DUBAI: As a president, Gen Musharraf was fighting against the opposition on the roads—unanimously supporting the deposed CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry. The deposed judge had made a historic appearance in Lahore after a 24-hour journey from Islamabad.
Meanwhile, an invitation from the Sindh Bar Council was delivered to the deposed CJ for addressing the lawyers in Karachi on May 12, 2007.
Things started to get worse when the MQM also announced a rally on the same day in favour of Gen Musharraf, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) also announced to jump into the quagmire for gaining political mileage. It became apparent that there would be a bloodbath in Karachi on May 12 as all the political parties — at each other’s throats — were set to protest against one another on the roads. Unfortunately, neither the Rangers nor the police could help stop them.
Anticipating trouble, Dr Ebad started back-door parleys with all the players in Karachi; however, no one relented, leading to 56 people losing their lives on that tragic day.
“I tried my level best to stop all the stakeholders from holding the protest, but nobody listened to me,” Dr Ebad said while expressing his helplessness. He appreciated the role of former Sindh CJ Sabihuddin, who tried his level best to avert the situation for the safety of people, but he also failed.
“Who do you think was responsible for May 12 massacre?” I questioned the former Sindh governor. “All the stakeholders,” Dr Ebad responded.
Later on May 19, Ebad received an intelligence report that the ANP was all set to announce a three-day mourning protest for their workers who had lost their lives on May 12. It was clear that the proposed date for the three day mourning protests from May 26 to 28 was going to bring more dead bodies. While taking initiative, Ebad called the ANP chief Asfandyar Wali, who was in Karachi in the Mardan House.
Mardan House, the residence-cum-office of provincial chief Shahi Syed, had become the centre for those offering Fateha for the martyrs of May 12.
“I wanted to visit you for condolence,” Dr Ebad told Asfandyar Wali. The Pakhtun leader, however, refused to accept with a warning: “Do not come as people here are very agitated and someone might abuse you.” Ebad replied, “Khan Sahib, I am already on my way.”
In an hour, Ebad reached the Mardan House. This was the first-ever visit of a Mohajir leader to the ANP provincial headquarters. Ebad offered Fateha and took Asfandyar Wali aside, telling him to defer the protests as the city’s situation was very volatile and with the ANP protest there was a strong likelihood of more violence.
“I told Asfandyar Sahib that since this was my first-ever visit to your home, kindly accede to my request. It was very kind of him that he was convinced that I was right,” Dr Ebad recalled.
For neutralising other political parties, Ebad also went ahead with visiting the leaders of the PPP, MQM, JI and JUI-F and they all cooperated with him; thus, aborting another brewing crisis.
Nov 3, 2007 — Gen Musharraf imposes emergency
To know whether the government was taken into confidence before Gen Musharraf imposed emergency on Nov 3 and to understand the viewpoint of the government functionaries at that time, the correspondent requested former Sindh governor Ebad to explain the then situation to him.
“Yes, the government was taken into confidence, probably, in the last week of October. First, it was expected to be announced on Nov 1, and then we were communicated about Nov 2 and at the end, emergency was imposed on Nov 3,” Dr Ebad recalled.
He also recalled being told that a section of the media would also be banned for a short period of time. On Nov 3, the president imposed emergency and all that happened.
Gen Musharraf getting weaker
Shortly before the general elections, Gen Musharraf handed over the military command to Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Nov 2007.
The late Benazir Bhutto had already returned on Oct 18, 2007.
Before her arrival, there was a threat of a possible attack on her and it happened exactly the same way as was predicted by the intelligence reports.
On that day, then-president Musharraf and then-prime minister Shaukat Aziz were constantly in touch with the Sindh governor and the then Sindh chief minister. For the first 30 minutes after the attack, the government was clueless about the nature of the attack.
Ebad said: “As soon as Benazir Bhutto reached her home, I spoke to her, asking about her health. Musharraf Sahib called me and I informed him that I had spoken to Muhtarma Benazir Bhutto.” He admitted that there was no progress on the attack investigations.
Later that year, in Dec, Benazir Bhutto was unfortunately assassinated in Rawalpindi, turning the already hostile environment into an acutely critical one. The deposed judges were waiting for their restoration and the situation was turning precarious with every passing day.
After subsequent failures of secret negotiations between the government and the deposed judges, Dr Ishratul Ebad decided to take the matter into his hands and went to Rawalpindi. After getting permission from then-president Musharraf, he secretly visited the house of the deposed CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry.
Iftikhar welcomed him. While entering his home, he pointed to a portrait of his oath-taking with General Musharraf. The deposed CJ said, “I still have not replaced this picture.” He gave a clear signal that he was ready to negotiate.
Iftikhar Chaudhry asked the then governor of Sindh to come to his lawn, thinking that the lawn was the best place to avoid listening devices. The meeting continued for five hours. “In that meeting Iftikhar Chaudhry was open and candid,” Ebad recalled. Towards the end, Iftikhar told the governor, “I want restoration with dignity.”
“And that will be done according to your wishes and the way you want,” Ebad reassuringly said.
After clinching initial success, Ebad reached the Army House and informed Gen Musharraf about the big development as he had turned the tables. Musharraf was very happy and relaxed after listening to the success of the governor.
Ebad then advised Gen Musharraf to issue a notification of restoration and deliver it to the CJP himself, while visiting the house of the deposed CJ, along his wife.
The former Sindh governor said: “But the advice was instantly shot down by the president’s aides sitting around him, saying that since prime minister Gillani was in power, and only he could issue the notification. I told them that if the notification of restoration was issued, no one would challenge it. However, after the consultative process, Gen Musharraf told me that the demands of the deposed CJ could not be met.”
