This truly shameful.
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/mar-2006/25/nationalnews9.php
The old man was running frantically towards a public bus, holding flowers in his one hand. He grabbed after some
effort iron bar, jumped on footboard and finally landed in the bus. Exhausted and tired, he was looking disoriented;
after a while he managed to breathe normally, since the bus was full of passengers, he kept standing. Every time it
took any turn, he twisted with the bus. I recognized him instantly: the old frail man was great grand son of Father of
the Nation, Quaid-I-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Mohammad Aslam Jinnah. Aslam is struggling with life in a city
where his great grand father was born and buried. He makes no complaint as he commutes back and forth in public
transport. This city has more than 1.5 million vehicles; there is none for the poor relatives of Quaid-I-Azam, who
bestowed this nation with every luxury one can imagine.
Aslam ‘s wife is suffering from cancer, she had surgery and she needs medicines worth many thousand every month.
He is self- respecting man; he can never ask for any favour. Hence quietly he lives on the edge with his family in a
two room rented flat in North Nazimabad. The only man who helped this family without asking was Mohammad
Mian Soomro, the Senate Chairman. He arranged for the operation of Aslam’s wife. Mohammad Aslam is poor and
broken relative of Jinnah Family. Some rich fellows refuse to acknowledge their existence and challenge their claim
of Jinnah’s kin. This is wholly unfair and unjustified.
Mohammad Aslam never wants any share in the property left over by Quaid-I-Azam, he just wants to show to the
world he is after material things, and he is content with life. His resources are terribly meager; his family hardly
survives on what he earns. He supplies homemade paper bags to scores of shopkeepers in the old city area, where
his great grand father was born. His wife is sick while daughter is mentally deranged; his sister Khurshid Begum
lives in Golimar neighbourhood. She lost her only son, Sikandar Jinnah, after he was tortured to death in Soldier
Bazaar police station. That death perhaps shook the whole city except Nawaz Sharif and his burly men. After almost
a decade has passed, Khurshid Begum is still struggling to secure justice and bring those policemen to the books
who allegedly murdered her son.
This is tragic and pathetic, every now and then, Jinnah’s family commutes to city court where they ponder on this
case for hours, then another hearing is usually fixed. This happens almost in every hearing no judgement is
expected in the near future. The family pays expenses for travel and stay at the court. They wait and wait and wait
for the justice, which they hope to get in their lifetime.
The only favour, authorities have done to Aslam Jinnah is the provision of a car, which takes his family back and
forth to Quaid’s mausoleum on the national days including 23rd March, 14rh August, 25th December and 11th
September. This is usually an uphill task for Aslam. He goes to protocol department of Sindh Government, books
car for the day and comes back while on his way back he buys flowers to lay on Quaid’s mausoleum When I saw him
last Wednesday, he was going back to his house after buying flowers. On national days, Aslam usually wears black
sherwani; this has become old and wrinkled like his face. He never minds atrocities of life. ‘I accept this as my fate.
I have no regret. One thing is sure I will never ask for any favour from anybody.’ Aslam and his family memebrs
adorn front and back pages of national newspapers and news items on various TV channels. This is the only luxury
this family enjoys, so far.
What can be done for Aslam and his sister Khurshid, who barely survive in this largely brutal and cruel Pakistan,
where those who were deadly against the country minted money and got away with it. Even now the opponents of
Pakistan Ideology thrives well while the Founder’s family suffers silently in agony and pain.
The Governor of Sindh, Dr Ishratul Ibad should find some time from his busy schedule to visit Jinnah’s family. He
has done so much for the neglected poets, writers, journalists and artists. How could he ignore the family, which has
done so much for this country.
The plight of Aslam Jinnah and his sister Khurshid Begum deserve real attention by all. They should not be left to
suffer, mainly because they are poor and helpless. If they will get any justice is anybody’s guess.
Aslam Jinnah ‘s destination had arrived; he stood on footboard for a while. He begged conductor to stop the bus at
bus stop. He smiled, ‘don’t worry Chacha, it will stop.’ The driver merely slowed the bus, Aslam Jinnah quickly
jumped. He staggered for a while but he did not let flowers to drop. Those flowers he laid on Quaid’s mausoleum on
23rd March 2006. Another national day passed by as Jinnah’s family suffers silently. This is their fate, perhaps.
یہ بات پارلیمانی امور کے وفاقی وزیر ڈاکٹر شیر افگن نے بدھ کے روز سینیٹ کے اجلاس میں حزبِ اختلاف کے ایک توجہ دلاؤ نوٹس کے جواب میں ایوان کو بتائی۔
سینیٹر انور بیگ نے اپنے نوٹس میں ایوان کی توجہ ایک ہفتہ قبل اخبارات میں شائع ہونے والی اس خبر کی جانب دلوائی جس میں کہا گیا تھا کہ قائد کی پہلی شادی سے ان کی نواسی خورشید بیگم کراچی کے علاقے بلوچ پاڑہ میں انتہائی نامساعد حالات میں زندگی بسر کر رہی ہیں۔
سینیٹر انور بیگ نے کہا کہ بانیِ پاکستان کے اہل خانہ کے ان حالات کے بارے میں جان کر ان کا سر شرم سے جھک گیا ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ حکومت کی بے حسی کا یہ عالم ہے کہ وزیرِ اعظم کی شیو کے سامان کو جراثیم سے پاک کرنے کے لیے تیس لاکھ روپے کی لاگت سے خصوصی مشین حال ہی میں درآمد کی گئی ہے اور دوسری جانب قائد کے اہل خانہ کے پاس ہسپتال جانے کا ٹیکسی کا کرایہ تک نہیں ہے اور حکومت ان کے لیے کچھ نہیں کر رہی۔
وفاقی وزیر ڈاکٹر شیر افگن نے کہا کہ اس خبر کی اشاعت کے بعد پوری قوم کا سر شرم سے جھک گیا ہے۔ انہوں نے اعلان کیا کہ وفاقی حکومت نے سندھ کی حکومت کو سختی سے ہدایت کی ہے کہ بانیِ پاکستان کے اہلِ خانہ سے رابطہ کرکے ان کی ضروریات معلوم کی جائیں اور انہیں پورا کرنے کے اقدامات کیے جائیں۔