Sunday, 22 April 2012

QOTD: The man who stooped to conquer

Ministers in ZA Bhutto's cabinet used to narrate an incident when during a break at a meeting a few drops of tea trickled from the cup on to prime minister's shoes. Gen. Zia quickly took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the shoe clean. According to another story, when Prime Minister Bhutto appointed him as the army chief, General Zia, on his own, called for a copy of the Quran and pledged his allegiance to the prime minister.
Zia didn't do this purely out of courtesy: he was careful that his good acts were properly registered.
A -based interior decorator narrates how he was assigned to renovate Mr. Bhutto's residence in Ghar Khuda Baksh in the 1970s and how he came across Gen. Zia there. He says that one evening he went to the graveyard of the Bhutto's to offer fateha, to be followed there a few minutes later by Zia. The general also offered fateha and the started to dust the grave of Bhutto's father, Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto, with a broom. On enquiry, he said, he respected Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto like his own father and it was an honor for him to sweep his grave.
The interior decorator was impressed - until the general requested him to narrate the episode to Mr. Bhutto whenever he got the opportunity.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

until the general requested him to narrate the episode to Mr. Bhutto whenever he got the opportunity

Ooh, that Zia was a well & truly sly one.

Thinking three, four steps ahead, that one was.