The Right Side of History By Khurram Altaf

It was one of the best columns ever written by Javed Choudhry. I had already been his fan for over half a decade when he wrote “27 December ki sham” - a piece about Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s last few hours before burial.

He had narrated in detail how her corpse was placed offhandedly in the hospital with her clothes haphazardly spread over her body – the clothes which must’ve been carefully handpicked from the best of the best to veil arguably the most elegant woman in the world. He explained how her casket sat at the feet of security men on the floor of C130 – security men who couldn’t have imagined being this close to her while she was alive. He spoke of how she was buried under tons of dust and earth – something she hadn’t touched in decades.

Javed Choudhry had put it all flawlessly. And in that column somewhere between the lines he ever so eloquently gave the most important lesson there is for us mortals: No human is eternal. No amount of money can buy you a few moments of extra life. You are ineffectual once that heart stops and soul departs. Surrey Palaces and Bilawal Houses remain behind to be inhabited by the next in kin. Acres and Acres of land, tens of millions of die-hard fans, political alliances and elite patrons from all across the world cannot join hands and bring you back.

Javed Choudhry had analyzed the whole chain of events with an utterly divergent perspective. He had emphasized on how significant it is to leave behind worthy deeds to be remembered by the generations to come. He described how many men had stayed alive in history by their truth and just and never give-up attitude long after their demise.

I have always been an admirer of his analytical clarity on all these concepts: the difference between life and living, between money and wealth, between personal gains and national interests, between living in a mansion and living forever in the hearts of millions.

But then recently, I started to come across his proven in-time flawed analyses such as ‘dharna will end as soon as their cellphone’s battery dies’, or the repetition of the phrase ‘dharna has failed’ in almost every column he has written in the last 49 days, or the off-by-a-country-mile predictions on the number of people expected in Karachi or Lahore jalsas. I come across such flaws and I wonder if they are honest mistakes or deliberate miscalculations? I come across those miscalculations by my once favorite writer and I wonder if suddenly living in a mansion has become more important than living in the hearts of millions for generations to come. I read those columns and I wonder if standing by the truth for justice is important at all? I listen to his show and I am bemused if opinion is a tradable commodity. I hear his arguments and I start questioning the credibility of his life and death analysis in “27 December ki Shaam”.

And then I think about our leaders.

When the time comes, I wonder if the inevitable can be evaded by fleeing to the 5 Million pound flat in London. I wonder if acres and acres of land just outside Lahore will be big enough to hide from the final moments. I wonder if 4 thousand policemen, 1 thousand private security personnel and multi-million rupee Rottweilers are intimidating enough to shoo away the final call. I wonder if the 120 Million Rupees worth of German metal used in those Bimmers makes them death-proof.

I wonder if the race to become the richest man in Pakistan is worth the price of being carved in history as the prodigal king of an empire where oppressed were forced to commit suicides. I wonder if flying in a chartered plane, living in a top-end hotel, serving 70 dishes meal to a single guest – all from the national exchequer is worth the starvation of 110 million people in your direct responsibility domain.

I wonder if the whole parliament united can defend you in the Divine Court, especially when the plaintiff is a pregnant woman shot in the head just because she had a different political opinion. I wonder if friends from the Holy Land can put in a good word for you against the parents who had to sell their children because you were spending their food quota on your lavish pleasures.

I am bewildered. On the judgment day, I wonder if corrupt leaders will be facing the Divine Justice alone or will they be joined by their accomplices, their adulators and applauders who encouraged them with chants, columns and praises on every step?

Situated in Jhamra, near Tandlianwala is the tomb of Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal. Well lit, regularly looked after, scores visit daily to pray for his maghfirah and pay their tribute. Not far from that tomb is a crumbling cemetery covered in wild grass where Lord Berkley lies in an unidentifiable grave. One may come across a phrase scribbled on one of the walls of that cemetery summarizing it all beautifully: “Mitay naamion ke nishaan kesay kesay..”

We have to stay prudent. We have to stay on the right side of history.

When books are written about the moment of remarkable changes in Pakistan, which character do we want to be associated with; a soldier in the Army of Justice, OR a sidekick of the tyrant realm? Do we want to be remembered like Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal, or forgotten like Lord Berkley?

by webmaster@insaf.pk (tkiadmin)