I was serving in 35 Heavy Regiment Artillery (1970-72), and we were deployed in our operational locations after the 1971 Indo-Pak War, that one day, perhaps in March 1972, we came to know that two guns and a Command Post along with Battery Commander (BC) and two officers had to participate in a parade to be held at the Race Course Ground Rawalpindi on the lines of Joint Services Pakistan Day Parade, on the eve of lifting of Martial Law by Mr Bhutto on 22 Apr 1972.
From the border areas to Rawalpindi (being home town) was a very welcome news. Our Commanding Officer was Lieutenant Colonel Mushtaq Madni*, Artillery/ Aviation, and Major (later Lieutenant Colonel) Muhammad Afzal*, (AA) Artillery, was the 2IC. P Battery 35 Heavy Regiment was earmarked to take along two guns and the other stuff.
Major Pervez Saleem*, (35 PMA), was the Battery Commander and the other officer was Lieutenant (later Lieutenant Colonel) Talat Mahmood aka Billa, (43 PMA/ Abdalian). We camped near the Race Course Ground Rawalpindi and the rehearsals started on the similar lines as as for 23 March Pakistan Day Parade, though that year, due to Indo-Pak War 1971, no parade was held on 23 March.
Brig (later Lieutenant General) Sahibzada Muhammad Sadiq-ur-Rashid Ibrahim Abbasi*, Artillery was the Parade Commander. A towering personality, perfectionist (no wonder being a Gunner) and a hard task master, as the marching columns would receive his piece of mind every now and then. We would also have our share if the dressing from the right between the jeeps and the gun towers was not perfect.
On the day of Parade (22 Apr 1972) the venue was full and oozing out with the audience/spectators, ambassadors with spouses, high ranking Civil and Military officers with families, and the General Public, as is the routine. Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had brought along his wife and two daughters as well.
A few glimpses of the event, which I have been able to retrieve from the ‘National Archives’ are Oath being administered.
But that day things were different than normal, which we didn’t know being part of the parade.
The Parade started off as usual; Review and then the March Past commenced with Infantry leading followed by 1 Commando Battalion (SSG), led by Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Gulrez Butt*, SJ, (Engrs), Armour Column ex 6 Lancers, led by Major(later Lieutenant Colonel) Mahmood ul Hassan*, Armoured Personnel Carriers ex 10 FF led by Major(later Lieutenant General) Muzaffar H Usmani* (36 PMA), troop leaders Captain (later Colonel) Ayaz Khan, Lieutenant (later Brigadier) Sultan Mahmood aka Salty (45 PMA), and then the Artillery Column.
By the time Infantry Column had crossed and we were now lined up, that we saw a lot of commotion. By this time SSG had also crossed the Stage and Armour Column was approaching. When the tanks turned their main guns towards the Stage and bowed, we could see ‘Jialas’ clinging on to the barrels. The crowed from the General Stand had become rowdy and now moving all around with impunity. They had stormed the Stage as well and it was a free for all situation.
By this time our Column was approaching the Stage. We had M-38A and M-38A-1 American Jeeps. Mine had a problem and there was every danger that if it got stuck, then may require a push to restart. The situation was that when we were saluting to the right, and as I was junior to Talat hence was on the left, I could see what all was happening. There were people on our jeep bonnets, and the Parade had turned into a rout. Mr Bhutto was shouting at the security people not to touch the ‘Jialas’. Things got further aggravated when these ‘Jialas’ turned towards Diplomatic enclosure. There was every danger that the ladies would be disrespected as was the mood of the crowd.
By then we had also disembarked and were looking at what was happening. It was then that the Parade Commander ordered SSG to come to the rescue of Diplomats. Major(later Brigadier ) TM* (commanding Shaheen Company SSG), as he was; came full blast with his troops and frequent use of rifle butts left many nose bleeding and jaws fractured but saved the day. The Diplomats along with their spouses were escorted out.
Meanwhile the IG Police requested SSG to rescue Benazir and Sanam Bhutto, who were still in their teens. Mr Bhutto and his governors had already left the scene. Ayub Company rescued both the girls and were escorted to their residence by Major (Later Lieutenant General) Tahir Ali Qureshi and Captain Noor (Chaacha Noora). Other SSG troops had to resort to massive bludgeoning with rifle butts to create a lane in the charging crowed to rescue the ladies and dignitaries.
The Parade ended in a fiasco as a new era of ‘Jialas’ had set-in, in the country.
I guess the cameras of the PTV (only channel) giving live coverage of the event were also smashed by the ‘Jialas’ going berserk due to the new culture being injected.
The die was cast that day and thereafter the country witnessed and unfortunately continues to witness lawlessness in every walk of life.
Even now just see what happens in the political gatherings when some Biryani is being distributed or a birthday cake is being cut, what a commotion one witnesses.
It’s been almost 50 years, many participants have passed away, and I am also approaching the evening of my life; I never heard of this Parade again though it remained engraved in my mind.
I have written this note to revive the sad part of our history lest it gets buried in the dust of time.
Before I conclude my article, two excerpts from ‘The New York Times’ dated 25 Jun 1972, which make a mention of this Parade.
Quote
“…… But the planning dissolved into chaos. The velvet was trampled, and as President Bhutto spoke of the virtues of tradition, honour and principle, he had to remind his audience that order and silence were equally virtuous. But they jostled and pushed anyway, and some of them tossed tangerine peelings, sugar cane stalks and even shoes at outnumbered policemen, who tried to whack them into order with wooden laths. And when the order was given for the parade to begin, two army squadrons of T‐59 tanks couldn’t move because the people were in the way. So the police had to whack some more, and as the tanks slowly rumbled forward, some of the people jumped up and dangled from their gun barrels”.
“……There on the race‐course ground were half a million or so men (women are rarely seen or heard publicly in Pakistan), who knew everything of guns and nothing of books, who poked each other, giggled and stared open‐mouthed like children at the sight of a reporter’s pen scribbling notes: men enthralled not by their President’s words, but by the luminous hands on a stranger’s watch. There, in a sad, eerie glimpse, was what Pakistan amounted to after 25 years of nationhood, despite its sophisticated public‐relations men, its showcase intellectuals and artists, and its generals, who said they could have kept order that afternoon, had they had a few more men”.
Unquote
PS. My gratitude to Brigadier Saleem (14 Punjab), Brigadier Nazir, SSG (14 Punjab) Brigadier Salty (10 FF), who had participated in the Parade, for their valuable contribution in recapping the details.
