Book review: Truth Always Prevails - let truth be told

Sadruddin Hashwani rises to the challenge of opening up his personal life to the public eye

The first time I met Sadruddin Hashwani was at a dinner hosted by Dr Maleeha Lodhi to bid us farewell from Islamabad. I was moving from my position as correspondent of the Asia Times, a Bangkok-based English newspaper in Islamabad to a correspondent for Dow Jones in Karachi.

Hashwani sahab talked little during the dinner but we struck a chord and soon after I would visit him to glean tips and get an idea of how his business was doing. My logic was simple. His business, like many others, was an indicator of how the economy was doing. He did share some tips and information and the one thing I found most interesting was that in most of our conversations he was usually very optimistic.

I profiled him for Dow Jones but it didn’t reveal any hidden gems. That is why his book Truth Always Prevails, published this year and already in the middle of controversy (which incidentally only helps sales), comes as a surprise. It is an honest account of his life and work — and the incidents and experiences he had as the country’s most prominent hotelier.

In some ways he has thrown caution to the wind. There are many parts that are controversial, like where he has insinuated who was behind the Marriott hotel bombing of 2008. This is very unlike the Sadruddin Hashwani I know.

But then, maybe there comes a time in the life of a person when he decides to tell it all — maybe he feels that he owes this to history. And in that sense, I salute the courage that Mr Hashwani has shown in retelling some of the more interesting incidents he encountered. In this, I am also somewhat let down as he gave an account of two people I had held in high esteem — former Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo and the first chairman of National Accountability Bureau, General Amjad. My heroes have fallen.

But then I am a journalist and Hashwani is a businessman. The expectations that people had from him were different. At the same time, Hashwani has the reputation of being a fair person — something that is the exception in present-day Pakistan.

In his book he also gives some answers. Like how he ended up buying the Intercontinental chain. I recall reading some articles in a respected monthly at the time which alleged foul play. Now the book tells me that one of those bidding was the owner of the media group that owned that magazine.

And yet, for me, the best parts of the book are not the controversies. It is about Sadruddin Hashwani’s upbringing and his relationship with his parents, the lessons his mother taught him and the people he met in his youth as he struggled to become a businessman. I enjoyed reading about his travels to Balochistan by the Bolan Mail and his work on the docks of Karachi. But also the lessons he learnt as a businessman especially at a time when there were many ready to outwit him.

Having said that, the most encouraging part of the book is this man’s vision for Pakistan. Unlike others, he has invested in the country and continues to put money in its future. His chapter on how he plans to expand his empire leaves me impressed. At the same time, by telling it all, he has put himself in the line of fire. Unless, of course, he too wants to come into the arena and this autobiography is a sort of launching pad for him. Either way, the book is indeed a compelling read.

Kamal Siddiqi is the editor of The Express Tribune. He tweets @Tribunian 

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 7^th, 2014.