A Mother Tongue Hater
Shafqat Tanveer Mirza

Once again, Mian Tufail Muhammad of Jamaat-i-Islami lambasts Punjabi language. Whenever he is short of genuine political topics to comment on, he chooses other subjects about which neither he knows anything nor he tries to get some information or briefing from someone in the party. But the problem is that these days there is rarely any one in his party ready to extend him a sincere piece of advice. Qazi Husain Ahmad with the help of the leaders of Islami Jamaati-i-Talba has cornered the old guard of the Jamat-i-Islami Jamaati-i-Talba has cornered the old guard of the Jamaat like Mian Tufail Muhammad. Mian Saheb had two parties and of course both were very powerful. One was the real Jamaat and the course both were very powerful. One was the real Jamaat and the other was the one to which they provided Al-Shamas ad Al-Badr. Mian Tufail was one of the confidants of Gen. Yahya, to whom Mian Saheb provided the draft of Islamic constitution which the General wanted to impose just after the fall of Dhaka. Later on, the Jamaat with the other components of the PNA raised a very significant slogan during their Jehad against Bhutto in April 1977. The slogan was: Dhakey di khoti, Lahore an khaloti.

To employ their term, the khoti retreated from the Lohari retreated from the Lohari Gate and voluntarily lifted the burden of the whole nation on its shoulders. The Jammat also provided men like Prof. Ghafoor Ahmad, Chaudhry Rahmat Elahi and Mahmood Azam Farooqi to hang the horse or the stud’s of that time. They helped construct the so called Majlis-i-Shoora and recruited all those who were hand in glove with our British masters right from 1857 to 1947. The Majlis was given a real Islamic name and thus rendered a great service to Islam during the tenure of this Majlis violence and religious intolerance was institutionalized: Journalists were flogged, intellectuals were persecuted, the press was gagged, totally un Islamic Zkat and Ushr were imposed and disbursed on political ground; through Masjid were imposed and disbursed on political ground: through Masjid Mktab a whole lot of so called religious teachers were corrupted and encouraged to wipe out the rivals by force, the MQM, the most dangerous political in fluencies to counter balance the Pakistan Peoples Party and other leftist organizations, heroin and Kalashnikov culture was imported from Afghanistan in the name of Islam, and so on.
That was some thing much liked by Mian Tufail. Later on, they were very happy that Mian Nawaz Sharif was also en-gaged in a Jehad to which the Jammat was more than ready to contribute. But the was the Jamaat yet not free from the strong grip of Mina and this cohorts. When Qazi Hessian Ahmad liberated the Jammat from the Islami Jamhoori Itehad of Mian Nawaz Sharif, Mian Tufail was nothappy. Mian Tufail never objected to the slogan coined by Nawaz Sharif and his Muslim league; Jag Punjabi Jag, tere pagg NooN lag gia dagh. Mr. Asad Gilani another comrade-in-arm of Mian Tufail, wrote a book on the share of the Pnjab in the economy of the country in which he proved that Punjab had suffered at the hands of the others provinces. Mian Saheb never objected to it. The Jamaat itself introduced many Punjabi poets and published their propaganda poems. For instance, Abdulah Shaki, who was given the title of poet of Islam, and who contributed many poems including Socialism or Gal Ghotoo Nizam, Socialsim Kolon Pakstan noon Bachawna, Pakistan ka Matlib Kaya, Poley Poley pareen Islam Naeon Awana and islai Nizam Dian Barkatan. Mian Tufail never objected to Abdullah Shakir’s Punjabi but could not spare the Punjabi used by another poet Moazam Ali Moazzam, who used to recite Bhutto Dey Narrey Wajan gay.
