in the pits.
As student activists in the sixties and seventies we pelted the zeros with rotten eggs and stale tomatoes, now they are greeted with rose petals. Flowers are for the deserving not the plunders and thieves, those who serve not those who usurp. As a nation we are losing our best young minds as they have read the writing on the wall, “Heroes not wanted in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation