IT takes time for the whole truth to emerge. A simple way to get at it would be to encourage the people of Pakistan's mole in RAW to be more industrious.

Be that a sit may, wherever old Yahya Khan may now be besporting himself, he would be happy to know that there are some earthlings who remember him with fondness and with joy.

For one, there is old Mrs Jer Irani,, the widow of Major Jimmy Irani of 10 Baloch Regiment, who came over to see me the other day with her album of old photographs. She proudly pointed out the youthful faces, in happier bygone days, of Generals Ayub Khan, Adam Khan, Yahya Khan, Hamid Khan, and Brigadier Hesky Baig, saying in Gujerati. "Badha gentlemen manas utah, kehvi sari reetay varte ne kehva broad-minded!" (They were all gentlemen, how well behaved and broad-minded they were!).

She recounted how, when her husband was the Administrative Commandant at Murree, Yahya would ring up on a Saturday evening and merely say, "Keep soda and ice ready," and how he and the other Bobsie Twin, Hamid Khan, used to motor up from 'Pindi and together with Jimmy would spend a merry evening toasting their absent friends.

Then there was Jimmy Midwood of Burmah Oil, Yahya's good friend and the boss of Ali, his son. Quite in character, as soon as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto took over from Yahya, Midwood, much to his regret and against his conscience, was prevailed upon by the revengeful president of the Republic and the world's first civilian martial law administrator to sack Ali Yahya.

Now to the continuation and ending of General Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan's journal, written in 1976, the first part of which was included in my column last Sunday:

"....Nobody has been a more faithful student of Dr. Goebbels than Shora.

"No government in the world has tried to build its image so much by maligning the previous government in order to build its own image, mostly based on falsehood. Example - we have created the Province of Baluchistan, we have brought a Russian steel Mill which the previous government did not have the courage to do, we merged the states in Pakistan. We started the heavy mechanical complex in Taxila from [the] Chinese, we thought of the 5th tunnel of the Tarbela Dam, we started the Islamic Summit Conference (forgetting the Rabat Conference where India was disgracefully ousted!), we have started the Tribal Area Development (forgetting the Tribal Development Authority started by the previous government). These are a few glaring examples of falsehood, but of course the man is so good and such an expert in telling lies, and so often. The goats of the public media, radio and TV, and other goats like Kausar, Mubashir, Hafeez and all the unscrupulous yes-men have proved to be true followers of Goebbels and Shora.

"I have always maintained that ambition is a natural human trait. Without ambition progress cannot be maintained in the world. It is a natural quality in a man. But, ambition must be controlled. Uncontrolled ambition becomes a menace. So ambition and a lust for power are the greatest menaces to have been gifted to this man. Nothing and nobody must be allowed to come in his way. Even his nearest and dearest ones - parents and children - could be sacrificed as long as his own ambitions are achieved. This has been proved over and over again. Examples:

J. A. Rahim, Mairaj Mohammad Khan, Ramay (two of them appointed as his successors).

"Dr G.W. Chaudhry, my Bengali minister, in his book has said: "He had to choose between two 'Ps', Pakistan and Power, and he chose the latter."

"Nawab Muzaffar Qizilbash, my finance minister, once told me that a foreign friend, an eminent psychologist, had told him that if this man does not get into power within a year he would go mad. I wish he had gone mad instead of breaking Pakistan to satisfy his lust for power.

"Mujibur Rahman: Shora loathed him to such an extent that when I was going to Iran in October 1971 to attend the 2500th anniversary of Iran's monarchy he told me to wind up the military court's proceedings quickly and finish off Mujib. I told him that until the proceedings of the court are finalized I cannot make a decision. He said that in Iran all sorts of pressures would be brought against me by heads of state to let off Mujib, so I must act at once and hang him.

"It shocked me to hear this from a so-called political leader of our country who claims to be so democratic and a people's man.

"Then again, when I was handing over to him on December 20, 1971, I told him that the proceedings of the military court have been received and are being examined by the law ministry before I could take a final decision. The way he told the nation that I had ordered the execution of Mujib and that he had saved him! Lies! Lies! Lies! But then what else could be expected from a master liar? It can be checked up with the proceedings of the military court and the dates and timings of the case which was being processed by the central government offices. The funny thing was that good Mujib believed him when he told him that Yahya wanted to hang him but Bhutto saved him."Incidentally, he was not the only one who wanted to finish off Mujib. Earlier, in one of my meetings with that cripple Nurul Amin and Mahmood Ali, they both told me that they cannot control the Pakistan Pasand and Islam Pasand Bengalis unless I finish off Mujib. My reply was that if this was the thinking of Pakistan's politicians - that they wish to finish each other off - God help Pakistan from such politicians.

"September 1, 1976: Today's papers (Nawa-i-Waqt and Sun) quote Tehran Journal, an article based on a visit to Pakistan and an interview with Shora. Two great lies come out.

(A) Yahya was responsible for the break-up of the country and Shora was quick to 'pick up the pieces', etc, etc. Now, for the journal to be brainwashed or bribed to say such falsehoods is at the least mean and unscrupulous.

(B) The Journal goes on to say that he was responsible for masterminding the 'detente' between China and the US. This is the first time that I have read this. It is quite obvious that over the past five years he was burning with jealousy because I was responsible for that great detente between the two mighty nations, US and China. He has been thinking all this time how to turn this to his own advantage.

"Kissinger on two or three occasions had stated that America would never forget the helpful [role] played by Pakistan in bringing the two countries together. Of course, this was not relished by 'him' and 'he' was really burning up. At last he managed to get hold of the Tehran Journal 'goof' and made him believe that 'he' masterminded the whole thing. Absolute and utter lies! It was I who had told him how I did it all, single-handedly. Not a soul knew about it. Even our Foreign Office was not in on it. President Nixon's letter to me speaks the truth.

"Steel Mill of Pakistan: Government records and some educated people know fully well that I, during my visit to Moscow, entered into an agreement with the Soviet Union for the establishment of a steel mill in Pakistan. A loan was agreed and signed by M.M. Ahmed and a Soviet expert. A site was selected near Hawkes Bay by some government experts - this I later changed during my visit to Karachi to a place near Pipri. A Steel Mills Corporation of Pakistan was established (S.M. Yusuf was the Chairman). A team was sent to Russia for training and all the preliminary work on the construction of roads and railways, and a port, etc, etc, was progressing when I left. It is now loudly and repeatedly claimed that the Steel Mill was started by them. What cheek and lies!!

"Tarbela Dam: As it happened, the credit for Tarbela is being taken by them and the blame put on the 'previous governments.' It was in 1970 when M.M. Ahmed put up a case to me for the establishment of the 5th tunnel for the Dam. After a great deal of thought and having been convinced of the requirement of the 5th tunnel, I gave the 'go ahead' signal for its construction. The work started at our own cost (not the World Bank Consortium's). Of course, now the credit for this 5th tunnel goes to 'them'!!

"November 1976: As the time for elections approaches, he has started making all sorts of excuses. Sometimes internal matters, sometimes external. India is quoted as an example for postponement. What an example!

"On the demand of the opposition he blames Yahya for giving too long a period for the electioneering campaign.

"Well, he himself has been campaigning for the last five years, singing his own praises and 'achievements', mostly false, by means of public meetings, TV, radio and the press. What is an election campaign, may I ask?"

On the subject of Yahya, his army career, and the role he played in the dismemberment of our country, more needs to be written now that the issue has been reopened.