In M.J.Akbar’s biography of Jawaharlal Nehru, Suhrawardy comes off as
less than a statesman, at least during the Suez crisis when he was the
Prime Minister of Pakistan.
As a member of CENTO and SEATO, the Pakistan government under
Suhrawardy had come out very strongly against Nasser’s Egypt during
the Suez crisis. Nehru’s government was of course a study in contrast
and India’s stock rose high among the peoples of the Muslim world, in
general, and of the Arab world, in particular. The Arabs christened
Nehru, Rasul-al-Salaam (messenger of peace).
There was much embarrassment in Pakistan for Nehru’s role destroyed
its strategy of isolating India from the Muslim world. Moreover, while
the Suhrawardy government squirmed, Pakistani poets showered encomiumson Nehru. A verse written by Rais Amrohvi was published in the KarachiUrdu paper, Jung:
Jap raha hai aaj mala ek Hindu ki Arab
Bramhan zade mein shaan-e dilbari aisi to ho
Hikmate Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru kki kassam
Mar mite Islam jis par kafiri aisi to ho
A rough translation:
The Arab world is singing praises today of
a Hindu Bramhin’s courage. Nehru is such a
man that even Islam would embrace such an
infidel.