A Salute To Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi

Mr. Jatoi, right, in this undated file photo.

As our convoy approached the border between Iraq and Jordan, we were shocked to see the refugee camps. Egyptians, Indians, Philippinos, Sri Lankans and others were waiting for their governments in tents in the middle of a harsh and hot desert because the Jordanian government was not letting them in.

This was early September 1990.  Iraq had just invaded Kuwait.  The region was in a mess.

Imagine this: When these thousands were running after donations of food and water, Pakistanis by the thousands were the only nationality that was given immediate entry into Jordan and an impeccable treatment and arrangements after that.

Pakistani leaders rarely work like this. But it was Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi who came to the rescue of thousands of Pakistanis stranded in Kuwait and Iraq nineteen years ago.  He was just an interim Prime Minister, but he outperformed the governments of India, the Philippines, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Lebanon and literally gave them a lesson in looking after their citizens abroad.

And Mr. Jatoi did it in an impressive way.

Thanks to his personal interest, thousands of Pakistanis received the kind of treatment that left the citizens of other countries in envy.

I was just 18 then.  And what I saw on that day on the Jordanian border and in the following three days made me immensely proud to be a Pakistani.

Thousands of Pakistanis were given priority treatment by border officers of the Jordanian army.  While others waited for days on the border, Pakistanis were allowed entry without hassle.

Once in Jordan, they were escorted all the way to the Jordanian capital, where a five-star accommodation awaited them in a sprawling, centrally air-conditioned complex. Families stayed for a maximum of three days before being flown on chartered Iberian Airlines flights to different cities of Pakistan. Once landed, every breadwinner in those families received a token financial gift from the Government of Pakistan as initial help.

This excellent and flawless arrangement was the work of Mr. Jatoi, a great Pakistani patriot who came from the a culturally rich part of Pakistan: Sindh.

I was one of the few or maybe the only Pakistani there who fluently spoke, read and wrote Arabic.  The Foreign Office Liaison Team picked me up to help them communicate with the Jordanians on small, day-to-day logistical issues.  I can't forget how, when a BBC crew visited the complex to meet the refugees, it refused to film because, as one of their team members said, what they saw did not look like a refugee camp. "This is a five-star hotel," he said. And it really was.

Having been born and educated in Arabic schools in the Middle East, this was the first time I heard the name Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi.

And I heard his name from the Pakistan Foreign Office Team stationed at the complex.  I was impressed at the arrangements so I asked them if this is how things were run in Pakistan.

"Not at all," laughed one of the diplomats. "This arrangement is thanks to Mr. Jatoi.  He was concerned at reports on the situation of Pakistanis stranded in the area."

A minority of pseudo 'liberals' and 'democrats' in Pakistan had the audacity to criticize Mr. Jatoi in their obituaries. This veiled criticism was focused on the fact that Mr. Jatoi accepted national duties, as in overseeing an interim government and national elections, when elected governments were removed by the Pakistani military.

I say what a lousy excuse this is to criticize a patriot like Mr. Jatoi.  As a Pakistani, I am proud of Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, who served his nation with honor. We want hundreds more like Mr. Jatoi to replace these fake democrats and corrupt politicians.

Mr. Jatori died in London this week at age 78.  He was buried in his hometown near Nawabshah.

I salute the Honorable Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, former Prime Minister of Pakistan.

May his soul rest in peace.