Chacha Pakistani: Closing a decade of patriotic fervour

Baba Mehar Din would charge up the crowd driven by his love for the army.

LAHORE: For over 10 years, a passionate Mehar Din would chant slogans everyday at the Wahga border right before the flag lowering ceremony, charging up the atmosphere as it echoed with slogans of Pakistan Zindabad. On October 21, Pakistan lost Baba Mehar Din at the age of 90.

He fell ill earlier this month. His family said he had been suffering from breathing problems and had a heart condition.

Hailing from a small village Chandrai, almost 50 km from Wahga border, Baba Din often took up residence in Lahore where most of his family lived. Born in 1922, Baba Din had three brothers and an elder sister but largely remained estranged from them, according to family sources. However, towards the latter part of his life, Baba Din would visit his sister in Chandrai.

Known as Chacha Pakistani and Chacha Jhanday Wala, many people were unaware of his real name, Baba Din’s nephew Muhammad Altaf tells The Express Tribune. “Everyone in our neighbourhood called him Chacha Jhanday Wala and he just loved it,” said Altaf. Din migrated to Pakistan some years after the partition. “We were very young back then so we have no exact memory [of when he migrated],” said Altaf “All we remember is that he moved in with us when he came to Pakistan.”

Taking up odd jobs, Baba Din worked at the sabzi mandi and later at the Data Darbar, where he used to deliver public speeches often venting out his anger over the high prevalence of corruption in the country. Known for his remarks against politicians, Baba Din held the Pakistan armed forces in high regard even in the form of military dictators. “He used to think that politicians were all corrupt and they looted our money,” said Altaf. Baba Din went to perform an Umrah sponsored by the government during former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s rule.

Having taken up residence with his nephews in the Bilal Gunj area of Lahore, Baba Din would make an effort to go to Wahga everyday, riding a bus around noon and returning late into the night. “Everyday he insisted on going to the border despite his deteriorating health,” said Muhammad Shafiq, one of Baba Din’s grandsons. Shafiq, who is associated with a local media organisation, said the last day Baba Din went to the Wahga border was almost 10 days before his death. “He would insist [on going] so much that we could not stop him,” he recalled.

His family said he used to receive a salary from the border security forces of almost Rs14,000 per month. The family says border forces have offered one of his grandsons a job in his place.

Baba Shafiq, who worked alongside Baba Din for the past decade, told The Tribune, “Coming to the border was a matter of pride and an expression of love for Baba Din.”

Everyday, he and Baba Din would head to the border clad in green and white, where they would chant slogans and raise the Pakistani flag together.

“Our message was simple - we love this country of ours and want to share that feeling with others,” said Shafiq.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2012.