The year 1958 is unforgettable. While Pakistan changed its course with the first Martial Law it was also the start of my academic journey. My early-morning kite-flying days came to an abrupt halt when my mother managed to get me admitted to the nearby Cathedral High School located on The Mall. Must admit that my kite-flying skills or guddi bazi did not match the mastery of my elders as such I was relegated into support role of holding the pinna (ball of glass-coated twine).
To upgrade my standing I practiced hard every morning. Nazir Manzil where we lived had perfect kothas (rooftops) for this purpose. I hated sitting in the classroom, crying every morning but to no avail. Shah Ji the driver (chauffeur) made sure that I did not come back to fly kites. The downside of this heavy handedness was that I was unable to upgrade my skills in this vital sport of Lahore but learnt to read and write, which has continued unabated till today.
Life was simple. Everyone was trying their best. The founding generation of Pakistan took their jobs seriously, there was focus, direction and hope. Due to their efforts the entire framework for development was in place. My late father Nazir Ahmed Malik worked very hard to re-establish his watch business. He was unhappy with his Baby Austin car and was on the lookout for a better option. Finally he managed to buy a brand new Fiat Millecento (1100) which then became a family member. In those days foreign exchange was in short supply and cars were not imported. Officers who were sent abroad for training, had to save their daily allowances to buy their transport.
I had barely settled down in school, and though dealing with Ms Moses was not easy, I could feel the brewing tension around. As a Muslim League child, I was exposed to politics quite early in life. Holding my father’s hand I stood on the Mall in October 1958 waiting to receive Khan Qayyum Khan, the most popular leader of his time.
Such experiments as have failed in the past should not be repeated in 2023. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge. As a generation we have seen it all. Today Pakistan is a constitutional democracy where institutional boundaries have been clearly defined. Civilian institutions have to be rebuilt, not taken over in connivance with the corrupt and inept politicians that rule the country today
Khan Sahib never made it. He was arrested at the Ravi bridge and kept in the dungeons of the Lahore Fort. President Iskander Mirza of Dhaka abrogated the 1956 constitution and imposed Martial Law in the country. Only a few days later Ayub Khan of Haripur, the first Desi Sipah-e-Salar, got rid of the President and took complete control of the country on 27 October 1958.
The family had planned a trip to Karachi. It was my first overnight train journey. When my father dropped us at the Railway Station the head of the state was Mirza but when we arrived he was replaced by Khan. Incidentally both of them were graduates of the famous Royal Military Academy Sandhurst . Clearly the ‘colonial rule’ had been re-imposed. There was fear and panic in the port city. Businessmen were being arrested. The ‘Khakis’ were flexing their muscles. The term ‘Bloody Civilians’ became popular.
Till that time Pakistan was a struggling but normal country that was looking forward to elections and a peaceful transfer of power. Khan Qayyum Khan was leading the Muslim League while Hussain Shaheed Suharwardy was heading the Awami League. Both parties were very popular. The dawn of constitutional democracy was within sight when the Sipah-e-Salar and his forces decided to move out of the barracks and enter the corridors of power for which they were neither ready nor trained. The republic was debt free, everyone including the state functionaries lived within means. Honesty and sincerity prevailed, corruption was limited and looked down upon.
As Lahore was a border town, Jinnah rightly selected Karachi to be the capital of the new land. Our Bengali brethren were also comfortable with the choice as they could use the Sea route to travel. Till today there is a sizable population of Bengalis living there. There were no Dams, all the Western and Eastern rivers freely flowed into the mighty Indus which then met the salt water of the sea.
In 1958, Ayub Khan promised fast-track economic growth. Western loans poured in as if the money was free. Loans and permits were doled out to the favourites. Over-invoicing and under-invoicing became the order of the day, and valuable foreign exchange was squandered through this mode.The Armed Forces started to expand their influence into civilian areas. While the founding fathers of Pakistan were pushed out of the political arena through EBDO (Elected Bodies Disqualification Order) a new brand of Muslim League (PML-Convention) was launched to introduce corrupt politicians like the Chaudhrys of Gujrat,or the Wattoos of Okara, Tarrars of Gujranwala, etc.
After ten years of his misrule when the first usurper decided to celebrate his decade of progress mass protests started led by the students and labour unions. Finally he had to step down in March 1969 but by that time damage had been done. The Eastern Wing was up in arms due to abrogation of the 1956 constitution, menace of corruption had started, there was concentration of wealth, debt trap had been laid, three Eastern Rivers were surrendered ( Ravi, Sutlej, Beas ), dams were build with loans to store water in the Western Rivers. Pakistan and its development was derailed for all times to come. Every intervention that followed later (1969, 1977, 1999, 2022 ) has resulted in further derailment of the country. Martial Laws have proven to be the mother of corruption which the nation continues to endure till today.
While I still lament my inability to develop my guddibazi skills that were snapped in 1958 as my long academic journey had started, the wounds sustained by my motherland continue to bleed till today. It was an unforgettable time.
Again after over six decades the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is at the crossroads. Elections are pushed aside while focus is being shifted to rapid economic growth. The Prime Minister and the Sipah-e-Salar are seen together. Daily sermons are being delivered about the economic revolution about to take place in the country. I remember the huge poetraits of Ayub Khan hanging outside the historic Town Hall under the caption ‘Saviour’. In the end he could only hand over debt and corruption.
Such experiments as have failed in the past should not be repeated in 2023. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge. As a generation we have seen it all. Today Pakistan is a constitutional democracy where institutional boundaries have been clearly defined. Civilian institutions have to be rebuilt, not taken over in connivance with the corrupt and inept politicians that rule the country today.
Free and fair elections followed by the return to the barracks of our security men is the only way forward. Let the professionals handle the vital areas like Economy, Agriculture, Education, Health and Industrial Growth, otherwise it will be a rerun of 1958, which despite my advanced age continues to haunt me till today. Unfortunately now I cannot even sink my sorrows through my very first love in sport, guddibazi‘.
