7/31/2019 The Story of a Man of Conviction

1/4

The story of a man of conviction

DR FARID A. MALIK

In a typical leaguer's house there is a portrait of the Quaid in every room and a discussion on the

importance of "Mazboot Markaz" (strong center). I grew up in one such environment.

Khan Qayyum Khan, a regular visitor, who was Qayyum Lone in Srinagar and Double Barrel Khan in

Peshawar, never ever missed the opportunity to drive home the importance of Mazboot Markaz and

anyone opposed to this concept was somehow considered anti-Pakistan.

Shaukat Hayat was not far behind. The "Red Shirts" or "Khudai Khidmatgars" never fared well

amongst the leaguers. As a child I was always inquisitive about the other side. Despite all the

negative talk, my father always admired the Karakuli (Jinnah) Caps of Khan Wali Khan and his

steadfastness on principles.

While most leaguers compromised for positions and prominence, or were disillusioned like my

father, the Red Shirts- Sardar Shaukat Hayat Mehboob Qureshi; Sardar Zafarullah - held their

ground. Compromise was unknown to them; they were certainly a different breed of politicians,

perhaps they really were khidmatgars.

On my own initiative, I started to follow Wali Khan and his politics. In the 1970 free and fair

elections, his party fared well in Sarhad and Baluchistan. It had the third largest standing in Pakistan

after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's (ZAB) PPP and Qayyum Khan's League (PML-Q). Wali Khan and his ANP

sided with Mujib's Awami League and openly opposed the military action in East Pakistan.

When ZAB boycotted the National Assembly session in Dacca, Wali Khan defied threats and went toattend the session. Pakistan was dismembered, the Armed Forces were humiliated. ZAB was asked

to put the pieces of what remained of Pakistan together. He called it the New Pakistan.

Constitutional government was the first order of business. Martial law had to go. The Supreme Court

(SC) under Hamood-ur-Rehman was moving against Martial Law in the Asma Jilani case. The house

enacted the 1972 interim constitution and ZAB was sworn in as the President.

7/31/2019 The Story of a Man of Conviction

2/4

Under the civilian government, the 1973 permanent constitution was promulgated in which Wali

Khan played a key role. His party, in coalition with JUI, formed provincial governments in Sarhad and

Baluchistan while he became the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

The 1970 house was glorious; each member played his role. The leader of the house was ZAB and

Wali Khan sat on the other side. The debates were lively and democracy at its peak. It seemed that

the rule of the establishment had finally come to an end.

The rise of democracy lasted till 1975. ZAB had total grip over the country; no politician could match

him except the tall man from Charsadda. The battle grounds were drawn but confined to the floor of

the assembly which used to meet in the old State Bank building, which is now the NADRA

headquarter.

ZAB was at his best in diplomacy and foreign visits. He returned from a very successful trip abroad

and was preening on the floor of the house; he even lashed out at the opposition and its leader for

slowing him down. When Bhutto was done, Wali Khan responded: "Mr. Bhutto, you stop telling lies

about me and I will stop telling the truth about you." There was a standing ovation- someone was

able to match ZAB's wits.

The establishment decided to strike back. Suddenly the "Mazboot Markaz" debate started. Wali

Khan stood his ground. His famous words were "We neither run nor compromise". The democratic

forces started to rally around the leader of the opposition. Wali Khan came to address a gathering of

intellectuals of Cheney's Lunch Home on Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam.

A delegation of students was also there. It was my first meeting with a "Khudai Khidmatgar" about

whom I had heard from the Leaguers. He spoke his mind; I was impressed and decided to interview

him for the magazine that I was editing. The word got out; we were summoned by the

administration and admonished.

The entire editorial staff decided to resign. There were intense negotiations, and finally an

agreement was reached: we were to publish only his views on the Education Policy. On his next visit

we interviewed him at his party leader's house on Upper Mall. His eye kept bothering him, but he

was honest and graceful.

Wali Khan was educated at Colonel Brown's School in Dehra Dun. After his Senior Cambridge, he

joined the freedom movement headed by his father Khan Ghaffar Khan who was also called Sarhadi

Gandhi.

