مصلحتوں کے مارے لوگ | مصدق حسین اسد

People Driven by Expediency

The other day, the book launch for "Maslahaton Ke Maarey Log" (People Driven by Expediency) by senior leader of the National Liberation Front, Musadaq Hussain Asad, was held. The event was presided over by the renowned leftist intellectual and poet Aslam Gurdaspuri. The guests of honor were prominent jurist Hamid Khan Advocate and myself. The Cosmopolitan Club hall was filled with leftist friends. In the book, the author has openly expressed his views on his own struggle and the national situation. His writing style is simple yet impactful. He has stated what he wanted to say with great ease. No one knows better than Musadaq Hussain Asad the challenges and problems faced by an individual from an ordinary family in the field of politics. As the title suggests, he has severely criticized political leaders, especially leftist leadership and workers, for falling prey to opportunism and expediency. He laments the national political system and the wretched social life of the people. From journalism to the judiciary, there is no sector on which he has not offered his opinion. He has openly brought to light the compromises of judges and the dishonesty of journalists. He describes with great compassion the suffering common citizens face regarding access to education, justice, food, and medical facilities. He raises the question: where does the foreign debt we take go? Only a patriotic Pakistani who understands the pain of the poor can say all these things. He has a grievance that his ideological comrades fell victim to expediency and were swallowed up by NGOs. One may disagree with him on some points. He is a man of dialogue. For example, I believe that when life is made difficult for people holding specific ideologies, and the doors of employment are closed to them, where should they go? One has to do something to survive. That is why many ideological people moved abroad to earn a living, while others started NGOs. Yes, I do object to those who changed their ideologies or became supporters of European and American capitalist policies based on foreign funding. This ceremony was of great importance.

Renowned progressive intellectual and fiction writer Dr. Alam Khan said that Musadaq Sahib's political struggle is an important chapter in the political history of our country. He was our senior in the NSF. He stated that leftist friends practiced ideological politics under very difficult circumstances. Instead of criticizing them, we should appreciate them with an open heart.

Prominent jurist Hamid Khan advised him to write the whole truth without worrying about whether friends might get offended. I also gave this advice to Sharifuddin Pirzada, that since he was an eyewitness to important national events, he should write everything he knew, but even he was not ready to do so for fear of displeasing people.

The presiding chair, Aslam Gurdaspuri, had an insightful discussion on the importance of books and knowledge. Citing Marx and Engels, he explained how necessary it is to write the truth in society and how a book guides a reader. While appreciating Musadaq Hussain Asad's political struggle, he shed ample light on the prominent aspects of his life. I thank Musadaq Sahib for providing me, a humble servant, the opportunity to speak.