Staff Correspondent, "The poet who may be prime minister" - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Saturday, March 8, 2008
He may come across as sober and conservative, but there is a poet in him whose verses have been sung by the likes of singer Runa Laila. On quiet evenings, he likes to listen to Rumi as well.
Unlike many other politicians in Pakistan, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who has been tipped to be Pakistan’s next prime minister, is widely regarded as a non-controversial figure and one who has stood by his party through thick and thin at a time when many others jumped ship.
As a political worker, Makhdoom Amin Fahim has seen many bitter days, particularly when party faithful were attacked and tortured following the arrest of then PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the late seventies and early eighties. A massive crackdown against politicians alligned to Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party were targeted, harassed and beaten up on the instructions of military strongman General Zia. What saved Makhdoom Amin Fahim was his position as one of the country’s most revered spiritual leaders as well.
He is the Makhdoom of Hala, the spirtual head of the Sarwari Jamaat, a sufi order that has a large following.
In recent years, Makhdoom Amin Fahim was the face of the Pakistan Peoples Party. In the absence of Ms Bhutto, who was abroad on exile, he managed party affairs and headed the party structure. Some say he was at one time offered the position of PM by President Musharraf which he quietly declined.
He inherited both his spiritual mantle as well as the his political bearings from his father, Makhdoom Talibul Maula. And he takes both these responsibilities very seriously. In fact, one of the first centres for the PPP was the house of Makhdoom Talibul Maula.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim has remained loyal to the PPP and the Bhuttos ever since his father joined the party at its formation in 1969. His quality is that he also maintains cordial relations with all political leaders as well as President Musharraf. This also qualifies him for the job for which he is being tipped.
Makhdoom Amin, who has the endorsement of party stalwarts like Aitezaz Ahsan, was with Ms Bhutto when she died in an attack in Rawalpindi in December 2007.
Gifted with a gentle demenour, he is known to be a man who works by consensus. Those who work with him say that he remains calm while taking major decisions either for his party or for his community. He is always accommodating to all leaders in the party as well as with local zamindars of Sindh, with whom he has a lot of interaction.
Political analysts say that Makhdoom Amin Fahim is a “rare breed in Pakistani politics where loyalty doesn’t matter at all and changing party and leadership is considered a routine affair.” He has remained loyal to the PPP throughout.
Makhdoom Amin is known as “Dada Sain” because he was named after his great grandfather Makhdoom Mohammed Amin popularly known as “Pakhan Dhani”, a famous Sufi poet of his era.
In Sindh, he is known more for his spiritual role as chief of the Sarwari Jamaat, which is spread from across Sindh’s Thar desert and has followers in Sanghar, Matiari, Hyderabad, Thatta and Badin districts as well as the Southern districts of Punjab and parts of Gujrat and Rajasthan in India.
Born on August 4, 1939 in Hala New, Makhdoom Amin Fahim is now the 18th Sajjada Nasheen of the Makhdoom of Hala, the largest spiritual family of the country. The Makhdooms, trace their linege to the first Caliph, Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (Qureshi) and call themselves as Qureshi and Siddiqi.
Makhdoom Talibul Maula, the father of Amin Fahim, was among the few prominent figures who served in Sindh and made efforts to promote Sindhi literature and culture. He, alongwith other philanthropists, sponsored Mushairas and musical concerts to promote Sindhi language. The Makhdooms have also played key role in promoting education in their area.
Present Makhdoom Ghulam Hyder Government High School and Sarwar Islamia College Hala were established by family elders.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim has one poetry collection ‘Paigham’ to his credit. This was published by Sindhi Adabi Board. Sindhi literary critics call it the “message of romance”. Renowned singer Runa Laila and other Sufi musicians have sung his poetry.
Some historians tracing the background of the family of Makhdooms of Hala say that they migrated from the Arabian Gulf and settled first in Kote Kirore, district Dera Ghazi Khan of southern Punjab and later shifted to Torhi village near Hala Old.
Hala Old was then flooded by Indus as it changed its route. Historians link present Torhi Phattak (Railway Track) near Sehwan, which is remembered as a point where some Sindh University students were killed by the military during 1983 Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD), as a part of the same village near Hala Old.
Hala, known for handicrafts, is also respected for having one of the highest literacy rates in Sindh. It is also famous due to it being the seat of spiritual leadership and mausoleum of Makhdoom Nooh, the leader of the Suharwardi Sufi order.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim also led the MRD movement on his own traditional bunker, Hyderabad district, in which several activists and his followers were arrested, put into jails and tortured at army camps in Sanghar and Hyderabad.
