He could have promoted the Sindhi cause but he stayed away from the nationalists. He was pragmatic, maintaining his GHQ connection by allowing his well-armed Hur tribesmen to take the slack for Pakistan Army in wars with India. He had no enemies because he was pragmatic, mixing Sindhi honour with a suppleness of style that honour normally doesn’t allow. Sindhi noblesse oblige requires deep regard for equals who could be potential rivals, exaggerated humility and endless hospitality on occasions otherwise requiring determined defence of entrenched positions.
When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto returned from the UK and was not yet a successful lawyer, Sindhi wadero Pir Ali Muhammad Rashidi patronised him and got him to meet Pir Pagaro who gave him his first clients. Pagaro directed him to President Iskander Mirza who gave him his first opening, as member of a delegation attending a UN session. After that, Bhutto took little time getting through to General Ayub. But Bhutto forgot Sindhi noblesse oblige and began to threaten Pagaro after 1971 as president and martial law administrator. It was an un-Sindhi act. Sindhi courtesy changed to steel resolve and Pagaro took him on as an enemy.
Sherbaz Khan Mazari in his book A Journey of Disillusionment (OUP, 1999) thought that the Baloch feudal lords were at the top of the roster of honour, followed by Sindhis and then, quite unworthily, by Punjabis. He writes: “Much of the Baloch tribal culture and history are strongly permeated with notions of ghairat. Among the sardars this scene of pride is heightened when dealing with sayals or social peers” (p.238). The ritual of sayal requires the use of insult. When the other side is clearly of lesser status and acknowledges it as such, there is no conflict, but if the other side is sayal or vaguely sayal, then the use of insult is called for.
In my view, the Sindhi cult of honour — mixed with pragmatism — is superior. And it was embodied in Shah Mardan Shah Pir Pagaro. The Baloch will die for honour; the Sindhi will survive with honour. Pagaro took Bhutto on in 1977, leading the United Democratic Front (UDF) against him, then the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) that parleyed with Bhutto during his last days in power. Finally in 1979 when General Zia wanted to kill Bhutto he consulted Pagaro. Pagaro gave no quarter, and Bhutto was hanged. Pagaro died a natural death at the age of 83.
With Zardari, the PPP returned to Sindhi noblesse oblige. Pagaro recognised it even though he was in the opposite camp. Zardari restored the conduct of inter-wadero courtesy and yielded Pagaro the status he demanded.
The Punjabi cannot understand this mode of surviving enmity. He often marvels how Zardari — surrounded by a hostile media and hounded by negative polls — can repeatedly checkmate Nawaz Sharif in political manoeuvre. The PML-N could not reconcile with the PML-Q, even though everyone recommended it in Punjab. But Zardari strung together old PPP enemies, the MQM and the ANP — both mutually hostile too — to form a stubborn majority in parliament for survival against all challengers, including the army and the judiciary.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2012.
COMMENTS (15)
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There are good and bad people in every community; Sindhi,Baloch,Punjabi or whatever. Claiming a moral high ground on behalf of any community is sheer balloony.
Sir jo. Pir Ali Muhammad Rashidi was not a wadero. He was from middle class and was not educated in formal schools. He and his brother Pir Hissamuddin Rashidi become major personalities of Sindh by their personal struggle and abilties.
@ MAD it shows the political evolution of PPP and the political maturity of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, who advocated respect for and reconciliation with all, and Asif Zardari who is following the policy practically and with success in very adverse circumstances.
This is a good article. It brings forth the honour difference between a Sindhi and Punjabi, and why Punjabis can't stand or understand Sindhis even today. Great piece.
With all the respect to Pir Pagara and the writer, the Sindh rural area is marred with ignorance, illiteracy, honor killing and backwardness, What did the iconic figure do to educate his followers?. All the so called legends of this country are equally responsible for the miseries of the poor man of this country.
Oh you almighty power; who doesn't want you?
In my view, the Sindhi cult of honour — mixed with pragmatism — is superior. And it was embodied in Shah Mardan Shah Pir Pagaro. The Baloch will die for honour; the Sindhi will survive with honour.
I'm a Sindhi from the heartland and I agree with the philosophy of this statement. But I disagree that Pir Pagaro embodied it. If you look at the legacy he left behind -- of supporting dictators and compromising principles for personal gain or vendetta -- it's hard to say that survival came with honour. Sindhi noblesse oblige requires deep regard for equals who could be potential rivals, exaggerated humility and endless hospitality on occasions otherwise requiring determined defence of entrenched positions. Sindhi noblesse oblige enables survival with honour by sticking to one's principles -- the premise is that when a predicament arises, you persistently stick to principles, but accord deep humility and hospitality to adversaries, so they have no choice but to respect your position and agree to disagree. It basically imposes a debt of honour and a debt of respect/hospitality on the rival -- the rival then has no choice but to repay the debt and let you survive.
We can let the pir rest in peace and let bygones be. But no Sindhis other than the Hur are shedding tears or feel a loss.
All this show that how slavish and dumb minds we are. A man who just kept puffing cigars all his life and atleast i have not seen him offering prayers, or going for hajj or umra, and who used to call himself a GHQ man, and never did anything good for the country, remained a spirtual leader for a large number of inborn slaves (HUR), and an iconic figure for our slavish politicians. I dnt know why are they called hur btw, because hur means free men, and they are the worst slves in current era I have seen.
@MAD: Sorry to say but you completely missed the essence of the article.
He was revered and honoured because he never lowered himself to thye abominabel third rate concepts of the west like Democracy...He himself never vied for office..led the party simply to give representation to his people & NOT NOT not to seek leadership.. Leadrers NEVER seek or beg for leadership..they command it. They are personified ghairat honour and courage..
On the other extreme there is a very well known saying in Panjab, and for good reason " O jee ghairat aanee jaane shai vay; bunday noo dheet hona chaee-da hai"....and the clowns from that region , Gailani & Shareefs are ample proof of that.
A great man of his times left all of his political colleagues and fans in distress.
May Al-Mighty Allah rest his soul in peace. Ameen.
In his tiff with Bhutto in the 70s, Pir Sain Pagara was detained in Pindi for few hours- with Intercontinental Hotel declared as jail for him. The Hurs rebelled and Bhutto was forced to pay a visit to him in the hotel and show the footage on TV. That is called power- forcing the most powerful and democratically elected PM to come and meet him within hours and set him free. The Hurs did not believe that their Pir has been set free and set the condition that they will only believe if the BBC Urdu Service in its evening bulletin at 8 pm would say so!