KISMET KONNECTED
Raju Jamil
That cloudy day of June-1961 at Karachi Airport gave a weary look due to that mild heat spell which was telling on the faces of the scores of Govt. Officials and Diplomats lined up alongside the President of Pakistan General Mohammad Ayub Khan to receive Lyndon Baines Johnson, Vice President of the United States Of America, due to land any moment in Pakistan on a goodwill tour to take him to our capital then--Karachi followed by Lahore and Peshawar.
The PAN AMERICAN Clipper Jet Boeing 707 landed smoothly and the well decorated turmac saw VP LBJ and MAK take slaute during the sound of their countries National Anthem played by the Naval Band.
There were 12 cars in a motorcade where the black caddillac driven by Presidential Driver Ishaq, had LBJ and MAK with front seat next to the driver occupied by Brig.Nawazish Ali Khan, the MS to MAK and the American Ambassador in Pakistan....followed by a convertible Chevrolet Impala-1959 with DIG-Police Mian Bashir Ahmed followed by an Austin-of-England re-shaped into a Rolls Royce kind of the President's House-Karchi pool....in which my father (Jamiluddin Aali, the then Personal Staff Officer to MAK) and Shaikh Habibur Rahman the Protocol Officer were on duty and of course cars like Dodge Dart and Chevy-Belair carrying Govt and U.S.Embassy officials, took route of main Drigh Road (now Shahrah-e-Faisal) for the President's House (now Sindh Governor House -- we lived in the President's Estate adjacent to the President's House and Shaikh Habibur Rahman Uncle was our wall-to-wall neighbor in that 1912 one story buyilding which now houses Surveyor General of Pakistan's Office).
With Police Motorbikes speeding in line and blowing whistles and siren occassionally ahead of the motorcade...the journey progressed smoothly-------till something happened !!! that Driver Ishaq applied brakes smoothly--good enough not to make the car behind bang the Presidential Car----and all the followers literally ran towards the Presidential Caddillac fearing that something awful has happened to either of the two VVVIPs in that car---when out came Vice President Johnson with President Ayub--and slowly walked towards the site left of Drigh Road at the exact spot where--currently stands the Finance and Trade Centre (FTC) where a 38 year old Camel Cart owner Sar'eban Bashir, clad in shalwar kameez full of dust---stood shivering next to his camel and cart with Mian Bashir Ahmed consoling him to remain calm...!
Vice President of the United States Of America Lyndon Baines Johnson alongside his host President Ayub and many others--including my father----casually walked towards Camel Cart owner Bashir---shook hands with him and said "Hello, I am LBJ from USA and I wanna be your friend!" to which Bashir was translated the address--who said "Salam Sahab, khoosee huee aap se milke!" then 6.5 minutes of invigilated exchanges between a Pakistani Camel Cart owner Bashir and VP USA LBJ continued which ended with LBJ taking out a PARKER'61 from his shirt pocket---handing it to Bashir saying "We are friends now and friends must meet again---so I am inviting you to USA as my guest--please accept?".
Ten days later, two officials from the U.S.Embassy and two officials from the President of Pakistan's Secretariat---visited Bashir at his residence in Lyari (Bashir was a Makrani) for arranging his passport and U.S.Visa and Govt.of Pakistan arranging for three sets of black-sherwani, white-shalwar kameez and Jinnah caps (QADR THIS USS WAQT JINNAH CAP KI!!!) and some Onyx Products from Bashir for LBJ.... and within a week Pakistani Camel Cart owner from Lyari, Karachi....flies to New York by PAN AMERICAN Clipper Jet Boeing 707 where he is received by LBJ aide and the next 12 days of Bashir are spent in New York, Washington DC, Dallas at the personal ranch of LBJ where his daughter Tricia and Ladybird Johnson held Bar-B-Q party, luncheon and breakfast gathering in honor of Vice President of United States of America Lyndon Baines Johnson's Pakistani friend Camel Cart owner (Sar'eban) Bashir Ahmed who returns home---much blessed with some worthwhile gifts which includes a Mack Truck and am American Cycle for his son and some financial package to start a more elevated business.
From that day and date of June-1961 till late 60's...the Bashir Magic was the talk of the country and of the State of Texas in USA.
Kismet Konnected Bashir Ahmed became a businessmen over weeks----and stayed indebted to LBJ by continuing his correspondence through some Govt Officials assistance via U.S.Embassy---which ended with the advent of Vietnam War close by to JFK's assasination in 1963.
EPILOGUE:
In 1972-73 when Zia Moheyuddin started his famous ZIA SHOW by recording it before a live audience at the Fleet Club-Karachi auditorium near Lucky Star-Saddar, I was attached with Zia Bhai as his unaccredited Manager---a young banker at HBL Nursery Branch, PECHS--who marketed the prize account of Zia Moheyuddin and provided home-service for his banking transactions like picking up his PTV cheques and arranging statements etc. hence it was also being a chapperone to him at each of his several shows he recorded there. In one of his shows--Zia Bhai invited Sar'eban Bashir Ahmed and after a good inter-action---Zia Bhai, mildly pulling Bashir's leg---posed a question on him; "YE AAP NE UMREEKA SE WAPIS AANAY KE BAAD----OONTH GAARI KIYON CHALANA BU'NDD KARDEE???" and i remember it as clear as a day----that Bashir...sort of went quiet and suddenly with a spark in his eyes---came back sharply--saying; "WOH....JAANSUNN NNE MUJHE SE KAHA THAH KE MERI 'POOSEE'SUNN' (position) KA KHAYYAL RAKHNA!!!!"
Bashir Ahmed died sometime in late 70's---and the news of his death was widely covered by almost all the Pakistani Newspapers then....!
If I look at this whole KK closely---I think this strange friendship could be the ONLY one of its kind in thw World! unless we also name KISMET KONNECTED to the interesting incidence with that lady in Memphis who was staring at a car in showroom when Elvis Presley walked by and asked her if she likes the car---and on her shy and smiling reply as "who doesn't" Elvis gifted that car to her!! I dont know how far this is true--but I do remember having read about it somewhere!)
-end-
(The "Kismet Konnected" is not a concoction. It is TRUE and the key person who has told me all of what i have fine tuned above---is none the other but my father Jamiluddin Aali who is 85 now and Masha'Allah, good on his past days memory but quiet weak on the current. I was a school student then and this incidence or happening---was too exciting and spellbinding for us then.............)