For the seer, time and history blurred the lines of the spiritual and political

By Saba Imtiaz Published: January 12, 2012 Historian Dr Hamida Khuhro looks back on the life and influence of Shah Mardan Shah. DESIGN: ANAM HALEEM KARACHI: When a teenaged Shah Mardan Shah Sikandar Ali Shah returned from the UK in 1952, the sixth Pir Pagaro brought back with him, in addition to a fondness for books, a lifelong aim to ally himself with the powers that be. His political leanings can be attributed to his father’s trial and execution by the pre-Partition government, according to historian, author and former provincial minister Dr Hamida Khuhro. “I feel because of the fate of his father, he thought it was very important to be on the side of the establishment and the armed forces,” she told The Express Tribune in an interview on Wednesday. “He was extremely loyal to the state; he would keep saying ‘I am a GHQ man’. That is related to his father’s role in the rebellion against the Government of India and his death at their hands at the gallows.” Indeed, as far as support for the army went, Pir Pagaro even formed a contingent that became part of the forces during the 1965 war. But his men, the Hurs – who she says had an important role and impact in Sindh, especially when they led an insurrection – were “not an organised force at the best of times”. Historically, they were fighting an insurgent or guerrilla war. The militarisation of the Hurs – who formed Pagaro’s powerbase – dates to when Pir Rashidullah of the family led his people with the Muslim groups fighting against the Sikhs. “He first swore allegiance from them and then asked them to fight.” While that battle was lost, the Hurs were organised to fight with the army in the 1965 war against India. After their father was executed, the late Pir Pagaro and his brother were first taken to Utter Pradesh, Khuhro recalled. “They were placed with some guardians. They were then taken to the UK and put in the guardianship of a former army man. They were meant to go to Cambridge… I think Sikander went but I don’t know if he got a degree.” Khuhro said that she does not know from where Pir Pagaro developed an ability to make predictions. She shared a personal memory. “My father [Khan Bahadur Ayub Khuhro] saw him in 1958, a few months before the first martial law. He [had] said, ‘I see an extraordinary change. The politicians are going to be affected and there will be an army takeover’. It was unbelievable; Pakistan was one of the first few colonial countries to be free.” Her father didn’t take it very seriously, Khuhro said, smiling. “But it did happen.” The pir, she said, was a man of great charm when he wanted to be. “His instructions were not as authoritarian as his predecessor’s,” she added. “He was very human in a person-to-person relationship.” As a spiritual leader, he was also seen as a kind of a judge, as people would flock to him for decisions that were then deputed to his khalifas or men who managed the jamaat or community. “These had to be taken with absolute integrity; that was the only way he could be taken seriously. So he was also the last resort in securing justice for a good number of people.” When Pir saheb’s father was hanged, “the public was awestruck that a pir could be tried. It was not something you could have imagined. There was an effect but a lot happened after his death as well. The Hurs continued their militant activities; they would kill people who they thought had acted against the pir. They had a really ambiguous position in Sindh; there was no great public support. But they were appreciated for their devotion to the pir and their continuous suffering. The Hur population, including many legendary fighters, were incarcerated in the concentration camps.” The late Pir Pagaro’s funeral, will be a “big show” Khuhro expects. “There hasn’t been a funeral of a pir since the 1920s.” Political influence But Pir Pagaro’s fame lay in his political manoeuvring, even though it had waned in the last few years. “He had a number of seats that he could absolutely rely on in his district. In any government, his was usually the government party. It was only at the very beginning of Pakistan when the Muslim League had an overwhelming majority; later on there were oppositions and other groups etc. His party played a crucial role with those five or six seats they had,” Khuhro said. It was also considered a “moral sign” to have Pagaro on your side. There was a lot of respect for pirs and Pagaros in Sindh. “Other than the Hurs, he also had non-militant followers.” The spiritual and political lines also mixed. “He was also a Syed, a big pir, connected with important Syed families in southern Punjab. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s wife is related to him, her father was a very influential pir in Bahawalpur,” Khuhro said. Pir Pagaro is also infamous for his opposition to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Khuhro said it is not true that he organised a militia against him, but added that he was “not in favour” of Bhutto. “The then-opposition parties elected him as their leader. Bhutto was a difficult man, he was ruthless, and people were not keen to be head of the opposition… Pagaro had the rank, authority and the background. As leader of the opposition, Bhutto could barely do him much harm; he couldn’t have him killed off. So Pagaro was stuck with the role.” While Pir Pagaro’s status as a ‘kingmaker’, who would predict the fall of governments and cobble together coalitions, cemented in his lifetime, his profile and influence changed in later years. Khuhro pinpointed this to a change in the nature of politics and society. “In terms of the rhetoric it is a lot more democratic – at least that’s what people say. Generally, the awe and respect pirs have has lessened, and Pagaro was also seen as a human being, including because of his sons’ behaviour. No Hur would acknowledge that he was anything less than a superhero, but in the ordinary public’s perception, his influence changed. He could also not guarantee as many seats as he could in the past.” But that said, “There wasn’t any resentment or animosity … for him. [Politicians] couldn’t take his position in any way. If you were on his right side, you were better off than not being on his side at all.” Khuhro also felt that “overexposure” spurred the erosion of Pir Pagaro’s profile. “The mystery of Pir Pagaro, and one of the bases of his power, was in his privacy. Followers could only see him once a year when he appeared on the balcony to address them. People would be ecstatic when they would see the pir; women would throw their jewellery at him. A Pagaro was not someone you could see on the street. That public exposure, also of his family, further eroded that.” Succession The successor, Khuhro said, will be elected by the khalifas, who act as an electoral college. “It is not necessary that the eldest son automatically becomes the pir.” Opinion was also divided when Pir Pagaro was chosen. Khuhro recalls that even though it was just after partition, there was talk of lessening the influence of pirs, both by the government and other people. But people, she adds, did want to see the pir restored. Even the Hurs are not as important, she says. “It is just another following, but they are a little more militant.” But will the successor be a political as well as spiritual leader? “Once he is chosen there will be extreme loyalty from the Hurs and other tribes, there is no question of disloyalty. The new pir’s position will be completely assured. But it depends on him and what kind of role he wants to play.” Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2012.