I have no personal acquaintance with the newly elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tariq Rahman, nor do I know much about him. He has become Prime Minister, which is a very high rank; a common journalist like me might never even be able to meet him. Yet whenever I read any news about the election in Bangladesh, a voice rises from my heart that this is not Tariq Rahman – this is Brother Tariq.
A feeling of closeness developed also because, despite being a villager, I am now a Lahori, and Tariq Rahman too, being born in Lahore, is a born Lahori. It is another matter that he does not pronounce the letter “r” as “ṛ” the way Lahoris do.
“Shubh Ichchha” is a Bengali word whose Urdu meaning is congratulations. While making Tariq Rahman my “brother,” I was reminded a lot of the late Maulana Abdul Rahman Ashrafi. He was a renowned scholar of Jamia Ashrafia Lahore and the son of the founder of the seminary, Mufti Muhammad Hassan. Jamia Ashrafia subscribes to the Deobandi school of thought, yet here moderation, peace-loving attitude and reconciliation are prominently maintained.
Maulana Ashrafi believed with heart and soul in winning hearts through love, and because of this quality he had the ability to wound even enemies. His doors remained open for Shia, Sunni, Deobandi and Barelvi alike. During the rule of General Pervez Musharraf, once he declared that he and General Musharraf were classmates. Everyone was surprised because Maulana had not received education anywhere other than a religious seminary, and General Musharraf had never studied in such a seminary – so how could they be classmates?
Maulana Ashrafi himself, smiling, answered that both he and General Pervez Musharraf had, at the same time, received the opportunity to go on the roof of the Kaaba. Those moments of virtue and pleasantness were like being in one class – so General Musharraf and I became classmates, did we not? By the same argument, Tariq Rahman is my Brother Tariq.
It has been 55 years since Bangladesh became geographically separate from Pakistan, yet Dhaka has still not faded from our minds, and necessarily it must be the same over there. Every political and social change that occurs in Dhaka deeply affects the Pakistani mindset. The blueprint of the neutral caretaker government also came via Dhaka. Bangladesh soon repented from this concept, but here that Bangladeshi interim arrangement is still present in our constitution. It is heard that in the upcoming proposed amendments there is consideration of restoring in Pakistan as well the old 1973 system.
Bangladesh’s model of economic development kept receiving great praise in Pakistan. We too wanted to copy the emphasis on prioritizing the economy by suppressing politics. Before the 2024 election, the former intelligence chief was also desirous of bringing the Bangladeshi model. But just like the concept of caretaker government, Bangladesh itself overturned the Hasina Wajid model and decided to adopt the Pakistan model. The mistake that happened from the establishment in Pakistan in 2024 was not repeated in Bangladesh.
In Pakistan, the candidates of Tehreek-e-Insaf were allowed to contest the election without a collective electoral symbol, and as a result the matter went out of control of the establishment’s calculations. In Bangladesh, by banning the Awami League, this issue has been “well” resolved.
In the Bangladeshi elections there was no issue of acceptance and popularity like the Pakistani elections of 2018 and 2024. At least in the Pakistani press no news of rigging or manipulation was published. However, former Prime Minister Hasina Wajid has given almost the same statement that Tehreek-e-Insaf gave regarding the 2024 election.
The recent elections in Bangladesh are being likened to democracy coming back onto the track. Now on the delicate shoulders of Brother Tariq the Lahori has fallen the responsibility that he runs both the democratic horse and the economic horse together in the democratic chariot. Hasina Wajid, in order to run the economic horse, whipped the democratic horse to such an extent that opposition leaders were sent to the gallows through the courts. Obviously revenge had to return. Within the circle of revenge, now the target is Hasina Wajid, and those who were her targets are taking power.
According to the logic of revenge, there does not appear to be much difference in the histories of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his party once used to smell the scent of jute from the streets of Islamabad. Now neither is that era of jute, nor does Bengali capital come to Islamabad. However, even today in Islamabad the names of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Fazlul Haq and other Bengali leaders are preserved as memorials. It is another matter that in Dhaka every name and every monument associated with Pakistan has been erased like a wrong letter.
During two decades this humble one had to go to Bangladesh twice to attend various conferences. Overseas Bengalis in Britain are neighbors of Pakistanis; interaction with them also continued. I am amazed how the negative views they held about Pakistan suddenly turned positive. Regarding this, we all know the apparent events; we also have an idea of India’s undue interference in Bangladesh. But what is that special string which has transformed the Bengalis?
In the past 55 years not only has the world changed, but everything in Pakistan and Bangladesh has changed. Once jute and golden fiber were needed throughout the world and East Pakistan was a major center of it; now jute has become obsolete, cotton is dominant. Interestingly, a large number of Pakistan’s textile and cotton engineers work in Bangladesh. On flights going to and from Bangladesh, most passengers are those working in the textile and cotton industry. These days Bangladesh is manufacturing cloth from the cotton of Punjab and Sindh and exporting garments to Europe and America.
With Brother Tariq becoming Prime Minister, the process of healing the deep wounds on our conscience and mind can begin. The matter is very delicate and sensitive. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh will have to plan not only to put balm on the wounds but also to promote commonalities and minimize differences. In my opinion, delegations of intellectuals, writers and poets from both countries should visit each other. Likewise, the movement of journalists will also help in understanding one another better.
Brother Tariq becoming Prime Minister is equal to Pakistan hitting three consecutive sixes in a ludo match between India and Pakistan. The wound that India inflicted on Pakistan in 1971 – Brother Tariq’s premiership is a slap on India’s face. Despite sacrifices of life and wealth for Afghanistan, we received only disappointment, but rapid changes in Bangladesh have once again brought honor to Pakistan in this region.
Thank you, Brother Tariq.