When his younger brother Makhdoom Khalique Zaman was arrested in the end of 1977 after the ZA Bhutto government was ousted by General Zia, his followers blocked all the high ways in protest. It was the biggest shutter down by the people of Sindh, without any call by any political leader.
It may be pointed out so strong is the political grip of the Makhdooms that the National and Provincial Assembly seats of Hala have remained with the family since the early 1950s, except in 1985 when they boycotted the party-less polls.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim has been elected MNA for the sixth time. He was elected MNA in 1970, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2008. He has held offices as Provincial Minister of Revenue in Sindh and as Federal Minister (1988 and 1994).
Fahim did his matriculation in 1955 and intermediate in 1957 from his native town, Hala. In 1958, he got admission in the Political Science department of Sindh University, and did his bachelors in 1961.
He has four marriages from which he has five sons, including Makhdoom Jameel Zaman, the newly elected member of the Sindh Assembly. Jamil is also a poet and author of more than six books on prose and poetry.
The only dark area is his personal life seems to be the treatment meted out to womenfolk in his family. Area people familiar with the the spiritual leader say that no one talks about the women of the family. They say that while the birth of sons is celebrated, no one knows when a daughter is born.
There is also the issue of the marriage of the women to the Quran, as told by many. Close family friends and area people say “When nobody from the town gets to know about the birth of a female child in the family or a death for that matter, the news of marriages are also kept secret.”
Monday, March 10, 2008
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Monday, March 10, 2008
The Poet Who May Be Prime Minister
Saturday, March 8, 2008
He may come across as sober and conservative, but there is a poet in him whose verses have been sung by the likes of singer Runa Laila. On quiet evenings, he likes to listen to Rumi as well.
Unlike many other politicians in Pakistan, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who has been tipped to be Pakistan’s next prime minister, is widely regarded as a non-controversial figure and one who has stood by his party through thick and thin at a time when many others jumped ship.
As a political worker, Makhdoom Amin Fahim has seen many bitter days, particularly when party faithful were attacked and tortured following the arrest of then PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the late seventies and early eighties. A massive crackdown against politicians alligned to Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party were targeted, harassed and beaten up on the instructions of military strongman General Zia. What saved Makhdoom Amin Fahim was his position as one of the country’s most revered spiritual leaders as well.
He is the Makhdoom of Hala, the spirtual head of the Sarwari Jamaat, a sufi order that has a large following.
In recent years, Makhdoom Amin Fahim was the face of the Pakistan Peoples Party. In the absence of Ms Bhutto, who was abroad on exile, he managed party affairs and headed the party structure. Some say he was at one time offered the position of PM by President Musharraf which he quietly declined.
He inherited both his spiritual mantle as well as the his political bearings from his father, Makhdoom Talibul Maula. And he takes both these responsibilities very seriously. In fact, one of the first centres for the PPP was the house of Makhdoom Talibul Maula.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim has remained loyal to the PPP and the Bhuttos ever since his father joined the party at its formation in 1969. His quality is that he also maintains cordial relations with all political leaders as well as President Musharraf. This also qualifies him for the job for which he is being tipped.
Makhdoom Amin, who has the endorsement of party stalwarts like Aitezaz Ahsan, was with Ms Bhutto when she died in an attack in Rawalpindi in December 2007.
Gifted with a gentle demenour, he is known to be a man who works by consensus. Those who work with him say that he remains calm while taking major decisions either for his party or for his community. He is always accommodating to all leaders in the party as well as with local zamindars of Sindh, with whom he has a lot of interaction.
Political analysts say that Makhdoom Amin Fahim is a “rare breed in Pakistani politics where loyalty doesn’t matter at all and changing party and leadership is considered a routine affair.” He has remained loyal to the PPP throughout.
Makhdoom Amin is known as “Dada Sain” because he was named after his great grandfather Makhdoom Mohammed Amin popularly known as “Pakhan Dhani”, a famous Sufi poet of his era.
In Sindh, he is known more for his spiritual role as chief of the Sarwari Jamaat, which is spread from across Sindh’s Thar desert and has followers in Sanghar, Matiari, Hyderabad, Thatta and Badin districts as well as the Southern districts of Punjab and parts of Gujrat and Rajasthan in India.
Born on August 4, 1939 in Hala New, Makhdoom Amin Fahim is now the 18th Sajjada Nasheen of the Makhdoom of Hala, the largest spiritual family of the country. The Makhdooms, trace their linege to the first Caliph, Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (Qureshi) and call themselves as Qureshi and Siddiqi.
