15 March 2004
In his columns titled “Azad Jammu & Kashimir Television Station, in the Daily Nawaiwaqt of 04 March 2004 the columnist Rashid Malik is surprised that His Excellency the president of Pakistan inauguarated the opening ceremony of the TV station by pushing a button in the AJ&K Assembly. He wonders that in one institution namely Assembly serious is talked serious issues like Constitution, Law, Politics and Decomocracy while on the other namely TV non serious issues “beautiful faces, music, culture, songs” are song.
I am sure His Excllency’s inaugurating switching on the inaugural button in a place other than the TV Station itself must be for a very valid reason namely the security concerns.
Today we are passing through a crucial stage and security of our Head of State is and in fact should always be a high concern. However such things had in past too been done when we had not much security concerns. I do not remember the period but it was sometime end 1980s when Pakistan Post Office Department introduced its very first Public Fax Machine system. The chief guest for the opening ceremony was a senior columnist Ibn-e-Hassan who at that time was holding the position of Governor of Sindh.
Ibn-e-Hasan was the Editor or Chief Editor of a weekly businessm
Magazine. He also used to write Urdu coloumns mostly in Daily Nawai-e-Waqt. Reading of his columns always gave an impression he had last night been weeping on the economical conditions of the poor man and the country. As like most of the columnist his columns used to be full of references about Islam. I was young at that time, not that much experienced and I used to read his column word to word that how great the columnist was who was so much concerned about economy, waste, luxrious spending and luxurious living etc.
But as is in our beloved country, my this belief vanished when I read the news about his being Chief Guest and inauguration of Fax Machine. This first public fax machine was installed in Karachi GPO while this inauguration (switching of button) was held in Hotel Intercontinental. Hotel Intercontinental I think till then was Karachi’s top hotel. I had always though inauguaration of a bridge, a building, a new train always happened at the relevant place namely bridge, building and railways station but not on a third place.
I addressed him dozen and dozen letter giving references to his columns enquiring if he felt anything remotest about posh hotel, posh expenses while inauguarating a thing which was practically lying about 2 miles away he never ever gave me any response. The life experience has today taught me “never believe what a column writer or a book writer says”, but always keep in mind as much he would talk or show his feeling for the economy, country or for the poors the more on opposite direction practically he would be.