With or Without Musharraf – A Mohajir’s Perspective

re: Salim_Chauhan #718

The discussion about Karnal opens a new vista in this debate. The province of UP didn`t exist before 1902. A lot of migrants poured into Pakistan from this state in late 40s and early 50s. But there were also people from Gujrat-Kathiawar, Ajmer, Kerala, Bihar, Hyderabad and Bombay who migrated to Pakistan in late 1950s.

Salim, would you be kind enough to define what you precisely mean by a ``Mohajir``? Is this a linguistic identity or a geographic one? Is it an eternal identity or an ephemeral one?

Re: # 722

``Salim, would you be kind enough to define what you precisely mean by a ``Mohajir``? Is this a linguistic identity or a geographic one? Is it an eternal identity or an ephemeral one?``

A very important question indeed but I find no reply to it by Salim.

Will Salim or any MQM man please enlighten us in this respect?

re: Salim_Chauhan

A couple of days ago you stooped to the level of comparing me with a Roman soldier without clothes :)) Now that was personal attacks and character assassination.

I write these lines in the hope that the person reading them is capable of engaging in a mature discussion without getting defensive or resorting to racist remarks :)

{``Karnal was in Punjab province at the time of the 1947 partition. It is now in Haryana``}

Salim,

Liaqat wasn`t born in 1947 and Karnal only became part of Punjab in 1902. Before that it was part of the North Western Provinces of Agra & Oudh. The Sikh empire ended at river Sutlej so even Delhi (and Patiala) was part of North Western Provinces. The same North Western Province of Agra and Oudh was named UP in 1902.

Since Liaqat was born in 1896, he was not a Punjabi by domicile. Nor was he Punjabi by descent.

His father Rustam Ali Khan was landlord who lands were spread across UP and part of east Punjab. Liaqat started his political career in 1926 in the UP Legislative Council. All his life he contested elections from UP. Even in the epoch-making 1945 elections, Liaqat won from Meerut (which is in UP).

#717 HisExcellency {``Instead of recognizing facts, the author pursued his agenda of distancing Mohajirs from this era. Even silly statements were made. For example, the author informed us that Liaqat Ali Khan was Punjabi. (He was actually born at Karnal in UP).

Your Excellency,
Karnal was in Punjab province at the time of the 1947 partition. It is now in Haryana. Just this one gross mistake on your part is a clear indication of your twisting of geographical, historical, and sociological facts that you have misrepresented to further your ethnic, racist, and bigoted agenda.

If you are caught making such an outlandish representation, is there any point in responding to the rest of your nonsense? Your attempt to classify me as an Indian Hindu or a post `71 Mohajir is merely an admission that your arguments have failed and now you are engaging in character and personal assassination to cause mischief. I categorically declare that I am NOT a Hindu, or an Indian, but a Mohajir from Karachi with a diverse ancestry consisting of Rajput, Iranian, and Turkish grandparents.

Here is proof that Karnal is NOT in UP:


``Karnal is one of Historical Districts of Haryana. It is also known as a city of `Daanveer Karn`. It is known all over the world for production of Rice, Wheat and Milk. It is also known for agriculture research Institutions like NDRI, CSSRI, Wheat Research Directorate, National Bureau of Animal Genetics Resources, Sugarcane Breeding Institute etc.

LOCATION
Karnal is important city on Delhi Ambala Rail Line & Sher Shah Suri Marg (G.T.Road), connected with all important places in the country. It is 123 Kilometer from Delhi & 130 Kilometer from Chandigarh.

