With the celebrations this week of the first anniversary of Marka-e-Haq, a resounding triumph of Pakistan’s defence forces against an unprovoked attack by India, one more event of significance has been added in the annals of Pakistan’s history that happened in the month of May. The point to make is that India, with its larger military prowess, was so soundly humiliated.
In the midst of all this jubilation, I am reminded of some other anniversaries that fall in May and have a bearing on Pakistan’s history. The most ‘explosive’ of them came near the end of the Month. On May 28, 1998, Pakistan conducted its nuclear tests and the reverberations were felt across the world. On that day, Pakistan overtly became a nuclear power, the first and only Muslim nation so far to acquire this status.
About two weeks prior to that, on May 11 and 13, India had conducted its underground nuclear tests and Pakistan was confronted with this grave strategic challenge to either do the same or not become a nuclear nation by bowing to the pressures and persuasions of the world, mainly the US.
At that critical moment, Pakistan made its decision – and with that, the world and Pakistan’s own destiny changed in some crucial ways. Our nuclear tests were conducted on May 28 and May 30 in the Ras Koh Hills of the Chagai district in Balochistan.
At the outset, I suggested that a number of events that stand out in our history had taken place in May. Well, there are three that I remember because of personal experience in the sense that I was touched by them and have stories to tell, though only in a peripheral sense.
Let me start with what happened in the small hours of May 2, in 2011, in the city of Abbottabad. We in Pakistan may not want to remember it, but that dramatic raid by US Special Operations Forces in which Osama bin Laden was killed is listed in world history as a May event.
I happened to be in Washington D.C. at that time, staying with my younger daughter Aliya. Her apartment was downtown. It was very late on May 1, because of the time difference, that then-US president Barack Obama broke the news in an address to the nation. Around that midnight, people were beginning to converge at the White House, which was at a walking distance of 15 minutes from where we were.
I can recall that eerie feeling I had when Aliya and walked towards the White House at that ungodly hour, with some scattered groups also headed in the same direction. I did write my column on that experience in this newspaper in May 2011. Here, I just want to mention an encounter that electrified my thoughts and emotions about what had transpired.
A lot has been written about it. A major Hollywood movie titled ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ was released in 2012. It dramatised the decade-long CIA intelligence hunt and the final raid on the compound in Abbottabad. Its tagline: ‘The greatest manhunt in history’. In military slang, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ means very early in the morning.
The second event I want to mention is the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on May 9, 2023 – a date that passed yesterday. The arrest led to violent protests and military installations were targeted. There was a crackdown against PTI leaders and the entire story of May 9, 2023 has not yet been fully revealed.
On that date, my wife Sadiqa and I were flying to Islamabad by PIA’s 4pm flight and had learnt about Imran Khan’s arrest before boarding the plane. You can imagine the excitement that the news had created, generating a lot of speculation and rumours.
There was a clear hint of crisis when we landed in Islamabad. Some scary stories were told in whispers, as if a local version of the storming of the Bastille was in progress. Anyhow, we felt stranded, but an elderly taxi driver of a small old vehicle promised to take us to our destination, which he did through long detours on bumpy lanes. At no point did we find any expression of political support for any party.
I have little space left for my third story, though it illustrates the darkest shades of how our rulers can themselves violate the rule of law. Yes, I am talking about the day-long spectacle of violence on the streets of Karachi on May 12, 2007. As many as 58 persons were killed. Nothing like that has happened in Pakistan’s history.
On that day, the then-deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was to come to Karachi to address the lawyers during that massive lawyers’ movement. The entire city was blocked by MQM activists, in support of the late president Gen Pervez Musharraf and there were clashes between rival political groups.
Ah, but where was I on that day? It became a day to remember for me because I had landed in Karachi from abroad just before sunrise. When I reached the arrival lounge, I encountered a scene of disquiet. I was told that going to the city was not possible. With a number of fellow passengers, we decided to stay in the safety of the lounge. As the day progressed, we had reports from relatives and friends and had heated exchanges on the prevailing situation.
Incredibly, it was about eight in the evening when I was able to leave the airport with a fellow passenger whose driver had finally made it to the airport. But where does May 12, 2007, belong in our history books or in our literature or in our personal memories? Or was it just another hot day in May?
Finally, and to conclude with a pretence of hope, another great day would be added to May if a deal is signed by the US and Iran to end the war. And a great triumph it would be for our diplomacy. It could be another excuse for us to march with the beating of drums.
The writer is a senior journalist. He can be reached at: [email protected]
