A nation’s foundation lies in its history and its past, its martyrs and benefactors. Those who forget them will perish. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of the nation, commands significance in the world and occupies a very special place in the hearts of Pakistanis. When anyone, from the highest government official to chiefs of the Armed Forces and officers as well as foreign dignitaries have occasion to visit the Quaid’s Mausoleum in Karachi, they adhere to rituals and decorum, paying homage with the greatest respect and honor. October 18, 2020 was a dark day in Pakistan’s history when Capt (R) Muhammad Safdar, the domesticated son-in-law of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by scores of party stalwarts and workers including wife Maryam Nawaz defiled the sanctity of the tomb by his verbal diarrhea – shouting, yelling and indulging in ugly sloganeering, giving ample indication of his being deprived of any sense of respect or dignity. Capt Safdar was arrested and then promptly released on bail by the honourable court. It would have been far more appropriate if this individual for conduct unbecoming of a retired officer of the Pakistan Army and acting in highly irresponsible manner in his individual capacity, would have been given punishment in accordance with the ordinance that provides protection and maintenance of the Quaid’s Mazar, which states “punishable with imprisonment for a term which may exceed to three years or with fine or with both.” This would have served to curb overzealousness and misdirected enthusiasm by the likes of Capt (Retd) Safdar whose only claim to fame is to be the husband of Maryam Nawaz and who yearns to become a ‘somebody’ in Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). My article titled “Turning Over in His Grave” is reproduced for the benefit of readers:
The obnoxious incident of disrespect for the Quaid-e Azam’s Mazar by Maryam’s husband Capt. Safdar, while she looked on smiling without any expression has aroused protest and widespread indignation among Pakistanis except for die-hard Nawaz loyalists who refuse to condemn it. Violating the sanctity of the mausoleum, shouting political slogans resulted in the brief arrest of Capt Safdar next morning by the Sindh police. Unfortunately, the due process of law was not followed.
The enquiry being conducted by Lt Gen Humayun Aziz, Comd 5 Corps must establish culpability. The IG Police has my full sympathy for whatever happened to him at around 4 in the morning. On the face of it, the IG’s grievance is fully justified. Whoever authorised this ham-handed operation must be held accountable. The Additional IG Ghulam Nabi Memon, whom I greatly admire, is a superb professional, however his “requesting for leave” because of the IG Police’s humiliation triggered off mass “requests for leave” by the Sindh Police hierarchy. This is mutiny, pure and simple! We are now in a Catch-22, condoned it will have repercussions, if not condoned it will set a precedent for the future, triggering a chain reaction of unacceptable dissent in an organised force. After a long time, Sindh Police was coming into its own, those who opted “for leave” are a very fine set of officers, but unfortunately mutinous behaviour is intolerable.
The abhorrent behaviour by Nawaz League workers was an insult to the personality of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, with basic decency and civilised behaviour expected from any citizen of the state he had created. The ultimate irony is that the Nawaz League is staining the name of the organization and the Quaid, the political party that the Quaid once headed. He was educated in London not only in the British spirit of the ‘rule of law’ but the decorum, behaviour and manners thereof, an attitude that he would not change until the end of his life.
Explaining his vision of the future of Pakistan in the Constituent Assembly in Karachi in August 1947 the Quaid said, “Remember that the scrupulous maintenance and enforcement of law and order are the prerequisites of all progress”. He felt most proud of having “achieved Pakistan … without bloody war and practically peacefully by moral and intellectual force and with the power of the pen,” cautioning his followers not “to besmear and tarnish this greatest achievement for which there is no parallel in the history of the world”. He maintained that “the first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State.” Corruption and any kind of monetary or business cheating was equally abhorred by the Quaid. Accountability was one of Jinnah’s central demands when he demanded in the same speech in August 1947 to punish black marketers.