Karnal District lies on the western Bank of river Yamuna which once flows about 11 Kilometer. to the east forming eastern boundary of the district. The river Yamuna separates Haryana from Utter Pardesh. The Karnal Distt. including Panipat lies between 29`09`50`` and 29`50` North latitude and 76 31` 15`` and 77 12`45`` East longitude, its height from sea level is between 235 and 252 meters. The Karnal Distt. is surrounded by Kurukshetra District on its north-west, jind & Kaithal Distt. on its west, Panipat Distt. on its south and Utter Pradesh on east.``

Karnal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other uses of Karnal see Karnal (disambiguation).
Karnal, Haryana, India
Karnal
Coordinates: 29.42° N 77.02° E
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
District(s) Karnal
Coordinates: 29.42° N 77.02° E
Karnal pronunciation (help·info) (Hindi: करनाल) is the headquarters of Karnal District, Haryana, India. Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas at around the time of the Mahabharata epic for the king Karna, a key figure in the epic tale. It is 123 km from Delhi on the National Highway NH-1 (also called the GT Road) and 126 km from Chandigarh. Karnal is known for the manufacture of shoes, the production of basmati rice and for its many agricultural research institutions.
...
Geography
Karnal is known for its lush greenery. It is roughly equidistant from New Delhi and Chandigarh and lies not only on the NH-1 road but also on the Delhi to Ambala railway line. The city is divided into several sectors, colonies and mohallas. Due to its geographical location several group housing companies like Sahara, Narsi Village, Palm Residency and Ansal Royale have built new luxury apartments and villas in the city.

The views expressed by Salim Chauhan in this article represent a sociopath mindset that justifies its self-imposed isolation by resorting to perverted facts and historical revisionism.

The author asserted that Mohajirs face bloodshed, massacre and oppression at the hands of Punjabis. Yet he failed to provide historical or contemporary evidence of these massacres ever been taken place.

The author also failed to recognize that Mohajirs dominated the country`s bureaucracy during its first decade and therefore must share responsibility for any deeds (or misdeeds) committed during the formative years (1947-71).

Instead of recognizing facts, the author pursued his agenda of distancing Mohajirs from this era. Even silly statements were made. For example, the author informed us that Liaqat Ali Khan was Punjabi. (He was actually born at Karnal in UP).

The author also asserted that since most of the major players in 1971 crisis were non-Mohajirs, therefore Mohajirs must have been ``uninvolved`` in this episode. But what about the thousands of Mohajir bureaucrats who administered East Pakistan and several federal ministries? Could the military government headed by Yahya Khan function without the support of these civil servants? And what was the agenda behind singling out Punjabis when at least two of the major players (A.A.K.Niazi and Z.A.Bhutto) were non-Punjabis? Is it perhaps because the author is extremely prejudiced against Punjabis? Or is it because he is an Indian Hindu with limited knowledge posing as a Mohajir?

There were ofcourse Mohajir players in this crisis. General Rahimuddin, born at Kaimganj in UP, presided over the special court that tried Mujib for sedition in Faisalabad. The honorable general delivered a death sentence to Mujib, which was never carried out by Bhutto. So much for Mohajir neutrality :)

Historical revisionism was in full gear when the author asserted that Urdu tehzeeb was superior to Punjabi tehzeeb. Punjabi literature actually emerged 3 centuries before Urdu literature and ventured into social commentary much before Ghalib, Mir and Akbar Allahabadi`s era.

The funniest part of the author`s commentary was that he did not mention the post-1971 era!!! All his arguments and assertions related to the East Pakistan crisis and role of razakars.

The author skirted a discussion of APMSO, Sohrab Goth riots, Operation Cleanup, 1990 elections, the MQM split, Afaq Ahmed, MQM boycott of 1993 elections, bhatta policy of MQM, extra judicial killings, Altaf`s statements against Jinnah, the role of Mohajir general Usmani in Kargil and MQM`s election reversals in 2002.

Who expects a discussion of Mohajir issues to revolve only around 1947 and 1971 ???Perhaps an Indian Hindu. Because these are the only dates that stick in his mind. The first date represents an emotional trauma. The second represents the only military victory that a Hindu army has achieved during the last 4 centuries.

The limited nature of his arguments reinforces doubts about Salim`s identity. He is perhaps an Indian Hindu masquerading as a Mohajir, or a Mohajir who migrated from Pakistan back in the 70s :))