At that time, Dr Ebad once again went back to the CJ’s house and asked him to type the draft of the notification and deliver it to him. Iftikhar initially agreed but later relented, saying “only the prime minister could do that.” After this, the governor left for Karachi.
“I later found out that both Gen Musharraf as well as Iftikhar Chaudhry wanted to work out the things but both did not want to violate the Constitution,” Ebad said.
The status quo continued and then came Aug 2008, when Asif Ali Zardari, the then co-chairman of PPP, and Nawaz Sharif of PML-N announced to impeach Gen Musharraf.
Dr Ishratul Ebad rushed to Gen Musharraf around 8pm on August 17, 2008 at the Army House, where Musharraf said that an impeachment motion against him was imminent. Ebad sought some time from Musharraf to do some problem-solving and said that he would return to him. Later, after a few hours, Ebad called Musharraf to give him some new information, but Musharraf told Ebad that it was too late and would discuss the situation in the morning.
The Sindh governor, after some time, learnt that the opposition had dropped the idea of bringing an impeachment motion against Gen Musharraf.
But to his utter surprise, the next morning he found out that Gen Musharraf had decided to call it quits, and shortly afterwards he announced his resignation.
On that fateful day of August 18, 2008, Dr Ishratul Ebad was the only top government functionary present to wish Musharraf good luck and bid him farewell.
The correspondent asked the former governor: “Did Musharraf really become a liability for the establishment?”
Dr Ebad responded: “I do not know but it seemed so, as he was not getting exact intelligence reports. I remember that when a full court was going to issue the verdict, Musharraf was sure that the judges would favour him but it came out to be otherwise.”
“It means that he was intentionally provided with wrong intelligence reports,” the correspondent posed a question.
“It is yet not clear whether inaccurate intelligence was fed to Gen Musharraf or wrong intelligence was collected,” he answered.
Ebad, however, maintained his good relations with his ex-boss, with whom he had served for six years. Once he invited Gen Musharraf to the Governor House for dinner, but also called Asif Ali Zardari, informing him of the invitation. Zardari graciously allowed Ebad, knowing of the nature of the relationship between the two.
London to Rawalpindi
On June 27, 2011, Ishrat received a phone from the London Headquarters of the MQM telling him to submit his resignation to the president immediately. The call came after he had successfully managed to ensure the safe return of Pakistani sailors—held hostage by the Somali pirates. The incident had grabbed the media attention as the hijacked ship was also carrying Indian nationals but no one from the Indian government came forward to help their men. It was solely the job done by Dr Ishratul Ebad. The governor had collected the ransom amount with the help of businessmen, sought logistic help from the ISI, headed by Lt-Gen Pasha, and of course from the Pakistan Navy.
As many as 22 people, including six Pakistanis, were recovered safely.
A day before the welcome celebrations were held in which the image of the country and its forces—particularly the Pakistan Navy and the intelligence services—was highlighted, I received a phone call from London to resign.
“I was disappointed but had no option,” Ebad said. He resigned on the next day and left for Dubai. This was not the first time he had resigned; rather it was the fifth time. Meanwhile, he received a call from DG ISI Lt-Gen Pasha, who was travelling to the United States for strategic dialogue and wanted to see Ebad before proceeding to the US from the transit in Dubai. Pasha reached the Dubai airport and Dr Ebad was waiting to see him there.
“I wanted to inform you that your resignation has not been accepted. You have to return and resume your charge as the Sindh governor,” General Pasha told Ebad, while sharing more shocking details, which the former governor was not ready to share on the record.
“It is shocking but I do not want to resume as governor until I am ordered by the party,” Ebad clearly told Pasha.
“Fine, but stay here for some time,” responded Lt-Gen Pasha and then he left for his destination.
Meanwhile, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Adam Thomson and British Consulate in Karachi Francis also approached Dr Ebad for resuming his office as they too were concerned about the stability of Karachi. Francis had developed close relationship with Ebad apparently because of his performance as the governor.
Ebad confined himself to a hotel room in Dubai for 22 days. His contact with the outer world was only through his mobile phone. During those days, a British diplomat contacted him and told him that Her Majesty’s government had written a letter to Altaf Bhai for letting him resume as the governor and soon Altaf Bhai would call him. This was unbelievable for Ebad.
In the third week of July, he received a call from Altaf Bhai. “I have decided that you would resume the office of governor,” Altaf Bhai told Ishratul Ebad.
“Bhai, I have already resigned; I do not want to resume,” Ebad replied.
“You have to listen to me. I am ordering you to resume,” Altaf Bhai said.
Then he dictated Ebad around six demands. Altaf directed him to call then-president Zardari and tell him about the MQM demands.
Ebad said: “I was also ordered to tell President Zardari that I would join only if the demands were met.”
As Ebad called Zardari, the then president said: “I know everything you should just come back.”
“Sir, I do not want to come back,” Ebad said. Then Zardari called Altaf Hussain and the MQM chief called Ebad again, forcing him to resume his duties. This time, Ebad accepted the directives.
Then-president Zardari sent his special plane to Dubai to bring Dr Ebad back. He resumed his office as governor on July 19, 2011.
Few days later, the Sindh governor was invited to the Army House, Rawalpindi where Army Chief Gen Kayani, along with ISI chief Lt-Gen Pasha, met with him. This was a pivotal meeting for the governor, when he shifted his loyalties from London to Rawalpindi.
“I was told different things, so I made decisions as my conscience dictated,” Dr Ebad said, while recalling that decisive day of his life. He further added, “I was very clear—in my mind—that the journey ahead will be far more strenuous, but I will keep the national interest supreme.”
To be continued
