She was left with no other option to silence her critics but to silence herself to prove that her illness and being on ventilator were not a drama or political stunt but a reality. Keeping political differences aside, she was a fighter till her last breath whether it was a fight against dictator or cancer.
She can best be described as a loyal wife, caring mother and a humble woman. Politics was never an option for her but she did better politics than many PML-N and other leaders. She tried to unite the party after the military coup and also at a time when a veteran leader like Javed Hashmi was leaving the party because she knew it would be a big loss.
Begum Kulsoom Nawaz is dead and with her deaths ends all conspiracy theories revolving around her and her illness. Belated apology, regret and sorry are all acceptable norms but is it not a time for politicians and journalist to ethical at least when it comes to personal sorrow and agony?
Begum Kulsoom Nawaz is no more and would be buried Friday. The government did the right thing by releasing Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Capt Safdar on parole.
One can have political differences with the Sharifs, but the former first lady deserved a dignified and above the politics kind of funeral. Yes, the emotions of PML-N leaders and workers would be high, but it is the time to pay respect which Begum Kulsoom Nawaz fully deserved.
It would not be difficult to understand the agony and pain of a family. It was perhaps more painful for them when some of their opponents raised doubts about her illness, whereas the fact of the matter was she was seriously ill and on ventilator.
Since she was seriously ill and hospitalised she was not even aware about the controversy created over her illness. I doubt she was ever been informed that her spouse and daughter are in jail.
Begum Kulsoom Nawaz often reminds me of an agony which Begum Nusrat Bhutto went through. She still goes into our political history as the most unlucky first lady. Her opponents too created doubts over her illness. At times, late Benazir Bhutto was accused of keeping her hostage. When I once visited Dubai to interview BB, she informed me about her deteriorating health condition.
Both Begum Kulsoom Nawaz and Begum Bhutto were educated ladies, but they were compelled to play a political role because of the political circumstances. They played a historic role against the military dictators Gen Zia and Gen Musharraf.
Begum Nusrat Bhutto lost her husband, her two sons and one of her daughters, but the biggest of all tragedies for her was that she was alive and yet could not be informed about the assassination of her loving daughter.
Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was even more apolitical than Begum Nusrat Bhutto and yet she became the lone vocal voice against Musharraf’s dictatorship when Nawaz, Shahbaz and others were in jail, while other PML-N leaders showed reluctance in challenging him, which includes the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and central party figures.
The Bhuttos faced criticism from a certain section of the print media as there were no private TV channels till 2002. But the kind of articles and columns published in some of the right-wing papers and magazines about Begum Nusrat Bhutto and BB were too personal. However, they could not make much impact because of the limited reach of newspapers.
Political opponents and media have a right to criticised and even raise questions about the Sharifs and PML-N trying to take political advantage out of her illness, but just imagined an anchor, saying “why Hussain Nawaz not declaring her death. He must show the courage,” knowing fully that she was alive at that time.
How can anyone and that too an anchor demand from a son to declare her mother's death when she was not dead. Shame is too small a word and dilemma is that they don't even regret today and look for excuses.
Begum Kulsoom Nawaz went through a trauma. In her appearance, she always looked a typical traditional, eastern woman, a loyal wife, loving mother. She was neither political nor ever interested in politics, but she did politics when most of the PML-N leaders avoided street agitation or feared arrest. Despite her opposition to Gen Musharraf, she always avoided using harsh or abusive language.
I first met her during the first trial against Nawaz Sharif in the hijacking case, when she along with other members of the family attended the first hearing since detention of Nawaz, Shahbaz and others. She always looked very composed and humble lady. Maryam, who accompanied her, looked more emotional.
But the meeting which I always remembered was held at the residence of Mr Majid Sultan, once a close friend of Nawaz. I found her well versed and a knowledgeable lady, whose strength was her command on Urdu literature specially poetry. She was not much interested in politics but looked disturbed over the happenings in those years.
“What constitutional authority Gen Musharraf had when he dismissed Mian sahib’s government?” she asked. I replied, "The prime minister is the country’s chief executive and has constitutional authority to dismiss the army chief, but I believe he should have at least waited for the COAS return from Colombo." She looked at me with a smile on her face and said, “It is difficult to argue with a journalist."
Khawaja Naveed, member of the Sharif's legal team who also use to visit them in jail in the presence of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz and other family members, recalled some of his person experiences. "She was very humble and down to earth. Whenever she found tension on her husband's face, she used to ask me to share some Punjabi jokes in a bid to cheer up and relax Mian sahib," he said.
Even on the day of the verdict, she looked very composed or at least never wanted that but Mian sahib and Maryam were very tense. When the judge, Mr Rehmat Hussain Jaffery, acquitted all but announced life imprisonment for Mian sahib, Maryam raised an anti-Musharraf slogan, but Begum Kulsoom Nawaz hold her hand and asked her to sit down.
In Journalism, any story other than the news about death could be given with sources. Whether it’s a natural death or unnatural, result of any act of terrorism, fire or even accident, it can't be given without a direct source because of the sensitivity and personal emotions attached.
At times, even if you had some authentic news about someone's death you withhold the news unless it came in knowledge of a family. I still remember how the channel in which I was working at that time withheld the news about Benazir Bhutto's death unless 'pronounced confirmed by a doctor concerned.
Yes, the death of a high profile personality has its own news value all over the world and it needs to be treated accordingly, but it is the story before the death and about the death which has to be dealt with utmost care. There are always certain norms which need to be followed.
No other politician has disappointed the literary circles as much as Aitzaz Ahsan, the author of Indus Saga, in this controversy because people never expected him to be so cruel in his opposition to the Sharifs that he did not even spared the woman who always had great regard for him for his role in the struggle for an independent judiciary.
The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of GEO, The News and Jang
Twitter: @MazharAbbasGEO
