Translated from Urdu to English by AI.
During the reign of the Shah of Iran, the 2,500-year royal celebrations were also observed in Multan. A beautiful park was built between the MCC Ground and the Press Club, and it was dedicated to the Shah’s elegant queen, Farah Pahlavi. Soon afterward, unrest began to erupt in Iran. The writings of Dr. Ali Shariati gained popularity among students, leading to anti-Shah protests.
At that time, I had started teaching at Government College Quetta. I remember one evening when the Iranian Cultural Center (Khana-e-Farhang) in Quetta hosted a lavish dinner. Many guests seemed quite elated that night, but the next morning, local newspapers reported that someone had attempted to set fire to the Iranian Cultural Center. Some miscreant had even tried to deface a photo of the Shah and Queen Farah Diba Pahlavi.
Shortly after, it was announced that the President of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, would address a public rally in Quetta alongside Princess Ashraf Pahlavi, the Shah’s sister. Despite armed Levies personnel surrounding the venue, it was an open public event, and I was present there as well.
Bhutto had seated the princess on an elevated chair and declared: “Our country has already suffered a division; we cannot afford to alienate tested friends like Iran.” At one point in his speech, he passionately exclaimed, “If even one among you stands up and says that Iran is not Pakistan’s friend, I will resign on the spot.” A Baloch man seated nearby stood up, and in a friendly manner, we all turned toward him. He quickly clarified, “I was just about to shout ‘Bhutto Zindabad!’”
However, the rumblings of a revolution began to echo from Iran. Pamphlets written by Iranian poets started arriving in Quetta, and surprisingly, these pamphlets were dedicated to Allama Iqbal.
A year earlier, we had read that Queen Farah Pahlavi had invited the great Urdu writer Qurratulain Hyder to stay at the royal palace to write the Queen’s biography. She was provided royal treatment — helicopters, private jets, and limousines. She visited the shrine of Imam Hussain’s Iranian wife and other religious sites and closely observed the Queen’s public and cultural engagements.
But everything turned upside down. In Multan, the name of “Gulistan-e-Farah Pahlavi” was changed. Qurratulain Hyder went on to write a report titled Koh-e-Damavand and a short story titled Qaid Khane Mein Talatum Hai Ke Hind Aati Hai (There is Turmoil in the Prison, for India Approaches). When I began searching for this book, Shakir Hussain Shakir and Rauf Klasra from Kitab Nagar sent me a couple of YouTube links where it could be read.
In her work, the great Urdu writer not only criticized the brutal intelligence agency SAVAK of the Shah’s regime but also condemned the courtly culture that limits the rulers’ ability to listen and see. She equally disapproved of the retaliatory judges who imposed their own version of Sharia.
Historical Analogies: Mir Jafar and the Burdens of Legacy
When Allama Iqbal said: “Qasim az Dakan o Jafar az Bengal”, Mir Jafar and Mir Qasim became proverbial symbols of treachery and betrayal. When it was later discovered that Major General Iskander Mirza descended from the same lineage, his mention invariably brought to mind the defeat of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah.
Wise people often advise me to keep my columns simple and relatable, not to turn them into classroom lectures. Yet, I feel compelled to cite two books.
The first is by Iskander Mirza’s son, Humayun Mirza: From Plassey to Pakistan. In it, he defends his ancestor Mir Jafar, arguing that given Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah’s indulgences and obstinacy, it was already determined that Lord Clive would emerge victorious and the Nawab would be killed. Thus, to save Bengal from further suffering, Mir Jafar acted as a realist politician, though his true character was never fairly recognized.
The second book, intriguingly titled Maal Gaari Mein Amanatein (Possessions in a Freight Train), initially seemed like a railway advertisement to me. But as I read on, I was astonished. It narrates how, during the partition, the belongings — especially books and files — of Indian government officials were transported to the new Pakistani capital, Karachi. This responsibility was given to Khawaja Muhammad Ismail, and the account was penned by Muhammad Hanif Bandhani.
Two significant points emerge from this book: first, that books and files of notable figures like Qudratullah Shahab and Chaudhry Muhammad Ali were among the possessions sent, which reveals their priorities. Second, there had been hushed mentions before, but now it became evident that while Begum Naheed Mirza enjoyed card games in the Governor General House, Iskander Mirza had no foreign accounts. After being exiled, he ended up washing dishes at a restaurant in London. This book also mentions how he repaid a loan of 5,000 rupees taken in Delhi from the author’s father, once reminded of it.
(Courtesy: Daily Jang)