Young voice: A little ‘Gullu’ standing up against violence

Toddler at PAT sit-in earns unusual nickname

ISLAMABAD: Muhammad Usama Butt alias “Chota Gullu Butt” (little Gullu Butt), a young Inqilabi, was seen holding a stick in his hand and doing his best impression of his namesake — hitting a car in the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) sit-in. People were excited when told that the child belonged to a Butt family.

Usama’s father Sajid Shahzad Butt is associated with poultry business. He said that he and his wife and child had voluntarily come from Kasur to support Dr Tahirul Qadri. Shahzad is not a member of Minhajul Quran or a PAT worker.

He revealed that he had been with PAT since the rally started and was now left with only Rs1,200 in his pocket.

Shahzad said that he was not worried about money, as the ‘revolution’ was his priority.

People burst into laughter when Usama, whom other participants at the sit-in jokingly nicknamed “Chota Gullu Butt”, got tired of hitting the car and stopped for a drink from his juice box.

Later though, his demands increased and he refused to meet his fans without some palm greasing — two lollypops, one for each hand.

A large number of people stopped by and took pictures of 17-month-old Usama as he was done with his energy boosts.

Usama’s adventures clarified the obvious — not everyone with the last name ‘Butt’ is like Gullu Butt, Pomi Butt or Billu Butt.

Gullu Butt was shown on various television channels damaging privately-owned cars at the clash between police and protesters in Model Town incident. Pomi Butt was accused of the attack on PTI convoy in Gujranwala during the ‘Azadi march’ and Billu Butt was accused of attacking a PTI leader’s house in Multan.

“This Butt is a lion of Pakistan Awami Tehreek,” quipped a man, while making a video through his mobile phone.

Thirteen-year-old Sana Haider, who had come from Wahgah border area, was seen wearing a bandana and a shroud at the PAT sit-in. Haider, a student of grade-10, said that she had come with one of her aunts with her father’s permission, adding that her mother passed away a long time ago. When asked about the shroud, she said she had decided to wear it as “this is a do-or-die moment”. Haider said that she could lay her life for Dr Qadri as he was everything for her — a father, a mother, a brother and a guardian. “We want justice at any cost,” she said.

Muhammad Anwar, 70, was seen holding a flag, an umbrella and a heavy stick. Anwar, wearing a dhoti-kurta combo and a turban, said he joined PAT rally from Sialkot. Anwar said that he would use the stick in case of a police crackdown.

“We haven’t even broken a tree branch since our arrival in the capital,” said Anwar, “that’s how peaceful we have been. We won’t be the first to charge,” he said.

Anwar said that he had come to take his and others rights from the rulers. He said that he never got married, and never really had a home since his mother died and his father remarried while he was still a child. “I have spent all my life in the streets and bazaars. I sleep wherever I find a place to sleep. Now I see hope in the shape of Tahirul Qadri.”

A large number of people at the PAT sit-in were seen wearing burial shrouds and shouting anti-government slogans.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2014.