politicians-from-pakistan

"I have so much affection for Mustafa, Pakistan and Kashmir were always on his lips"

"Art is not a plaything, nor an ornamantal activity but an expression of life—it gives glimpse of life."

"We are on the threshold of an era of science and technology. In our encounter with the new age it is the responsibility of the teachers, standing at the confrontation of past with the present, to help evolve a perspective for the future."

"It was 1950. I was then studying Journalism in London and was attached to the "Daily Telegraph” I was scanning the news of the morning. Suddenly I found the “copy" containing the list of successful candidates who had passed their Bar-at-Law Examination Mustafa’s name was there. I rang him up at his residence and congratulated him on his success At six in the evening Mustafa came to my flat with lots of eatables and to express his gratitude to me for letting him know his results piping-hot from the newspaper office. Such was the man who is no more in the land of the living."

"It was Brig. Saheb Dad who was President of the East Pakistan Sports Federation during Martial Law period when Kabir of Mohammedan Sporting Club and a Pakistani International football player was placed under suspension for some reason or other. Mohamedan Sporting Club was to play one of its vital League's match and Kabir's services was needed badly. It was Mustafa Bhai who came forward to the rescue of the club. It was learnt on the eve of the match day that Brig Saheb Dad was having his dinner at a friend's i residence. Mustafa Bhai, as a real lover of sports, did not hesitate to go and waited there outside the house for quite a long time till Brig Saheb Dad came out to leave for his residence. Mustafa Bhai approached him with Kabir's mercy petition and requested him to allow Kabir to play on the following day. To be very frank Brig Saheb Dad felt embarrassed seeing a person of such stature waiting for him outside a house at the dark of night and for such a small matter. He immediately assured that the suspension will be lifted. Kabir played on the following day. These may be small matters but they show one's sincere love and feelings towards sports, and sportsmen."

"Just as Medina had provided a base for the eventual victory of Islam in Arabia, Pakistan would pave the way for the triumphal return of Islam as the ruling power over the entire subcontinent. The whole of Hindustan would thus be turned into Pakistan just as the Prophet himself had turned all of Arabia into Pakistan."

"Honor killing is the worst form of example of brutality and bestiality in Pakistani society. The killing of a child by the mother or father is the desecration of the sacred bond of motherhood and parenting."

"Pakistan is the birthright of the Muslims."

"Pakistan is not the final goal of the Muslims. We want more. Pakistan is only the jumping off ground. The time is not far distant when the Muslim countries will have to stand in line with Pakistan and then only the jumping ground will have reached its fruition."

"My new appointment will create some protests and resentment by many Islamic extremists. But my struggle will continue, despite the difficulties and threats that I have received. My only aim is to defend fundamental rights, religious freedom and the life of Christians and other religious minorities. I am prepared for any sacrifice for this mission, which I carry out with the spirit of a servant of God. I thank all those who have prayed for me and supported me. I am receiving many messages of support from Pakistan and around the world."

"At least now the world know, why he did, what he did #Gaza_Genicide"

"East Bengal and West Bengal share the same culture, the same history, and the same heritage. We cannot be kept apart."

"Sir, during the dark days or nights of the Great Killing, I watched events from the ‘point of view of a member of the Opposition. The news that came to me trickling down from various sources was unfavourable to the Ministers in power. I was very deeply impressed with the fact that during the whole of these disturbances the machinery of Government had completely broken down in this city. Sit, I pondered deeply over the situation, and if I have risen to say a few words on these motions I wish to tell my comrades in the Assembly what | feel very strongly and which T think ought to be raised before the people of Bengal, if Bengal is to be saved at all from utter extermination. There have been Hindu-Muslim quarrels in the past all over India. In many of these quarrels, when cases had been started, I had the privilege of defending the Muslim accused almost all over the country. But, Sir, 1 have never in the whole course of my life seen anything like the purcly fiendish fury with which both Hindus and Muslims have murdered not merely men or women but even small children. 1 do not know to satisfy what impulse—human or devilish—which seems to have possessed the Bengalees for those fateful days and nights that my countrymen indulged."

"I have reached the final stage of my life. I have no more desires. If I can begin the work of removing this false wall between the two Bengals, I will consider myself blessed."

"Those who have divided our golden country into two parts - they are the enemies of the country."

"It seemed …that some modern Nadir Shah had come upon Calcutta and had given up the city to rapine, plunder and pillage. Sir, each time I tried to get in touch with police officers, I was told that I was to contact the Control Room."

