ISLAMABAD, Dec 19: Only three days before its functionaries arrived with police to throw Dr Zawwar Hussain Zaidi out of his government residence, the Ministry of Housing and Works had sent a letter to the renowned historian permitting him to retain the house until the end of his contract.

Documents available to Dawn show that the letter dated December 11, 2008 and signed by Deputy Secretary Muhammad Hanif of the ministry allowed Dr Zaidi to stay in the government house in F-6/3 until December 31, 2008.

An Estate Office functionary, however, said the letter had been cancelled before police were sent to evict 80-year-old Dr Zaidi who was contracted by the government in 1990 to edit and publish the Jinnah Papers.

The then prime minister had approved the project submitted by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance provided a grant of Rs1 million for the first year of the stupendous project.

Dr Zaidi was appointed as Editor-in-Chief of the Editorial Board. Under the contract, he was not to draw any salary. But the government agreed to provide certain facilities, including free accommodation, in lieu of his honorary services.

As recently, as May this year the Ministry of Culture informed Dr Zaidi through a letter that the Prime Minister had extended his contract appointment till December 31, 2008 “on existing terms and conditions”.

Yet, the underlings of the same government had the temerity to send police to throw out Dr Zaidi from the house claiming the government had cancelled his entitlement to official residence through a letter which Dawn found was undated and gave the occupant 24 hours to vacate or be evicted forcibly.

Apparently, the Prime Minister was kept in the dark about what awaited Dr Zaidi, a national figure who has earned respect and admiration by taking up the huge, time-consuming work of researching and publishing the Jinnah Papers.

“They harassed and insulted me. They kicked open a door and barged in, helping themselves while rummaging through the house,” said Mrs Zaidi narrating the terrifying raid and plunder by the people sent to evict the couple.

“Is this how you treat a national figure assigned to preserve the memories of the Quaid-i-Azam? My husband gave up everything -- his job, his children (in England) and moved to Pakistan with the mission to make the nation understand the true stature of the Quaid,” she said in tears.

Mrs Zaidi, who was alone at the time of the raid, said she showed Mohammad Aslam of the Estate Office in the raiding party all the documents permitting Dr Zaidi to live in the house till December 31. On contrary, they had no papers or court orders with them, just instructions from Secretary Housing and Works, Samiul Haq Khilji.

“I didn’t make sacrifices to be humiliated and spend the remainder of my life in shame,” said Dr Zaidi, a sad figure standing near a wall in his corridor decorated with pictures of the Quaid-i-Azam.

Estate Officer Mohammad Shah had no regrets because, he said, government accommodation was meant for serving government officers. “Mr Zaidi, now 80, retired long ago and with that he lost his entitlement to government residence,” he declared.

When told about the letter from the PM Secretariat to Dr Zaidi extending his contract “on existing terms and conditions” till December 31, the Estate Officer said: “If Dr Zaidi has orders from the PM’s office allowing him to retain the residence, he can take us to court.”