Makhdoom Talibul Maula, the father of Amin Fahim, was among the few prominent figures who served in Sindh and made efforts to promote Sindhi literature and culture. He, alongwith other philanthropists, sponsored Mushairas and musical concerts to promote Sindhi language. The Makhdooms have also played key role in promoting education in their area.
Present Makhdoom Ghulam Hyder Government High School and Sarwar Islamia College Hala were established by family elders.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim has one poetry collection ‘Paigham’ to his credit. This was published by Sindhi Adabi Board. Sindhi literary critics call it the “message of romance”. Renowned singer Runa Laila and other Sufi musicians have sung his poetry.
Some historians tracing the background of the family of Makhdooms of Hala say that they migrated from the Arabian Gulf and settled first in Kote Kirore, district Dera Ghazi Khan of southern Punjab and later shifted to Torhi village near Hala Old.
Hala Old was then flooded by Indus as it changed its route. Historians link present Torhi Phattak (Railway Track) near Sehwan, which is remembered as a point where some Sindh University students were killed by the military during 1983 Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD), as a part of the same village near Hala Old.
Hala, known for handicrafts, is also respected for having one of the highest literacy rates in Sindh. It is also famous due to it being the seat of spiritual leadership and mausoleum of Makhdoom Nooh, the leader of the Suharwardi Sufi order.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim also led the MRD movement on his own traditional bunker, Hyderabad district, in which several activists and his followers were arrested, put into jails and tortured at army camps in Sanghar and Hyderabad.
When his younger brother Makhdoom Khalique Zaman was arrested in the end of 1977 after the ZA Bhutto government was ousted by General Zia, his followers blocked all the high ways in protest. It was the biggest shutter down by the people of Sindh, without any call by any political leader.
It may be pointed out so strong is the political grip of the Makhdooms that the National and Provincial Assembly seats of Hala have remained with the family since the early 1950s, except in 1985 when they boycotted the party-less polls.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim has been elected MNA for the sixth time. He was elected MNA in 1970, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2008. He has held offices as Provincial Minister of Revenue in Sindh and as Federal Minister (1988 and 1994).
Fahim did his matriculation in 1955 and intermediate in 1957 from his native town, Hala. In 1958, he got admission in the Political Science department of Sindh University, and did his bachelors in 1961.
He has four marriages from which he has five sons, including Makhdoom Jameel Zaman, the newly elected member of the Sindh Assembly. Jamil is also a poet and author of more than six books on prose and poetry.
The only dark area is his personal life seems to be the treatment meted out to womenfolk in his family. Area people familiar with the the spiritual leader say that no one talks about the women of the family. They say that while the birth of sons is celebrated, no one knows when a daughter is born.
There is also the issue of the marriage of the women to the Quran, as told by many. Close family friends and area people say “When nobody from the town gets to know about the birth of a female child in the family or a death for that matter, the news of marriages are also kept secret.”
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Staff Correspondent, "The poet who may be prime minister" - The News International - Karachi, PakistanSaturday, March 8, 2008
He may come across as sober and conservative, but there is a poet in him whose verses have been sung by the likes of singer Runa Laila. On quiet evenings, he likes to listen to Rumi as well.
Unlike many other politicians in Pakistan, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who has been tipped to be Pakistan’s next prime minister, is widely regarded as a non-controversial figure and one who has stood by his party through thick and thin at a time when many others jumped ship.
As a political worker, Makhdoom Amin Fahim has seen many bitter days, particularly when party faithful were attacked and tortured following the arrest of then PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the late seventies and early eighties. A massive crackdown against politicians alligned to Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party were targeted, harassed and beaten up on the instructions of military strongman General Zia. What saved Makhdoom Amin Fahim was his position as one of the country’s most revered spiritual leaders as well.
He is the Makhdoom of Hala, the spirtual head of the Sarwari Jamaat, a sufi order that has a large following.
In recent years, Makhdoom Amin Fahim was the face of the Pakistan Peoples Party. In the absence of Ms Bhutto, who was abroad on exile, he managed party affairs and headed the party structure. Some say he was at one time offered the position of PM by President Musharraf which he quietly declined.
He inherited both his spiritual mantle as well as the his political bearings from his father, Makhdoom Talibul Maula. And he takes both these responsibilities very seriously. In fact, one of the first centres for the PPP was the house of Makhdoom Talibul Maula.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim has remained loyal to the PPP and the Bhuttos ever since his father joined the party at its formation in 1969. His quality is that he also maintains cordial relations with all political leaders as well as President Musharraf. This also qualifies him for the job for which he is being tipped.
