It is once again October. And once again, for my generation, it is a moment when we journey back into the foggy lanes of memory. We recall October 1958, when General Mohammad Ayub Khan, in cahoots with President Iskandar Mirza, placed the state of Pakistan under martial law on day seven of the month.
And October 7 in those days was talked about as a great day because of the arrival of a visionary leader in then Pakistan. Syed Badrul is seeing through the BAL prism and not from the eyes of the then common people who welcomed him as the savior from the bickering politicians of those days. And he satisfied people's expectations until probably the Pakistan-India war of 1965.
Every time he travelled to Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, all the students of our school and those of the girls’ school on the other side of the road were made to stand, tiny Pakistani flags in hand, to greet the president, for that would be the route he would be taking from the airport to wherever he would be staying. Now that we recall those days, it strikes us as rather queer that in his own country he was being treated as a visiting foreign head of state.
This Badrul the journalist is talking very innocent but his only aim is to criticize Ayub Khan for no reason at all. This Badrul is talking about small students waving flags along the streets to welcome him. What a funny criticism when every President is given welcome this way throughout the world and Pakistan was still only a newly established country.
When this Badrul criticizes this flag-waving, he is probably silent when all the people of BD are doing boat-racing throughout the country to celebrate the birthday of Hasina Bibi and catching cold.
So, I wonder why Badrul is targeting flag waving?
Ayub Khan surrounded himself with people who in the end turned against him, leaving him in a state of shock. In 1963, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, at the time foreign minister as well as secretary general of Ayub’s Convention Muslim League, publicly advanced the notion that the general be made Pakistan’s president-for-life.
This Badrul is finding fault for which Ayub was not guilty, but guilty were people like ZA Bhutto. He betrayed him. Actually, nothing would have happened unless there was a war against India that Pakistan had to compromise.
Three generals after him emulated him in seizing power and making a mess of politics in Pakistan; and two generals in Bangladesh, formerly in the Pakistan army, lorded it over the Bengali republic for a good number of years. The tombstone on Ayub’s grave in his village was vandalized a few years ago.
Thus the chronicle of a lapsed, forgotten strongman named Mohammad Ayub Khan.
I would criticize Yahya Khan, Zia-ul Haq, and partially General Musharraf in Pakistan. I would also criticize General Ershad for being an Indian lapdog who conspired to kill General/ President Ziaur Rahman.
But, I have reasons not to criticize General Ziaur Rahman. Like Ayub Khan, he was also another savior of east Pakistan/ Bangladesh. Only Zia can be compared with Ayub Khan. But, Ayub's achievents were far greater in both the wings of Pakistan.
Guys, I ask you to note the partial list of progress and development works undertaken during the time of Ayub Khan.
- All the Zilla roads (from this Zilla to other Zillas) were expanded and paved
- Kaptai Dam for electricity was built
- Chittagong Steel Mills, Chittagong Cable Factory, Chndraghona Paper Mills, Chittagong Dry Dock, Ghorasal Fertilizer Factory, and many hundred others were built during his time.
- He took back the
half of Naaf Dariya from Burma and set the centerline of that river as the common boundary. Burma had to withdraw its troops from the north of Naaf Dariya.
I wonder what Hasina Bibi is doing to return Rohingya refugees. Badrul Mia should say something about this important matter.
We are a nation (two nations) composed of people who like to spit in the sky and it comes down right on our faces. We should be more respectful towards our predecessors who tried their best to make progress in international affairs and develop the country.
Do not please forget Queen Elizabeth had visited both wings of Pakistan during the tenure of President Ayub Khan.
