Khalid Hasan
Post submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.
The famous Pakistani journalist, columnist, press secretary of former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, and author of many books has recently passed away. Articles and comments are posted on blog ‘All Things Pakistan’: http://pakistaniat.com/2009/02/11/khalid-hasan-manto-and-kala-kola/#comment-182188
I posted my comments that await moderation.
My email exchange with Khalid Hasan.
In October 2008, after reading Khalid Hasan column ‘Return to 1954’ (Friday Times 9/19/2008. www.khalidhasan.net).
I asked him if he could use his pen, and ask Government of Pakistan to make public 1974 summer Pakistan National Assembly session proceedings that resulted in 2nd amendment in 1973 constitution. Declaring Ahmadis (both groups i.e. Lahori Ahmadis and Qadiani Ahmadis) as non-Muslims. Now especially when even the Justice Hamud Ur Rehman commission report on fall of Dhaka, which contains national security issues, has been made public. It has been more that 34 years and 1974 trial of Ahmadis in Pakistan National Assembly, which acted as “judge and jury, should be made public at least in the name of justice. In this re I had few emails exchange. Here is couple of them:
10/13/08
Dear Dr Jahangiri,
I have read your note (addressed originally to Nusrat Javid, it seems) but I am not sure what I, a reporter and a column writer, can do. The 1974 constitutional amendment declaring the Ahmediys non-Muslim will have to reversed and must be reversed but given what has become of our country, what hope in hell is there that it will happen. The Talibanisation of Pakistan is not a fictional but a real possibility. In my own limited way, I always try to examine things from a liberal, sectarian and tolerant viewpoint. Our two publications – Daily Times and The Friday Times – are the only truly liberal publications in Pakistan and we have often been under threat from extremists because of our advocacy of liberal causes, something we will continue to do.
Khalid Hasan
10/14/08
Dear Dr Jahangiri,
I am not really qualified to write about this issue except in a general sense. Accordingly, I have forwarded the email and links you sent to my friend and colleague Khaled Ahmed at Daily Times, Lahore who is be the best qualified person to do justice to this issue.
Khalid Hasan
I would say late Khalid Hasan is lucky in the sense that he did not witness ‘Talibanisation of Pakistan’ as he feared, but did witness that when travesty of justice was done in the highest court of the land i.e. Pakistan National Assembly it finally trickled down to the lowest level in Pakistani society. Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his attorney general Yaya Bakhtiar could not deliver justice when it was expected from them, and then they could not get it when their turn came.
From Tariq:
I had the pleasure of meeting the late Khalid Hasan a couple of times. He was a fine person. His father Dr. Noor Hasan was a close personal friend of late Dr. Saeed Ahmad Khan sahib (the third ameer of our jama’at).