The unanimous passage of two separate resolutions by Punjab and Sindh Assemblies in support of the late writer and scholar Prof Waris Mir on June 9 and June 15 respectively, has vindicated him in history as a true patriot. These resolutions were adopted weeks after Punjab’s Information Minister Fayyaz Chohan tagged Waris Mir as a ‘traitor’ for criticizing the 1971 military operation in Bangladesh.
The first resolution was adopted on June 9th when the Punjab Assembly members unanimously paid homage to the late writer and scholar for his valuable services to the nation and called for the restoration of the Waris Mir Underpass, which had mysteriously been renamed last year by the Punjab government at a time when his son, Hamid Mir became increasingly critical of the current government. The second resolution was adopted on June 15 by the Sindh Assembly in support of Prof Waris Mir which also criticised those tagging patriotic Pakistanis as traitors.
By highlighting Prof Mir’s unwavering struggle for democracy, human rights and freedom of press, the Sindh Assembly resolution itself erases all misconceptions regarding his patriotism. Yet, I can’t help but wonder why a man’s loyalty is up to test even 33 years after his death. Is it simply for speaking the truth about Bangladesh, or is it because even in a supposedly ‘free’ democracy, one still has to pay a heavy price for political dissent? Anyone who has sought knowledge of history beyond the Pakistan Studies textbooks knows that Pakistan’s official stance on the 1971 war has been disputed by many historians.
The loss of East Pakistan was undeniably the most shameful loss for a nation that gained independence on the basis of Muslim brotherhood in 1947. Interestingly enough, in 1971 when the Pakistan Army’s Eastern Command Head, Lt General Sahabzada Yaqoob Ali Khan was asked to carry out the military operation, he outrightly resigned from the army. Yet, during General Zia’s dictatorship, the same General Yaqoob was appointed as the foreign minister of Pakistan. Ironically, General Zia managed to overlook his fellow general’s difference of opinion, but did not tolerate Waris Mir’s criticism of the 1971 operation.
Last week’s debacle moved me to dig out some of my grandfather’s work to see for myself what the dilemma over his patriotism was all about. He passed away long before I ever got to meet him, but fortunately he left behind a legacy in the form of his writings. His work is not only a strong lesson on history, but a guide on how to stand firm against the vicious narratives our state often tries to feed us in the name of nationalism. As far as our past with Bangladesh is concerned, here is what I found: When Mir was a professor of journalism and the student affairs advisor in 1971 at Punjab University, Lahore, the administration rewarded the student union with a hefty sum of Rs.9000 for a foreign tour. The Student Union President at that time was Hafeez Khan, who recounts in a column how out of destinations like Turkey and Iran, Mir proposed a visit to what was then East Pakistan as an effort to bridge the widening gap between the East and West Pakistanis. Many of their well-wishers warned that they were endangering their lives, but Mir was confident that they could diffuse the ongoing tensions through student mobilization.
Although they were met with an enthusiastic welcome at first, matters in Dhaka had deteriorated far beyond their imagination. The Indian and Pakistani army, along with rebels from Mukhti Bahini and Jamaat e Islami (Al-Shams, Al-Badr) were already caught up in skirmishes; much to Mir and his delegation’s demise, East Pakistan was on the brink of civil war by the time they arrived. Admittedly, their mission was not successful; instead of organizing talks and conferences, their East Pakistani hosts spent most of their time worrying about the safety of their guests.
Waris Mir returned to Pakistan in a state of depression over the political differences and misunderstandings, which he felt, were deliberately planted and propagated by vile politicians and the army itself. According to Javed Hashmi, another student leader who accompanied Prof. Mir to Dhaka, they held a press conference upon their return in hopes of awakening West Pakistanis to the terror and tumult that gripped the East. However, the military dictatorship of the time quickly silenced his cries; their appeal was not published. Eventually, Prof Mir penned down his memories of the trip 14 years later, in 1985, when he felt his conscience no longer allowed him to stay quiet about how he saw Pakistan split in to two right before him; “Mai nay Pakistan ko dolakht hotay dekha”. Soon after, he died a mysterious and untimely death.
His memoirs published in the book ‘Waris Mir Kahani’ reflect a state of resentment; he was disappointed in himself for being helpless in the face of the vicious narratives propagated by West Pakistani politicians and the army. In a firm criticism of both the Mukhti Bahini and the army, it is evident that all Mir opposed was the dismemberment of Pakistan. Among various vivid details of his experience in Dhaka, what stand out the most are his interactions with ordinary East Pakistanis. He writes: “I came across people of every caste and creed, most of whom were rightly enraged at their ill treatment at the hands of West Pakistani politicians and civil servants. Many West Pakistani bureaucrats had entitled themselves as the “rulers” of East Pakistan, sometimes going to the extent of calling them “ghatya, neech, zaleel” to their faces. Evidently, it came as no surprise that the same Bengali Muslims who had once led the Pakistan Movement came to grow resentful of their fellow West Pakistanis; naturally, when a few freedom fighters chanted the slogan of “Bangladesh”, the Bengalis found an outlet for their deep-rooted grievances and called for liberation.”
In 2012, in an effort to improve relations with Pakistan, the Bangladeshi government sought out all those personalities who had made an effort to mend ties with Banglis in the past. Among them was Waris Mir and his simple effort to salvage an undivided Pakistan through a peaceful dialogue. When this came to the Bangladeshi government’s attention, they decided to honour him with a ‘Friends of Bangladesh Award’, along with Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Habib Jalib, Ghaus Bakhsh Bizinju, Malik Ghulam Jilani and some others who had fearlessly raised their voices for East Pakistanis. Ever since, some people in Pakistan often use this award to defame Waris Mir whenever his son dares raising his voice for issues such as the missing persons case.
The unanimous condemnation of Chohan’s malicious remarks against Prof. Waris Mir by the Sindh Assembly is a laudable step in the right direction. But the circumstances that have made such resolutions necessary leaves little difference between today’s supposedly democratic Pakistan and the military dictatorship that Mir resisted. Whereas back then, the state explicitly censored voices of dissent; today, one has to practice self-censorship to avoid trouble. In light of the sweeping sense of intimidation that haunts press freedom in Pakistan today, one hopes that the resolution passed as a tribute to Waris Mir will not go in vain, and that our ruling parties uphold the ideals that he laid his life for.
Ayesha Mir is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College in the US, and has just finished her Masters from the University of Oxford, UK.
