THE last sun of the year 1974 was about to disappear into the Arabian Sea. It was time to reflect. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was in Karachi. He had landed in the city after visiting the earthquake-affected Swat district. Talking to newsmen, Z A Bhutto said during the year Pakistan had to face drought, the oil crisis (due to high global market prices) and a devastating earthquake. “The year has only a few hours left, and let’s hope that the new year would be a good one for the country.” In a lighter vein, he asked journalists whether they were superstitious. He then put the same question to the Chief Minister of Sindh, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, who replied he was superstitious to some extent. Governor of Sindh, Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan said she wasn’t.

The scene shifted from local to global issues when on Jan 1, 1975 the Arab Students Association and the General Union of Palestine Students of Pakistan Association celebrated in the city the 10th anniversary of the Palestinian revolution and the liberation struggle at a local hotel. Speaking on the occasion, Kamal Azfar, president of the Pakistan Peoples Party (Karachi), said Palestine belonged to Palestinians and hoped that they would return to their motherland soon. In his view, Yasser Arafat’s statement that Palestine under his political party would be a multinational state in which all the people — irrespective of religion, caste, race, colour and language — would live peacefully was a tribute to humanity. Mr Azfar remarked that the knife of Zionism had been thrust into the heart of the Third World by imperialists and assured Palestinians that the people of Pakistan were solidly behind them.

Another freedom fighter was in the news on Jan 4 as tributes were paid to Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar by speakers at a memorial meeting held under the auspices of the Pakistan National Centre. Hatim A Alvi presided over the event while Zohra Begum, the daughter of Maulana Jauhar, was the chief guest. Mr Alvi highlighted various aspects of the political life of the Maulana by talking about his dedication to the cause of Muslims for which he worked tirelessly and fearlessly. Zohra Begum exhorted citizens to emulate the Maulana’s life who always stood for Islamic brotherhood. She commented, “The best way to pay homage to him is to refrain from parochialism and regional prejudices.”

In a similar spirit, on Jan 3 Justice Noorul Arfin, Judge of the Sindh and Balochistan High Court, urged the people to acquire artistic qualities. Inaugurating an exhibition in Korangi of historic photographs and paintings on the freedom movement, he said writers and poets should write about the social policies of great warriors like Tipu Sultan.

And on Jan 2, Kadam Rao Padam Rao by Fakhruddin Nizami was one of the 2,836 rare manuscripts presented by the Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu to the National Museum of Pakistan at a simple ceremony. The organisation’s secretary, Jamiluddin Aali, handing over the treasures of Urdu, Persian and Arabic manuscripts the museum, said the British Museum had given the anjuman a tempting offer for Nizami’s book but it was turned down because it would have made Pakistan poorer in its cultural and historical heritage.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2024