ISLAMABAD: A few weeks back, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan angrily banged his phone within seconds, this correspondent politely tried to egg on him to moderate his rhetoric against his targets and confine himself to democratic language.
He took the counsel very ill as he did not want to hear a word about his style of haranguing his political opponents. But the way he was going ahead, attacking his rivals, it was the writing on the wall that he would fall victim to his own lingo one day. During that incomplete conversation, he, however, was too joyful over the financial crunch, besetting the big old media houses for his own reasons.
After this episode, the then information minister of Punjab never attended my phone calls, made to get the versions of the provincial government on stories being done. From day one, he had developed a row with Punjab government spokesman Shahbaz Gull. In fact, Gull’s appointment was a message to Chohan that he is being cut to size. Chohan is originally from the Jamaat-e-Islami and was once elected a member of the Punjab Assembly from Rawalpindi on the Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) ticket. During that association, he used to employ the same language against his political adversaries that has been his hallmark while being affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
This was not the first time that Chohan tendered an apology over his remarks, this time against the Hindu community. In January, he apologised for the uncharitable comment he had made to journalists at the death memorial of late Qazi Hussain Ahmed. He had attacked a reporter who had asked him about Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq’s statement regarding the PTI promises of transforming Pakistan into a state like Madina. Chohan had said the media man should be ashamed for asking such a question at this occasion. This prompted the journalists to protest.
Before Chohan’s apology, the then senior Punjab Minister Aleem Khan had apologised for his remarks. “Chohan is young; perhaps that’s why he got angry. I don’t like such tone and that’s why I have apologised before as well. On behalf of the entire government I render an unconditional apology.”
Before this incident, he had walked out of a TV current affairs programme, abusing, when he was asked a question he did not like. Also, Chohan had made objectionable remarks about Kashmiris during his outbursts against Nawaz Sharif. And he had to tender another apology.
Chohan’s fate seemed to have been sealed after Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Political Affairs Naeemul Haq harshly tweeted that the derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Chohan demand strict action. The PTI government will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the administration or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Punjab chief minister, he wrote.
Prime Minister Imran Khan too expressed displeasure over Chohan’s comment, and said the government fully respects and protects the minorities. When sometime back journalists had pointed out to the prime minister the spiteful language being used by Chohan bringing embarrassment to the government, Imran Khan had told them that he had defended him and the PTI when nobody had done so and described him as his “cheetah”.
Chohan’s comments against the Hindu community came at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being bashed for victimising Indian minorities specifically Muslims and Kashmiris because of the worst situation in the occupied Kashmir. Chohan’s comment emerged as the Indo-Pak tension in the wake of the Indian intrusion and downing of the two Indian aircraft and capture of a pilot was subsiding.
One major characteristic that Chohan enjoys unquestionably is that he defends the party and its head he is associated with by going out of way, at times creating problems for himself.
Senator Azam Swati had to resign because of the registration of a criminal case against a tribal family in Islamabad over the dispute near his farmhouse in the federal capital. He quitted when his case was being heard by the Supreme Court and a threat loomed large that he might be disqualified. Babar Awan also had to go after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference against him in an accountability court.
In Punjab, Aleem Khan quickly submitted his resignation after he was arrested by the NAB on a corruption charge.
Samsam Bokhari, who has been speculated as Chohan’s replacement, was the minister of state for information in the previous Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government. Before the last general elections, he joined the PTI. He is a totally different personality as compared with Chohan.