7/31/2019 The Story of a Man of Conviction

3/4

The Red Shirts were closely linked with the Congress Party and were in the forefront while driving

the colonial powers out. Wali Khan was imprisoned for his defiance and lost one of his eyes during

his jail term. At the time of partition, the Red Shirts were in power in the frontier province and the

League in the opposition.

Qayyum Khan led the famous referendum under which the frontier province voted to join Pakistan.

After the creation of Pakistan, the federal government dismissed the provincial government despite

a majority on the basis of the referendum results. This started a feud between Red Shirts and the

federal government that has remained unresolved.

According to Wali Khan, the Sarhad was always a Muslim majority province with a sizeable tribal

belt. The Pakhtun ran their own affairs with minimum interference; they had always stood for

autonomy. Mazboot Markaz was not acceptable to them. Honesty and integrity has always been

their hallmark. Being anti-colonial they were fiercely anti-establishment as well. Their politics is

based on "Khidmat" not "Tijarat".

Unlike his father, Wali Khan lived in Pakistan and is now buried here. A true son of the soil who

served it well with no aspiration towards personal gains or bounties, Wali Bagh is his permanent

abode. He will be cherished as a Pakhtun leader of Pakistan who struggled for the rights of his

people.

ZAB, under the influence of the establishment, dismissed the governments in Sarhad and

Baluchistan. Army action was started against the defiant Baloch leaders. Democracy went for a six.

Wali Khan and his party leaders were arrested. National Awami Party (NAP) that he headed was

banned. Hyderabad conspiracy case was initiated. Despite failing health he kept his dignity. His able

wife Nasim Wali Khan started the Awami National Party (ANP) and decided to take on the

government. The struggle had to continue.

Wali Khan himself paid a tribute to the old Leaguers. Neo-Leaguers who joined the Muslim League

after the 1940 Lahore Resolution and then 1958 Martial Law have derailed the country.

According to Khan Sahib, corruption was not an issue till 1958. We were opposed to Qayyum Khan,

but never accused him of corruption and vice versa. The formation of NAP in East Pakistan was

because of the Neo-Leaguers and their selfish politics. Wali Khan merged with NAP but later

branched off as NAP (Wali Group) while the other was called NAP (Bashani Group) and was active in

East Pakistan.

7/31/2019 The Story of a Man of Conviction

4/4

Neo-Leaguers are the real villains of the malaise that plagues us today. The old Leaguers took part in

the freedom struggle and then tried to serve their new country. One by one they were either

sidelined or cornered.

Pakistan was in their blood, they could not betray it. My father's close friend Mr. Mehboob Qureshi,

who rose to be the Joint Secretary All India Muslim League, died a disillusioned and broken man.

Sardar Shaukat Hayat, despite being cornered, played an important role in the election campaign of

Madre-Millat that brought Ayub Khan down. According to Mehboob Sahib, the Quaid himself was

unhappy with his party members and withdrew in disgust when he went to Ziarat.History will draw

the line between "Khidmat" and "Tijarat"- those who served and those who plundered. Ghaffar

Khan, Wali Khan and now Asfandyar Wali Khan; three generations of principled politics. Honesty and

steadfastness even at the cost of personal sacrifice. As a young man, Wali Khan sacrificed his youthby spending time in jail where he lost his eye. In his middle age and then old age again he was

persecuted for his righteousness.

The Muslim League remained while the players changed. The Nationalist parties perished but the

Leaders survived to re-emerge and fight back. There has always been a "Power League" that has

managed to cling to the powers that matter. Who has served the motherland?

Those who compromised and prospered, or those who stood up and suffered? Wali Khan could not

be bought or intimidated, his was a long glorious innings. My father the Leaguer admired his

"Karakuli Cap", as he too was fond of it because it represented purity and character- only he called it

the "Jinnah Cap". Wali Khan was indeed one of the worthiest men to wear such a cap.

The writer is a former Chairman of the Pakistan Science Foundation