Pakistan - A Dream Gone Sour (PB) |
| Author: |
Roedad Khan |
| Publisher: |
Oxford University Press |
About the author
Table of contents
Preface
Readers Comments
Description:
Roedad Khan joined the civil service of Pakistan in 1949 and has held several important appointments since then. In various capacities he has served under five of the six presidents he has written about and knew all six of them personally. This book is in the main the story of six of Pakistan’s presidents-Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Z. A. Bhutto, Ziaul Haq, Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Farooq Leghari- each of whom has, in his own way, directly or indirectly, contributed to the sense of betrayal and loss of confidence that is prevalent in the country.
Review:
Roedad Khan has made terrific inroads into the unpredictable and volatile nature of our leaders leading to similar trends of lust for power followed by silent accountability and disgrace. Khan tells us that in 1958 when he first heard on radio that martial law had been imposed by Ayub Khan, he was shocked. It was contrary to what he had been taught at F. C. College Lahore and at Aligarh-‘There can be no martial law in peace time’.
Zia-ulhaq figures prominently in this book. He is depicted as a man continuously haunted by legitimacy problems as starting with the referendum the different steps taken by him to rest his mind fail one after the other. His mental war with Junejo and incorrect stance on the Afghan conflict are well covered.
As Administrative Secretary to the Minister of the Interior, Khan has shed new light into the trial and execution of Z. A. Bhutto. He claims that he himself had drafted a summary of Bhutto’s mercy petition and had sent it to the CMLA’s Secretariat making it absolutely clear that the President had the prerogative to commune the death sentence. Khan mentions that the President had used his prerogative in other cases but refused to to do so in this case. Khan also has doubts about the reliability of the state approver further hinting at the designed execution of Bhutto by Zia.
| DesiStore # |
PBS00844 |
| ISBN |
0-19-577980-0 |
| Edition |
Second |
| Year |
2000 |
| Pages |
263 |
| Weight (kg) |
0.295 |
| Shipping Weight (lbs) |
0.74 |
| Pics (b/w) |
15 |
| Dimensions |
22x14x1 cm |
| HB/PB |
Paper Back |
|
The author also talks about the open corruption practiced by Nawaz Sharif to which he had a first hand view in his position as the Federal Minister in charge Accountability. He talks of Nawaz eliciting Benazir’s help against Ghulam Ishaq Khan using the cases filed against Benazir as a bargaining counter. As per agreement all cases against her were dropped when she returned to office.
Some of the most intimate moments of our presidents have also been captured to portray their personality away from politics. During Yahya’s tenure we read about Khan being posted as the Managing Director of Pakistan Television- a position to which he claims the only qualification he had was that he owned a T.V set. Khan mentions that everytime Yahya came to the Chaklala television station to address the nation, he had problems with the make-up man. Once during one of these routines he imparted this bit of advice to Khan- "You have one thing in common with me. You too have thick bushy eyebrows. Don’t let anybody touch them"
Six different presidents have been thoroughly analysed with their particularities and peculiarities- all with the intent of acquainting the people with the reasons behind the sad state of the country.
Pakistan - A Dream Gone Sour (PB)
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