ALL things must come to an end. And my column Lahore & Beyond is no exception to this rule. Originally started as Lahore Landscape, the column continued for a number of years before finding its present name. Columns by individual journalists often stay alive as long as their author’s mental and physical faculties remain in tact. But there is a proviso to that: write-ups must retain the reader’s interest and the author must treat himself as a pillar of society, not as modeled by Ibsen, but believe that he is providing a needed service to readers. Some of the readers, among them my friends, have not been consistently warm about the contents of Lahore & Beyond. I have good reason to think that there may be others with similar views, hopefully not harsher opinions. I have no hesitation in conceding that there have been times when I felt that the column was not making any notable point. If the author is unsure, readers are likely to be more so.
Finding a topic week after week is a daunting task, particularly if you are not specifically focused. This column tended to head in many directions, at times in too many. In fact, there were times when I thought that words were merely filling space.
Perhaps I interpreted the title in literal terms. There were no clear-cut demarcations and defined parameters. Beyond became vague and unpredictable, presumably without always being exciting. Meanwhile, conditions within the country underwent changes — though they were largely a return to the familiar square. Still, one could not resist the temptation of having a go at true democracy.
That became, in no time, a case of flogging the same horse, not dead but barely alive, and a very sick animal. Write-ups on the system and internal developments getting marked by monotony: I felt that the same column was being written over and over again. The military rule has been a theme, but what exactly can be written about it after the Hamood ur Rahman Report?
I had the privilage of meeting its late author and discussed the report with him. It was a disappointing experience because the judge wanted to see the copy before it was submitted for printing; he wouldn’t accept an assurance on faithful reproduction of the conversations. He wasn’t the only one. Many important people are apprehensive of what may be written about them and like to confide only in trusted writers.
But he had also given the impression, unwittingly, of being under pressure. Having played a hand to the hilt, he may have been avoiding the possibility of what could be construed as over playing after the deal was over.
My association with Sunday Magazine started in the early eighties. Then, I had shifted to Karachi and after having served PTV, I decided to revert to my original sin, print journalism. I contributed a weekly film review for the Magazine; cinema has been a field of my personal and professional interest. Many people who do not watch Pakistani movies are often critical to contemptuous of national cinema but it represents and portrays life in the raw, tough, crudely and with distortions. I have never been apologetic about being a film buff and film critic. The attitude of disowning inferior self has fortunately not been one of my failings, not that I suffer from a scarcity of failings.
Watching films was however not the result of writing a column, but it was vice versa. I continued viewing films though the column was discontinued. I felt exhausted in the early 90’s and moved to abandoned pastures. However, then came Lahore Landscape.
My column had built in focus. At the same time, it also had the built-in problem of addressing the same issues week after week. That is actually what should be done, hammering the authorities to respond to the needs and grievances of the public. But after a while one starts feeling frustrated because there is no response; whatever one writes falls on proverbial deaf ears. Nothing changes.
Things have indeed worsened over the years. While the emphasis on accountability has intensified, the concept is being continuously pushed, but not being practiced. Administrations simply ignored issues in the past; they now seem to have received a license to wreck. Cricket is the latest example. Our team performed poorly in the World Cup and yet, no one is willing to assume responsibility for the disappointing show.
The players are in the dock but are they the only ones responsible? The captain, provided ample evidence of his incompetence as a leader in every match Pakistan played. In fact, he seems the kind of captain who would lead the present Australian team to defeat if he was placed in charge of what looks like an invincible combination. But he refuses to step down as captain.
The decision is not for him to make. Pakistan Cricket Board is the appointing and dismissing authority. And in any case he was given the assignment for the World Cup; his tenure is over. But he is adamant and determined to stick to his guns. It is the PCB that is actually accountable. But here too, its head also refuses to quit. There is an impression that he has been instructed to stay put. The attitude is understandable.
It is a play of dominos. If an insignificant domino falls, the defense of important ones would be exposed. With the political opposition to the government taking a tough stand against LFO and the question of Pakistan’s position on Iraq assuming tricky proportions, people at the top must be concerned with the fallout of the resignation of the General, leading teh cricketing affairs of the nation. The principle is nipping the evil of responding to the people in the bud.
Lahore & Beyond started with almost a bang. The first column was a revisit, after fifteen years of the event, to Nawabpur, the place where some women were forcibly disrobed and walked through a crowded street, to settle a score. Nothing had changed there. But then nothing changes in our society, particularly negative conditions. At the same time, I feel that there is no final case for despairing. There are quite a few silver linings.
One area of life needs to be focused at. The tradition of Sir Ganga Ram has not died in Lahore. Many philanthropists are quietly making their contribution to the society and that is very heartening. The latest is in that line is Dr Pervaiz Hasan, a distinguished lawyer and a graduate of Punjab University’s Law College. Recently he returned to his alma mater and invested in building an Environmental Law Center for the University. According to him, it was a debt he was trying to repay. The state of the art 400 seat auditorium and related facilities provide evidence of positive thinking and approach in the society. I have reason to believe that the number of citizens who feel for the rest is increasing. Other factors remaining equal, I hope to return to readers with more focused and more relevant writings. For the time being, it is au revoir.
ALL things must come to an end. And my column Lahore & Beyond is no exception to this rule. Originally started as Lahore Landscape, the column continued for a number of years before finding its present name. Columns by individual journalists often stay alive as long as their author’s mental and physical faculties remain in tact. But there is a proviso to that: write-ups must retain the reader’s interest and the author must treat himself as a pillar of society, not as modeled by Ibsen, but believe that he is providing a needed service to readers. Some of the readers, among them my friends, have not been consistently warm about the contents of Lahore & Beyond. I have good reason to think that there may be others with similar views, hopefully not harsher opinions. I have no hesitation in conceding that there have been times when I felt that the column was not making any notable point. If the author is unsure, readers are likely to be more so.