During 1992, when Main Nawaz Sharif was in power and the Jammat was a part of Mian’s government at federal and provincial levels, Mian Tufail came out with a statement that the Punjabi was a back ward language of rustic people. It should not be given much importance in any sphere of life. He used rather derogatory language against the tongue of his mother, who unfortunately could not taught Mian Tufail how to speak Punjabi accent and the again of the Kepurthala variety. Interestingly, the area has produced only one prominent poet, Mauli Ghulam Rasul of Yusuf Zulekha fame, and whose all poetry is in Lehnda dialect which according to Mian Tufail’s latest letter on Punjabi issue. Mian Tufail Hussain Ahmed who is still being accused of failing Mian Nawaz Sharif in Octorber 1993 election. The Jammat still supports the Nawaz League in all the houses they supported. Sabir Shaha’s government also.
But Mian Tufail is not happy with that pattern of politics which is fast losing the color given to it by General Zia who happened to be a close relation of Mian Tufail. Mian Saheb while still nursing his group’s defeat in the election of Jammat’s Amir has once again paid his kind attention to poor Punjabi language and its new monthly magazine. The Genius from Karachi. This is trilingual magazine with Urdu, English and Punjabi Sections. The paper is being edited and published by Chaudhry Nazeer Kahut from Shahpur Sargodha. He has already two books to his credit first Aao Punjabi noon Qatl Kareay, a polical analysis and Akheerla Punjabi, a collection of his short stories. Nazeer is in favor of construction Kalabah Dam and deadly against the bifurcation of Punjabi on the basis of dialects. He himself is Lehnda or Seraiki speaking but he refuses to accept Seraiki Lehnda as an independent language. I cannot adivse or request Mian Tufail Muhammad to read Punjabi poetry from baba Farid to Khwaja Farid, other wise he would find a standard Punjabi which is acceptable to Punjabis of all the areas speaking dialects different from the dialect of Mian Muhammad Tufail or other Lahoris. The reason is that Mian Saheb, while translating the famous book of Hazrat Data Saheb, Kashf-ul-Mahjoob edited many parts of the book according to his own faith, many portions were cut down or amended because they were not according to shariat. At many places some additions were also made and all that was denim the name of Data Saheb. It is really difficult to suggest to such a gentleman to rethink or revise or re-read a book or a document.
The Mian has written a letter to the Punjabi Magazine, the Genius, and advised editors that they should let the Punjabis sleep on the language and cultural issues. Do not demand introduction of Punjabi language at the primary level. Do not ask for a better and more correct version of the history of Punjab, which has deliberately been mutilated by the Delhi rules. Mian Tufail fears that if the demand of implementing Punjabi language is accepted, it would divide the province into four parts i.e. Punjabi, Seraiki, Potohari and Hindko and that would help weaken Punjab, which is playing the part of keeping all the provinces together. Mian Saheb has thought it fit to get that letter published in a Lahore- Karachi- Quetta- Rawalpinid based Urdu daily. If Mian Saheb wants to remain in news he should choose some other subjects like Mehran bank, Taj Company, 44 Canalas of encroachment is Model Town by a former Prime Minister, increase of atta price, etc.
The are many other stories closely associated with the Jammat. For in stance, once the war in Kashmir was not Jehad because the government of Pakistan had not declared it as Jehad. Tehrfore, the Jamaat people were asked to fefrain from taking part into getting Kashmir is liberated. Now the Pakistan government has not declared jehad in Kashmir but the jamaat aided or jamaati themselves are launching Jihad in Kashmir and whenever their men fall and their dead bodies are recovered they are buried as shaheeds; providing the world the basic proof to India claim that Pakistanis are involved in subversive activates in the occupied Kashmir. The Pakistan government had not declared Jehad against the Pro Soviet Afghan governments and hence had not openly involved itself in Afghan jehad but the jamaat was participating in it as a Jehad falsying its early stand on Kashmir at the most crucial stage of the freedom struggle of the Kashmir. The government of Gen. Zia, a relative of Mian Tufail, was just playing the role of a brliker of middlmen in the Afghan war. Whatever the broker earns in a bargain that was earned by top individuals of the government. Maia Tufail sahib knows more than any body else. Good luck to your sir.
(This articles was published in the June /July1994 Issue of Monthly The Genius,Karachi).