Jail
in tight security. At about 8:15pm, screams of Nasir Zaidi and Iqbal Jaffery
pierced the air outside the room we were detained in. Next turn was mine.
As I stepped out and moved towards the whip stand, the scene was unbelievable.
From the whip stand, about 20 feet space was left free for the whipper to run and thrash the whirling strap on the victim's naked body. At a distance of 20 feet, there were several chairs lined-up for army and police officers to watch and enjoy the scene," told Khawer Naeem Hashmi who was arrested on the charges of supporting press freedom movement during the oppressive reign of Martial Law which took charge on July 5, 1977 after pulling down an elected government.
Hundreds of press people were arrested and punished during the period. It was the group of four (Khawer Naeem Hashmi, Sub-editor Musawat; Masood Ullah Khan, Pakistan Times Rawalpindi; Nasir Zaidi, student and contributor to Nawa-i-Waqt Multan; and Iqbal Jaffery, Art Editor Sun Karachi) who faced the worst of Zia's tyranny.
Situated near Children's Complex, Lawrence Garden, , the sub-military Court of Major Tahir awarded these 4 people the sentence of five lashes each within 70 minutes of the sentence announcement. Interesting, however, is the fact that none of the four knew about the sentence while leaving the military court, but a press release had been issued before time. It was because of this error that this horrible news went into the critical focus of the media world-wide before the lashing rampage actually done in Kot Lakhpat dungeon.
Khawar Naeem Hashmi, who is presently working with daily Jang as a News Editor, was in his late twenties at the time of the sentence. Being son of Naeem Hashmi, a famous film star, he was widely known in and outside even before getting into journalism. Now at 47, he seems to be still young and quite composed.
Talking to the JRC Dialogue, Hashmi linked most of the problems being faced by today's journalists to their own internal conflicts. Citing the example of Nisar Osmani, Minhaj Burna, Hafiz Raqib, etc., he said: "To hold an office is of no use. It is the commitment, which takes you to a cherished destination. It's bad luck for the journalists today that they are not trying to tread the path set by their elders who remained clung to the cause of press freedom even at the cost of their lives. Ours was a successful move only because there was no tradition then within the journalist community to be on the payroll of a political party. The press unions then always placed community's welfare on top of their agendas. It's due to this commitment and ingenuousness that the anti-martial law movement got a unique fight back which was never witnessed in the history of Pakistan before."
Invoking the memory lane, Hashmi divides the 1977 move into 3 phases, pointing out that it started from then went to Karachi and again reverted to . "If viewed critically, this movement took its start from the controversial news about the death of Quaid-i-Azam and reached its harsh peak in 1978 when the country's jails were brimmed with journalists and the political workers.
As PFUJ and APNEC were the most genuine platforms to counter Gen. Zia's tactics, the press motion was practically joined by students, literati, labourers and political workers of various parties. Even the workers of Jamaat-i-Islami stood by us despite the fact that the Federal Information Minister in the Zia cabinet came from the JI fold."
"We, the journalists, were never against a person or an institution, rather we were committed to fight all those who manoeuvred against the integrity of an impartial and free press. The proof of which is that the journalist unions also had an unshakeable stand in 1974 when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto tried to sabotage Musawat affairs," said the sombre journalist, who for his unquestionable commitment to the press ingenuity was awarded Presidential Award on March 23, 1989.
"So illogical and strict was the Martial Law pre-censorship on newspapers that once the translation of a Quranic verse was removed from the headline of an issue of daily Jang, Hashmi recalled. Remaining silent for some moments as if to regain energy, he turned to the day of his arrest when the road from Assembly Hall to Gulsitan Cinema (the arrest spot) was full of people. He was going to tender arrest along with his colleagues as per the PFUJ, APNEC schedule."
Hashmi told the JRC Dialogue that at 5:00pm on May 13: "We were present in the Military Court and the so-called hearing was finished. We had to stay for about two and a quarter hour more in the court. Major Tahir had gone to the Governor's House for reasons then unknown to all. At 7:15pm, he returned with some papers in hand and we were taken to the Camp jail and from there to Kot Lakhpat. Regrettable to mention that all the world openly condemned the whipping episode, but there was nothing in the Pakistani newspapers to support the journalists. Afterwards, I spent 3 months in the Sahiwal jail and was released on August ."
About why he was 'chosen' for the lashes' sentence, he says it was not due to any particular reason. It was just a lottery draw for us as the government had already decided to inflict more severe punishments since May 13 to horrify journalists in particular and masses in general.
Anyhow, the moment he was
released, he planned a memorial arrest from the Mazar-i-Quaid on August
14. After having consulted Nadir Shah Adil in Karachi, he reached the Quaid's
mausoleum in the presence of thousands of people and heavy force of civil
and military officers. When he was getting near to the Quaid's grave, 2
men holding garlands appeared from the crowd and started running towards
him. Realising the gravity of situation, law-enforcing personnel rushed
towards them. This activity was so abrupt and full of curiosity that the
people present there, all of a sudden, encircled the mausoleum to watch
the whole scene. In the meantime, the garland-holders had reached him.
At the time he was being showered wreaths and later arrested, thousands
of masses were indulged in rhythmical clapping which is still a source
of pride for the -based journalist. According to Hashmi, he was then
sent to the Hyderabad jail for 6 months where he spent two consecutive
Eids. The jail inhabitants there were mostly political workers and newsmen.
In 1982, he joined daily Jang where he had to have bitter experiences as
his colleagues considered him a strange creature. It was Friday (1982)
when he was once again apprehended from the Jang office by 4 stations'
police, under the supervision of plain-clothed men. In a private van, he
was taken to the Anarkali police station where he was kept detained for
Saturday and Sunday. The next working day he was produced before the sub-martial
law administrator to be shockingly tried in almost 10 heinous cases with
which he had nothing to do. The cases he was maliciously accused by the
police included Tariq Rahim murder case, involvement with Al-Zulifiqar
and Manawan dacoity case. After a cursory hearing, he was taken to Shahi
Qila and then to one of the 16 notorious cells in Lal Qila, Waris Road.
Hashmi still appears shaky when remembering the death message writ large
on Hamid
Jiallani's face, who was
also detained there.
He had to undergo a 3-month intensive interrogation by various personnel who, many times a day, asked him to narrate his biography from birth. Shahida Jabeen PPP activist, was also taken to him as part of this series of investigations.
It was after a personal writ
by Aitzaz Ehsan in the High Court that the then Governor Punjab,
General Jillani, having a green signal from General Zia, promised Nisai
Osmani to release him. Since then, he has been working with daily Jang.
In the meanwhile, he was
elected President and General Secretary of the PFUJ for 2
consecutive terms.
Shabbir Sheikh