"Police officer would not listen, the Control Office would not control, the Government Houses would not listen, Sir, in these circumstances the Great Killing went on and it is undisputed that this would never have happened if the police and the military had taken strong measures on Friday, the 16th, when the trouble began. It would have been nipped in the bud that very day, and, therefore, the conclusion is inevitable that although the police may not be responsible for the origin of disturbances, they are directly responsible for the great loss of human life, and if an impartial enquiry is held and these officers can be spotted, my opinion is that they deserve to be hanged, drawn and quartered publicly, on charges of murder and abetment of murder…’"

"Sir, on Friday morning 1 received telephone messages from various parts of the city from both Hindus and Muslims that troubles had broken out. I thought it was one of those unfortunate affairs which have shown to the world that although the Bengalees or Indians generally are amongst the most intellectual races of the world, they do not know the virtue of toleration. But, then the situation worsened gradually. I advised those who were telephoning to me, to seek police protection. It was then I came to know that the police were being appealed to and in some cases the police said that they had received no orders. Wonder of wonders! What are the police here for, what are they being paid for, if they do not know that whenever there is a’ disturbance of the public peace and tranquillity, their first duty is to jump into the situation, if necessary, and to defend public peace and tranquillity with their lives ?"

"Sir, 1 will not take much time of the House, but 1 will refer to a few instances which have been an eye-opener to me. have felt that the greatest disturbances did not rise in a moment out of the moon but seem to be the result of a well-planned action —may be on one side of nay be on both sides. To not know—God alone knows. “The future alone will disclose what is the truth ."

"There is only one person that can be "more than a father", it is your dear mother, whose love for her offspring is unbounded by heaven and earth."

"I hope you must be enjoying to receive a letter from me. I may tell you that I enjoy to receive your letter ten times more. In prison life, a letter from dear ones is a great luxury."

"It requires worth fully to appreciate a man of worth."

"I have done nothing but my duty, and which I shall be doing so long as there is life in me."

"We shall carry on our campaign against this "Zulm" (cruelty)."

"In the Jail, there is a Government supplied radio, and I hear music and news occasionally. My time, however, passes in my pastime; I live by myself, alone."

"Time never returns once lost."

"All of you please avoid smoking, drinking habits as venomous things. By keeping away from them you will be happy and healthy."

"Everyone has to follow the road (to death)!"

"Of all the actors in the Bangladeshi drama, Tajuddin's determination to be true to the vision of the liberation movement is unparalleled. Yet, he is ignored in history. Tajuddin's ideas for a pluralistic democratic Bangladesh were betrayed by his friend and mentor Sheikh Mujib. He was politically sidelined in the early years, as his country crashed headfirst in to constitutional chaos."

"Tajuddin Alimed was one of the most important actors leading to the creation of Bangladesh. He was the acting prime minister in the government in exile, while the war was raging in his country and Sheikh Mujib was in prison in the western wing. Tajuddin's strained relationship with Mujib was brought about in part, by intrigues orchestrated by General Khandaker Mushtaq Ahmed, whose name, as Mascarenhas wrote, has become synonymous with treachery"."

"Tajuddin was murdered by the order of a scheming colleague Khandaker Mushtaq Ahmed, who had made himself president after Mujib's assassination. The murder of Tajuddin was preplanned. Khandaker Mushtaq then promulgated the original Indemnity Ordinance to exonerate those who had killed Mujib. Indemnity was also given to the military men who had stormed the jail that night in November 1975, and murdered Tajuddin along with three other prominent Awami League leaders. The Indemnity Ordinance was institutionalized into the constitution by General Zia. All these things have not made it into the textbooks."

"Rao Farman Ali then devotes a whole chapter to the alleged plots by India. The Generals have all seemed to agree that India had been conspiring to break apart Pakistan since 1947, and even our Liberation War was also the result of Indian conspiracies. Pakistani Generals have never managed see past this illusion."

"Tajuddin Ahmed's place in history has been excluded from most Bangladeshi treatments. He was the Awami Leaguer who led the government in exile from Mujibagar, established near Calcutta. Tajuddin Ahmed and Mujib disagreed over the creation of Baksal, a one-party state. He was forced to resign his post as minister in the government in 1974."

"Tajuddin Ahmed was one of the main players in the war of Liberation. He was also the most honest of many of those players. In 1998, he was posthumously awarded the long overdue respect denied to him. This "rehabilitation" at was accorded to him when the Awami League was in power, has certainly been withdrawn by the BNP. Army personnel brutally murdered him to ensure that no civilians capable of leading the nation remained alive. The military wanted to keep the power. It was therefore essential to murder all democratic statesmen."

"But Niazi [Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi] has reserved his fiercest wrath for Rao Farman Ali. The latter, he says, was not only an opportunist conspirator, but was also an embezzler of money. Farman asked him to send him back to Pakistan, because "Mukti Bahini would kill him for his alleged massacre of the Bangalis and intellectuals on the night of 15/16th December. It was a pathetic sight to see him pale and almost on the verge of break-down". But Niazi assured him that he would give his life to save Farman Ali from the clutches of the Muktibahini, and he kept his word."

"On the other hand, Hasan Zahir, a Pakistani civil servant at that time,writes about Operation Searchlight in his book The Separation of East Pakistan : "Major General Farman Ali was the executor of Dhaka part of 'Searchlight'. He succeeded in 'shock action' by concentrated and indiscriminate firing on the target areas". But Farman, while describing the night of March 25, has cloaked the truth like the other Pakistani Generals. His version of the story may satisfy the conscience of Pakistanis, but not ours."