Installed into politics by Punjab Governor Lt Gen Ghulam Jilani with the tacit support of military dictator Gen Ziaul Haq, Nawaz Sharif was sustained in the early stages of his political career by Lt Gen Hamid Gul, then DG ISI. It is a mystery why Nawaz Sharif has thereafter nurtured disrespect and venom for the army. The Superior Judiciary escapes derision if and when the judgments given suit the party or their bigwigs. An embattled Chief Justice had to seek army protection for the Supreme Court Building in November 1997 after an unruly mob of several hundred goondas (many of them MNAs and MPAs) stormed the courthouse, forced him to adjourn a contempt of court case against than Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
When Gen Raheel Sharif was COAS, an immature person from the Nawaz League hierarchy planted a fabricated story to defame the Army. The “non-state actor” Maryam had employed several hundred “social media” and tech specialists at govt cost to spread misinformation, “hybrid warfare” a la Uncle Modi. For what are our soldiers dying in desolate mountains and lonely valleys? The resultant enquiry held some close Nawaz aides guilty, such betrayal damaging the national fabric could not be brushed aside. Behaving like the gentleman he is, outstanding soldier Gen Raheel Sharif succumbed to papa’s sob act. Then Information Minister Pervez Rasheed and a few other Nawaz aides were made sacrificial lambs. Condoning Maryam’s venom was a huge mistake by the Army; look what six years later is happening. With the country’s very existence at stake at the hands of India’s hybrid warfare, they should not repeat this mistake.
The Sharif family is attempting desperately to escape being held accountable for the unaccounted-for money stolen and whitewashed, and the properties acquired abroad. To forestall the investigation they are utilizing Nawaz League loyalists who are as much culpable as accessories. Everyone and his uncle know that the family agenda and the PDM agenda differ totally in their objectives. That is, they did not allow Nawaz Sharif to address the PDM rally in Karachi. By being vocal against the Army and the Judiciary, convicted criminal Nawaz Sharif wants to get “political asylum”, attempting to influence the British authorities. The other members of the PDM have some genuine grievances, these been effectively derailed by Safdar’s derogatory antics in the Quaid’s mausoleum which has led to this “mutiny” situation among the Sindh Police hierarchy.
In my article “Army Chief, not Factory Managers”, dated Oct 21, 2016, I had written, “The Sharifs cannot tolerate anyone who does not jump to do their bidding without question. The Sharifs tend to select a “favourite” for crucial appointments like they would their “factory managers”. Despite giving some judgments against the Sharifs and the Punjab Govt, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was elevated to Chief Justice (CJ) of the Lahore High Court (LHC), eminent lawyer Babar Sattar calling it “a miracle”. Given their ingrained inferiority complex about Army Chiefs, the Sharifs will not keep the national interest supreme when appointing the COAS Pakistan”, unquote.
Many of us do not identify with this state, we have no understanding about what citizenship in a modern state implies. Any citizen must understand the role of the state’s institutions, its political system and what tolerance for the opinion of the other is. A certain amount of ‘civil behaviour’ is needed: one doesn’t make noise that disturbs others, one doesn’t destroy property or call others names, fighting and going rowdy in public. In a country that aims at emulating the example of the Prophet (PBUH) the Prophet never used foul language. On the contrary, there are Hadiths that record how he never had a bad word for an old woman who used to abuse him, when one day she was missing from where she used to stand, he got worried and went to inquire about her health.
All is not wonderful in Pakistan; our state institutions have been run down by successive governments. Certainly, the sitting government is also not free of mistakes. Despite shortcomings Imran Khan has started the process trying to right the wrongs. This will be successful if and when it gets the support of a sizeable portion of the citizens.
Somethings however are a mystery viz (1) Safdar could not be that stupid to resort to his antics in the Quaid’s mausoleum without some purpose, maybe he was attempting to get some political space within the Nawaz League very much like Asif Zardari carved out for himself (2)Nawaz League is trying to divert possible attention from the imminent publication of notices in UK newspaper declaring Nawaz Sharif a convicted criminal a absconding from justice in Pakistan and (3) what was Sindh Govt’s role in Safdar’s arrest and the “mutiny” by the Sindh Police hierarchy? Was PPP playing a double game cutting Maryam to size for not attending the pre-PDM meeting in Bilawal House in Karachi while at the same time condemning his arrest? And now using the Sindh Police incident to defame the Army and the Federal Govt?
All this pales, unfortunately, before the “protest” by the Sindh Police hierarchy. Unless they were acting on instructions from someone senior to them either in the police or in Sindh Govt, we will have to send about two dozen or so extremely fine professionally outstanding officers home for this incident. For Safdar’s antics in the near proximity of where he is buried that led to this no-win situation for the country, the Quaid must be turning over in his grave(the writer is a defence and security analyst).
Ikram Sehgal
