Poshni and the Rawalpindi case

If you have ever worked in the advertising business in Pakistan – even if you don’t have any inkling about history or politics – you are bound to have met Zafarullah Poshni (who passed away on Wed, Oct 6). It was the early 1990s that I had my first regular job as copywriter at IAL/ Saatchi in Karachi and ended up meeting Poshni sahib.

Sarmad Ali was our manager and one day he asked me if I was interested in some extra part-time work. I nodded in the affirmative and he sent me to meet Zafarullah Poshni who was the head of the creative department at Manhattan Pakistan. I had already read his book ‘Zindagi zindaan dili ka naam hai’, and was familiar with his role as a participant of the so-called Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case of 1951. It came as a surprise to me that a 25-year-old captain in the Pakistan Army who was arrested and dismissed from his service and sentenced to imprisonment, would be working in an advertising agency.

When I met him for the first time in 1991 at his office, I was in my 20s and he was in his 60s, but we struck a good chord immediately. He was immensely pleased to find that a young copywriter had read his book and was enthusiastic to know about him. He gave me some writing work both in English and Urdu and was helpful in improving my copies. He gave me his book with his signature which I still have in my collection. After a couple of years I quit advertising and moved on to teaching at IBA Karachi, losing regular contact with him.

The last time I met him was three years back in Lahore where he had come for a session at the LLF. When his name was announced he sprightly climbed onto the stage and responded to a standing ovation. When he informed the audience that he was 92 years old, the ovation accelerated. He was there to talk about the English translation of the abovementioned Urdu book. Even at that time he was the last survivor of the infamous Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. His companionship with Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Muhammad Hussain Ata, Major Ishaq, and Sajjad Zaheer – in jail for nearly four years – had a lasting impression on him.

He had become influenced by communist ideas in his 20s and was a keen observer of political development both nationally and internationally. The government of Pakistan right after its inception in 1947 had embarked upon a journey of relentless persecution of left-leaning and liberal intellectuals and politicians. Liaquat Ali Khan – the first prime minister – had no soft corner for the opposition, let alone communists.

Maj-Gen Akbar Khan invited some civilian and army persons to his home in Feb 1951 to discuss a possible rebellion against the government of PM Liaquat Ali Khan. Zafarullah Poshni was one of the army personnel who attended the meeting with Faiz, Zaheer, and others. One of the army participants leaked the information and a couple of months after the inconclusive meeting, the Liaquat government arrested the participants on charges of conspiring to stage a coup. All those involved were eventually released by the general amnesty of 1956. Poshni not only wrote about it in detail but spoke with gusto at various forums throughout his life, recalling those memorable years.

He published the book in the 1970s, nearly quarter of a century after the alleged ‘conspiracy’. The English translation ‘Prison Interlude: The Last Eyewitness Account of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case’ took another 40 years to appear in print. Poshni was never reluctant to share the details of the case and his experiences. Those interested in Pakistan’s political history must read his book in English or Urdu to understand the period and the people who played an important role in those early years of Pakistan. In all, 11 officers of the armed forces and four eminent civilians were arrested for the first ‘attempted coup d’état’ in Pakistan.

Poshni was a marvelous narrator and in his book he recounts the story of the time the ‘conspirators’ spent together in prison. Interestingly, Akbar Khan who was a brigadier at the time when Pakhtun tribesmen started advancing towards the Kashmir valley, was given the command to fight against the Indian army. Poshni terms Akbar Khan as a dissatisfied man who had turned against Liaquat Ali Khan for his lack of decision-making power. Maj-Gen Khan did not like the ceasefire and wanted to relaunch the campaign.

According to Poshni’s narrative, Akbar Khan was highly ambitious and was trying to push Faiz, Zaheer, and others into this risky and adventurous plan to remove L A Khan’s government from power through a coup. In the said meeting Akbar Khan failed to convince the participants to continue with the plan he was proposing. It is true that the Liaquat government was antagonistic towards communist and secular activists, intellectuals, journalists, and leaders, but three of the four civilians involved in the meeting did not endorse the plan.

Faiz was the editor of the English language daily newspaper Pakistan Times, and Akbar Khan wanted the paper to support the coup. After their arrests, Faiz had to endure a three-month solitary confinement before being allowed to join other accused and prison mates in the Hyderabad jail. In addition to Zaheer and Ata, the fourth civilian accused was Begum Nasim Akbar. In the book Poshni informs us how A K Brohi led the prosecution and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy led the defence team with his impeccable style of questioning witnesses. The difference in treatment to army and civilian accused was clear as the accused belonging to the army received A Class while the civilian had to be content with B class.

Poshni remembered fondly how the civilians called their group a ‘Khanqa’h and cherished the company of Faiz and Zaheer. The best friendship Poshni struck with Ata, and this association remained lifelong. Poshni considered Ata as his teacher in communist concepts whereas from Faiz and Zaheer he received his literary training. The chapters where Poshni describes how jail inmates lost their tempers at times and even picked physical fights in a childish manner is hilarious. Reading Poshni’s book one realises how not only communist but even Red Shirts – who were followers of Bacha Khan – were imprisoned and persecuted during the early years of Pakistan.

Those who opposed the One-Unit formula were also at the receiving end and the state had no mercy even for non-violent activists and protesters. The Pakistan Safety Act became a handy tool of such persecution by state authorities who wanted to crush all democratic aspirations of the people of Pakistan. Reading this book makes you sad as you understand how the same story has been going on for over 70 years now.

Poshni though was not one to get disappointed and pessimistic. When I met him last in Lahore after almost two decades his memory was sharp, and he immediately called me by my name. He was always full of life and carried a feisty demeanour. After meeting him, one would tell oneself ‘if you want to live long, live like him, or not at all’.

The writer holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK and works in Islamabad.

Email: mnazir1964@yahoo.co.uk