‘Lal Haveli Se Aqwam-e-Muttahida Tak’ launched: Sarwar, Sh Rashid see country’s future bright under Imran Khan

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has said the future of Pakistan is bright under Prime Minister Imran Khan, as foreign investors are bringing investment to the country.

Speaking as the chief guest at the launching ceremony of Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad's book, ‘Lal Haveli Se Aqwam-e-Muttahida Tak’ [From Lal Haveli to the United Nations] at a hotel here Sunday, he said that all institutions were working hard for progress of the country.

He said Sh Rashid was the voice of the poor, and the poor class was honest and loyal to the country, adding that love of the deprived class for the homeland was exemplary. The governor paid tribute to the Pakistan’s armed forces, especially martyrs and civilians who sacrificed their lives for security and defence of the nation.

“Forty years ago, Sh Rashid predicted that I (Ch Sarwar) will join national politics one day, and now I am in politics,” the governor said while appreciating the foreseeing capability of the book author.

He lauded the content of Sh Rashid's book and said that everyone should read it. Earlier, the Railways minister thanked all speakers and participants in the ceremony. He, in his speech, not only refreshed the memories of the past but also spoke about the politics of the future. He said that Pakistan would develop under the leadership of Imran Khan. He said no one in the current cabinet was after ministries.

“I am not hungry for any ministry as I have served as a minister for 14 times,” he added. He also acknowledged the role of Pakistan Army in the progress of the country and said that Pakistan Army is a great army which should be appreciated for its services for the nation. He said Pak Army soldiers always rescued the nation from crises.

Sh Rashid said: “I decided to launch my book on Sept 6 for two reasons: “The first one, it is the Defence Day, and the second is that it is the death anniversary day of my mother.” He said he was not poor but it was clear that he was the voice of the poor. Later, Sh Rashid presented his book to the Punjab governor.

Renowned journalist Mujibur Rehman Shami, PTI's Senator Waleed Iqbal, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shahbaz Gill, Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat, journalist Salman Ghani, Punjab Minister for Housing Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, senior journalists Sohail Warraich and Saleem Bukhari spoke on the occasion.

Sheikh Rashid said his second book would reveal "sensational events" of Pakistan's history. "In the new book, I will unveil the sensational events of the country's history," he said. "That book," he added, "will be published five years after my death."

The name of the second book has not yet been disclosed. Addressing the function Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Shahbaz Gill said that in order to test Sheikh Rashid one has to examine his different political periods.

Senator Waleed Iqbal gave interesting quotations from various excerpts of the book. Provincial Minister Raja Basharat called Sheikh Rashid the pride of his city Rawalpindi. Mian Mehmoodur Rashid said that Sh Rashid’s style of speech and eloquence was a role model for us.

Senior journalist Mujibur Rehman Shami said that whether one denies or agrees it cannot be denied that Sheikh Rashid played an important role in Pakistani politics. Senior journalists Sohail Warraich, Arif Nizami, Saleem Bukhari and Salman Ghani also gave their impressions about Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and his authorship.

Meanwhile, the debut 352-page book "From Lal Haveli to the United Nations" - which includes 12 chapters and 31 pictures - touches upon the important events of the minister's 50 years of politics.

On an earlier occasion, Sheikh Rashid had discussed excerpts of his book, some of which are shared below: He writes how former prime minister and PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif was disqualified in the Panama case on his petition.

"I consider making false accusations an insult to politics," he adds, noting that the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the LNG case against former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi be handed over to NAB Chairperson Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal.

The anti-graft watchdog subsequently filed a reference against Abbasi, he added. Rashid says time proved that former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf's position was wrong and that of the Chaudhry brothers right. "The former army chief wanted to be a president but without his uniform," he writes.

The Chaudhry brothers were not in favour of giving an NRO to Benazir, the minister says, adding that if Musharraf had not given one to the late premier, he would not be where he is today.

Speaking of Dr Tahirul Qadri, the federal minister said matters were settled during a meeting between the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief and Prime Minister Imran Khan in London. Rashid explains how the command and control centre of the operation during the 2014 Model Town massacre was at the Punjab Chief Minister House.

He says when the 2014 Azadi March was attacked in Gujranwala, Imran Khan called Chaudhry Nisar from his container. The incumbent premier used to keep his movement separate and unique from that of Qadri's, he adds.

A "political earthquake" erupted when 34 PTI members resigned from the assembly, he writes further. The decision to go to the assembly and the TV station was made in a container - something that lawmaker Javed Hashmi did not agree to.

However, "Imran Khan wanted to overthrow the Nawaz Sharif government no matter what," he adds. "When Imran Khan raised his finger, I advised him against doing so in the future," Rashid says. "Whatever Imran Khan decides, he does not back down regardless of the consequences."

The railways minister recalls how during the 2014 march, Khan sent a message to Beijing's ambassador that if the Chinese president was to come to Pakistan, he would have the route cleared.

He notes that certain selected people attended Qadri's sit-in, while participants from that of Imran Khan's came in from different districts. Shedding light on former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Rashid says her real killers were honourably acquitted due to the PPP's non-compliance.

"It is false that Benazir's relationship with Asif Zardari was strained before her assassination," he notes. "No case was registered against the people whom Benazir expressed suspicions some 24 hours before the assassination."

On Pakistan being an atomic power, he says the United States could have besieged Islamabad's nuclear facilities had the latter signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Matters were settled amicably in a meeting between Musharraf and nuclear physicist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, Rashid says. A statement that the "father" of Pakistan's uranium enrichment project made after talks with the former army chief was "his own and he has apologised for it".

On a more personal note, Rashid details how he attempted suicide back when he was in eighth grade. "When I arrived home late after a tour to Murree, I was beaten and then I intended to commit suicide. Unable to find poison, I made a noose from a bedsheet and hung myself from the fan. "But my brother broke open the door to my room upon hearing me yelling [in pain] and saved me from committing suicide."