I MUST first congratulate Shahid Kamal, the consummate writer, and thank him for saving me Rs550 by reviewing the book, 'Testing Times', by Gohar Ayub in Books and Authors.

I had extended similar thanks to the intrepid Anjum Niaz who has more guts and passion for Pakistan than any other female column writer. She, while reviewing another blunder book, 'In the Corridors of Power', by the same author of sorts, Gohar Ayub, had said that she could not go beyond a few pages because of the irritating hyperbole by the author.

She had also commented it was hard-earned money wasted and she cursed herself for not having browsed it before buying because she was catching a flight to the US and did not have enough time.

What comes across in all this is how publishers can publish totally unsubstantiated and over quoted books without any reference to prove the veracity of the author's claims.

In Gohar Ayub's case there can be no doubt that he has little substance to present about any achievements and merely tries to sound self-important.

Many of his claims are concocted as I know the truth from the one's he refers to. His claims are by and large conjectures, photos so ridiculous such as showing himself in army fatigue and in front of a bunker with a weapon creating the impression of having fought a war.

He was never an ambassador, thank God for small mercy. Everyone knows he never heard a shot fired except the ones he fired at the constituents of Miss Fatima Jinnah to terrorise her supporters and to win an odiously rigged election of Ayub Khan.

Gohar Ayub's stint as foreign minister was most aptly scripted by famous Indian journalist Saeed Naqvi (he was with Najam Sethi on a discussion about Sharm al Sheikh two days ago).

Saeed Naqvi, referring to Gohar Ayub in his article titled 'Minister of hate', had said “My encounter in Colombo last week with Gohar Ayub Khan must, upon serious reflection, rank as the most frightful experience in my professional life.”

Quoting Gohar Ayub, Naqvi wrote “He suddenly burst into spasms of mocking, humourless laughter, short eruptions ..... 'You (India) will be put through shredders', he repeated with uncontrollable passion.”

Naqvi ends by asking “Is he an aberration?” Can anyone imagine paying to read invitation cards and menus, 33 in number, and speeches by Gohar Ayub?

SYED ALI AMIR SHAH

Lahore