During the time of the Raj, every Police Station was required to keep a record of ‘bad characters’ in their respective area and then monitor their activities to control crime. It was called ‘Basta B’ or ‘Register of Bad Characters’. Every fortnight the inductees of this list presented themselves for scrutiny before the SHO. First in 1958 and then again in 1985, some of these characters managed to enter the elected Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
To control their disorderly conduct at the higher level a ‘Siasi Basta B’ was opened within the ISI where their much-needed surveillance was carried out by the Director General.
Now that the establishment has decided to remain neutral the ‘Siasi Basta B’ have been given a free hand. Even the current Prime Minister with his tainted past and the majority of his supporters are inductees of this infamous Register of Bad Character maintained by the agency.
Only conviction in a court of law can debar a candidate from contesting for a public office Character does not matter. Getting bail on fake medical reports may indicate moral degradation but it can pave the way to physical freedom and a return to power at the opportune time. Such imposed leadership is a curse for the nation. In the first free Surveillance is the only effective method to keep the Basta B in control otherwise they create a menace for the public. Now that the damage has been done and the ‘Bad Characters’ of Gawalmandi and Gujrat have managed to enter the nation’s Parliament, the establishment cannot shun its responsibility of containing their evil designsSurveillance is the only effective method to keep the Basta B in control otherwise they create a menace for the public. Now that the damage has been done and the ‘Bad Characters’ of Gawalmandi and Gujrat have managed to enter the nation’s Parliament, the establishment cannot shun its responsibility of containing their evil designsand fair elections in 1970, the 1958 inductees of the Siasi Basta B were wiped out; now it is time to get rid of the 1985 entrants in the Register of Bad Characters.
The first time I heard about Basta B was in the 1970s. It was a students’ function in the Punjab University in which film star Rangila was the Chief Guest. He presented his famous lines on the stage “Dingi Lataan, Police Muqbila, Basta B Badmash, Dacha Dach Tay Gacha Gach” , there was a big laugh from the audience ( Bowed Legs, Police Encounters, by People of Bad Character followed by a free-for-all). It took me a while to understand what he was saying. In those days some Police encounters did take place and our famous agile cricketer Asif Iqbal had bowed legs but I had no idea about ‘Basta B Badmash’.
Surveillance is the only effective method to keep the Basta B in control otherwise they create a menace for the public. Now that the damage has been done and the ‘Bad Characters’ of Gawalmandi and Gujrat have managed to enter the nation’s Parliament, the establishment cannot shun its responsibility of containing their evil designs.
So, I decided to find out more about it. My father’s friend Muhammad Sharif Chandi was Police Inspector posted at the Civil Lines Station. He lived there as well. In those days the staff was required to stay in-house. Boarding and lodging was provided by the government. He took me to his office and showed me the ‘Register of Bad Characters’ which he maintained and regularly updated for effective surveillance.
It was a lifetime experience to learn about preventive measures for the maintenance of law and order. When crime was committed in the area the ‘Basta B’ individuals were the first to be called to the station to explain their activities. They could not obtain pre- or post-arrest bails as they were considered a menace to the society who did not enjoy full rights of the citizen. They did have the option of challenging their entry in the register and having their name removed before returning to the mainstream of life.
It is for the first time in the checkered political history of Pakistan that the levers of state power have been handed over to a person whose name is included in the ‘Siasi Basta B’ of ISI. Without effective surveillance these bad characters can play havoc with the country and its vital strategic assets. I am sure Inspector Sharif Chandi, the custodian of the law must be turning in his grave at the free hand given to these political rogues who have been plundering the nation for the last 40 years. Recently a scene was witnessed during Iftar in an Islamabad five-star hotel. Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, a PPP Senator, was seen punching an elderly person assisted by a PTI dissident MNA. His father, Nawaz Khokhar, was Deputy Speaker during the second Benazir regime. As a result of a minor car accident, he ordered his gunman to hold hostage an Army officer and his family. He left the scene to lodge an FIR. Hours passed by, luckily a Military Police (MP) squad was passing by who spotted the gun. On seeing the men in uniform, the guards ran away and the siege ended. The matter was reported to the then Army Chief General Asif Nawaz Janjua who was furious. Nawaz Khokhar was summoned to the GHQ; he sought the help of the PM who then requested the President to intervene. The Chief held his ground, the Deputy Speaker was forced to apologize with the family of the officer in the presence of his own family members. It was a major embarrassment for the bully. Now his son is a Senator in the party of Bhutto.
Surveillance is the only effective method to keep the Basta B in control otherwise they create a menace for the public. Now that the damage has been done and the ‘Bad Characters’ of Gawalmandi and Gujrat have managed to enter the nation’s Parliament, the establishment cannot shun its responsibility of containing their evil designs.
In case it is decided to shut down this political monitoring cell within ISI, then the names and deeds of these Siasi Basta B characters should be made public together with their disqualification under the constitutional provisions. In the words of the legendary Air Commodore M. M. Alam, when he decided to resign after meeting the master manipulator Zia-ul-Haq the political architect of the ‘Sharif Dynasty’ ; “I am very concerned about Pakistan”.