Makhdoom Amin, who has the endorsement of party stalwarts like Aitezaz Ahsan, was with Ms Bhutto when she died in an attack in Rawalpindi in December 2007.
Gifted with a gentle demenour, he is known to be a man who works by consensus. Those who work with him say that he remains calm while taking major decisions either for his party or for his community. He is always accommodating to all leaders in the party as well as with local zamindars of Sindh, with whom he has a lot of interaction.
Political analysts say that Makhdoom Amin Fahim is a “rare breed in Pakistani politics where loyalty doesn’t matter at all and changing party and leadership is considered a routine affair.” He has remained loyal to the PPP throughout.
Makhdoom Amin is known as “Dada Sain” because he was named after his great grandfather Makhdoom Mohammed Amin popularly known as “Pakhan Dhani”, a famous Sufi poet of his era.
In Sindh, he is known more for his spiritual role as chief of the Sarwari Jamaat, which is spread from across Sindh’s Thar desert and has followers in Sanghar, Matiari, Hyderabad, Thatta and Badin districts as well as the Southern districts of Punjab and parts of Gujrat and Rajasthan in India.
Born on August 4, 1939 in Hala New, Makhdoom Amin Fahim is now the 18th Sajjada Nasheen of the Makhdoom of Hala, the largest spiritual family of the country. The Makhdooms, trace their linege to the first Caliph, Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (Qureshi) and call themselves as Qureshi and Siddiqi.
Makhdoom Talibul Maula, the father of Amin Fahim, was among the few prominent figures who served in Sindh and made efforts to promote Sindhi literature and culture. He, alongwith other philanthropists, sponsored Mushairas and musical concerts to promote Sindhi language. The Makhdooms have also played key role in promoting education in their area.
Present Makhdoom Ghulam Hyder Government High School and Sarwar Islamia College Hala were established by family elders.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim has one poetry collection ‘Paigham’ to his credit. This was published by Sindhi Adabi Board. Sindhi literary critics call it the “message of romance”. Renowned singer Runa Laila and other Sufi musicians have sung his poetry.
Some historians tracing the background of the family of Makhdooms of Hala say that they migrated from the Arabian Gulf and settled first in Kote Kirore, district Dera Ghazi Khan of southern Punjab and later shifted to Torhi village near Hala Old.
Hala Old was then flooded by Indus as it changed its route. Historians link present Torhi Phattak (Railway Track) near Sehwan, which is remembered as a point where some Sindh University students were killed by the military during 1983 Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD), as a part of the same village near Hala Old.
Hala, known for handicrafts, is also respected for having one of the highest literacy rates in Sindh. It is also famous due to it being the seat of spiritual leadership and mausoleum of Makhdoom Nooh, the leader of the Suharwardi Sufi order.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim also led the MRD movement on his own traditional bunker, Hyderabad district, in which several activists and his followers were arrested, put into jails and tortured at army camps in Sanghar and Hyderabad.
When his younger brother Makhdoom Khalique Zaman was arrested in the end of 1977 after the ZA Bhutto government was ousted by General Zia, his followers blocked all the high ways in protest. It was the biggest shutter down by the people of Sindh, without any call by any political leader.
It may be pointed out so strong is the political grip of the Makhdooms that the National and Provincial Assembly seats of Hala have remained with the family since the early 1950s, except in 1985 when they boycotted the party-less polls.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim has been elected MNA for the sixth time. He was elected MNA in 1970, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2008. He has held offices as Provincial Minister of Revenue in Sindh and as Federal Minister (1988 and 1994).
Fahim did his matriculation in 1955 and intermediate in 1957 from his native town, Hala. In 1958, he got admission in the Political Science department of Sindh University, and did his bachelors in 1961.
He has four marriages from which he has five sons, including Makhdoom Jameel Zaman, the newly elected member of the Sindh Assembly. Jamil is also a poet and author of more than six books on prose and poetry.
The only dark area is his personal life seems to be the treatment meted out to womenfolk in his family. Area people familiar with the the spiritual leader say that no one talks about the women of the family. They say that while the birth of sons is celebrated, no one knows when a daughter is born.
There is also the issue of the marriage of the women to the Quran, as told by many. Close family friends and area people say “When nobody from the town gets to know about the birth of a female child in the family or a death for that matter, the news of marriages are also kept secret.”
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