"This is how Farman Ali narrates his tale. He had perfectly understood the reality, but he has avoided them skilfully. So ultimately the book becomes a mish-mash of exaggerations, half-truths and truths. But he has concocted the whole story so cleverly that it may seem believable to some readers. This is a good strategy for him, but disastrous for history or for the future. But even after all the scrutiny, there are some information in the book which are valuable for chronicling the history of 1971."

"The Hamudur Rahman Commission also investigated this allegation. But everyone has acquitted Farman, and that was just the natural thing to do because if Farman is proved responsible, then it means admitting that the atrocities actually happened."

"List of intellectual to be murdered : after liberation these pages from Rao Farman Ali's diary was found in Banga Bhaban. Farman Ali himself had writen the list."

"Farman Ali has also advocated for the genocide in this way,"When a civil war is raging, both sides are transformed into beasts. The words civil war have not been used by many of his fellow Generals. He also writes that the Pakistani Army failed to act like a national force. He gives an excuse for this failure: "Some of its members exceeded their authority and killed a number of civil and police officials without proper trial. The Army was not able to control Biharis in taking revenge when badly affected areas were liberated by Army"."

""Green land of East Pakistan will be painted red", wrote Farman Ali in his diary. When asked about this, Farman Ali told me this was not true. Yes, he did write it in the diary, but the context was different. In those days, Kazi Zafar in one his speeches had said that he would cover the green of East Pakistan with the red flag of socialism. Farman Ali had scribbled that in his diary. Is this in any way believable? I leave it for the reader to decide."

"If I were to make any frank statement , I would be misunderstood. Minority leaders fear that if they were to appear in the role of complainants , they may well find themselves in the role of culprits."

"“Hindus will be wiped out in a Pakistani nuclear attack. Pakistan will also be destroyed but 58 Muslim countries will remain:” Pakistani politician Ahmad Raza Kasuri. A similar sentiment has been shared by ‘liberal’ Pakistani commentator Hassan Nisar."

"If any relation has to be kept between Muslims and Kafirs (like Hindus), it is akin to the relation of a man with a latrine (toilet). It may be a necessary evil, but it should be seen as such. Because, Rasool Allah (i.e., Mohammed) has already made judgement on who is to enter heaven, and who is to enter hell; and that while Muslims will enter heaven, Hindus will enter hell."

"Coinciding with this development, Scott Perry, a Republican member of the US Congress, has written a letter to President Joe Biden, demanding that the US administration should “reject any democratic credentials” presented by Khan in view of his background as a “bona fide terrorist sympathizer working to undermine” American interests in the region and the “security of our Indian allies”. In a January 27 letter, Perry wrote that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nomination of Khan “can only be described as a breathtaking lack of judgement at best, and a demonstration of Islamabad’s unmitigated contempt for the United States at worst”. Perry contended that Khan has “praised both terrorists and foreign terrorist organizations – including Hizbul Mujahideen – in stark and unsettling terms” and “encouraged young men to emulate jihadists like Burhan Wani, a former commander of Hizbul Mujahideen who dedicated his life to a holy war against India”. He further wrote that Khan “lashed out” at the US in 2017 for designating the leader of Hizbul Mujahideen for sanctions, and willingly appeared alongside Harkat-ul-Mujahideen founder Fazlur Rehman Khalil, a specially designated global terrorist, in 2019. Perry referred to the US treasury department’s assertion that Khalil had a close relationship with al-Qaeda and its slain founder, Osama bin Laden. Perry also accused Khan of supporting the “Helping Hand for Relief and Development”, a group that has a partnership with the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was responsible for killing 166 people during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. “A litany of examples accompanies Mr Khan’s perverse attachment to Islamic terrorism, which makes it exceedingly obvious that Pakistan has embraced its identity as a super terrorist state,” Perry wrote. “While I am encouraged that the State Department has reportedly put a pause on approving Masood Khan as the new Ambassador from Pakistan, a pause is not enough. I urge you to reject any diplomatic credentials presented to you by Masood Khan and reject any effort by the Government of Pakistan to install this jihadist as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States,” he added…."

"A six-thousand year-old Pashtun, a thousand-year-old Muslim and a twenty-seven year-old Pakistani."

"Every third year of his life in jail."

"We ask you (China) to relocate your industry to Pakistan as our Special Economic Zones are now ready. If you bring your industry here, it will be a win-win situation for both countries."

"I am still hoping that it (Pakistan's economic growth rate) could be five per cent. It could be between 4.5 per cent to five per cent during the current fiscal year ending on June 30 (2022)."

"Do not forget also that lslamic society actually in existence is that in which the religious head is an ignorant Mullah, the spiritual head an immoral Pir, the political guide a power-intoxicated feudal landlord . ... their cry of 'Islam is in Danger' became a cloak for dark deeds and reactionary moves, complacency and tyranny. Such is the extent to which mockery can be made of Islam in these days of capitalist subterfuge and commercialized politics."