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The Print
6 days ago
- Business
- The Print
Bhajan Lal—the master of defection who lived by his own rules
Born on 6 October, 1930, in Bahawalpur in undivided Punjab, Bhajan Lal and his family settled in Adampur, Hisar, after the Partition. His journey from a cloth merchant to a towering political figure, eventually serving as Haryana's Chief Minister for nearly 11 years and nine months, is a testament to his shrewd understanding of power. On his 14th death anniversary, ThePrint looks back at a leader who is known as much for his political manoeuvring as he is for his generosity, and sometimes controversial patronage. Gurugram: Fourteen years after his demise on 3 June 2011, the legacy of Bhajan Lal, often dubbed the promoter of the 'Aya Ram Gaya Ram' politics of Haryana, continues to intrigue and define the state's political landscape. From business to politics: The humble beginnings Bhajan Lal's foray into politics, as he himself once revealed, was initially driven by the desire to expand his business. Starting with a cloth business in 1950, he later ventured into the grain markets before striking gold with ghee trading in 1965. His political career began modestly in 1960 as a village sarpanch in Adampur, followed by a victory in the Block Samiti Chairman elections in 1961. His reputation grew, and by 1967, he was vying for a Congress ticket. Lady luck smiled when the sitting MLA from Adampur, Hari Singh Dabra, defected, paving the way for Bhajan Lal to get a ticket and win the Adampur seat in 1968, marking his debut in the state assembly. The era of defections: A man who guarded MLAs with a gun Bhajan Lal was initially a staunch loyalist of the then-CM Chaudhary Bansi Lal. After becoming an MLA in 1968, he became the chairman of the Haryana Marketing Board and then the agriculture minister in 1970. In his book, Politics of Chaudhar, political analyst Dr Satish Tyagi recounts an interesting anecdote from this period. In 1972, Bhajan Lal was seen guarding the MLA hostel with a double-barrel gun slung over his shoulder, a clear signal of his determination to prevent defections. But the master of defections himself wasn't immune to change. After the Emergency, when the Janata Party formed the government at the Centre in 1977, Bhajan Lal joined Babu Jagjivan Ram's 'Congress for Democracy', which later merged with the Janata Party. Also Read: A love story dashed Chander Mohan's CM dream 15 yrs ago. This time, his Haryana campaign's a family affair The overnight coup: Toppling Devi Lal's government Perhaps the most iconic tale of Bhajan Lal's political astuteness is the overnight toppling of Devi Lal's Janata Party government in 1979. Veteran journalist Pawan Kumar Bansal recounts that Devi Lal, then CM, was on a tour of Hisar and Sirsa when he learned that four of his ministers, including Dairy Minister Bhajan Lal, had rebelled. Devi Lal immediately rounded up 42 MLAs and confined them in his fortified farmhouse in Teja Kheda, Sirsa, reportedly guarding them with a gun. Bhajan Lal, needing two more MLAs for his coup, found his opportunity when two Devi Lal loyalists left the 'fortress'—one for a wedding and the other to tend to a sick uncle. 'Sensing a trap, Devi Lal rushed to the wedding, only to find Bhajan Lal already there. It was through family members visiting the confined MLAs that Bhajan Lal had managed to send his messages, eventually winning over the two crucial legislators,' Bansal told ThePrint. On 26 June, 1979, the day Devi Lal was to prove his majority, he resigned, making Bhajan Lal the Chief Minister for the first time. The Great Crossover The most audacious display of Bhajan Lal's political wizardry came in January 1980. With Indira Gandhi's thumping return to power at the Centre, Bhajan Lal, then a Janata Party CM, feared the dismissal of his government, a common practice after the Janata Party had done the same to Congress governments post-Emergency. Days later, on 22 January 1980, in an unprecedented move in Indian political history, the entire Janata Party cabinet in Haryana switched allegiance overnight, becoming a Congress government, with Bhajan Lal retaining his chief minister's chair. The plot king: A generous giver Beyond his political manoeuvring, Bhajan Lal was renowned for his generosity, particularly when it came to the CM's discretionary quota of plots from the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), now rechristened the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP). Veteran journalist Pawan Kumar Bansal, speaking to ThePrint, revealed how Bhajan Lal became famous for distributing HUDA plots generously to politicians, bureaucrats, police officers, judges, journalists, and even his liftman and a peon at the All India Congress Committee office. In 1996, he even gave a plot in Panchkula to Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit from his discretionary quota, which the actor later sold in 2019. Bansal characterised him as a 'PhD in defection' and a 'cordial' leader who rarely lost his temper. He was known to keep officers happy, doing both legitimate and illegitimate work, but always ensuring the files were above board. 'Once when he took a lift in the secretariat, he asked the liftman where he lived. He next asked him if he owned a house. When the liftman replied in the negative, he told an officer accompanying him to allot a HUDA residential plot to him from the CM's discretionary quota. After thinking for a while, Bhajan Lal told the officer that the liftman may not be able to pay the 10 percent earnest money for the plot. So I will pay for him, he said' revealed Bansal. Further political sojourns Bhajan Lal's political journey saw him return as CM in 1982, a controversial move where he took oath even as Devi Lal was summoned by the Governor to prove his majority. This led to a furious Devi Lal allegedly slapping Governor Tapase. Bhajan Lal went on to prove his majority with 57 MLAs, including 20 defectors from opposition parties. He served as chief minister for a third time in 1991, capitalising on the infighting within the Devi Lal family and the collapse of the Chautala government. In 1986, when he was called to the Centre by Rajiv Gandhi to serve as Union Minister for Environment and Forests, he ensured his traditional Adampur seat remained with his family by fielding his wife, Jasma Devi, who won in 1987, extending the Bishnoi family's reign in the constituency. His election victories and later years After beginning his political career in 1961, when he secured the block samiti chairman position in Adampur, Bhajan Lal's first major legislative win came in 1968 when he won the Adampur seat in the Haryana Legislative Assembly on a Congress ticket. He retained Adampur in subsequent assembly elections in 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2000, and 2005, totalling 9 assembly election victories. Bhajan Lal was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Faridabad Parliamentary seat in 1989, from Karnal Lok Sabha seat in 1998, and the Hisar Lok Sabha seat in 2009. His only electoral defeat was to BJP's ID Swami from Karnal Lok Sabha seat in 1999 whom he had defeated a year earlier. His later years, however, were marked by personal and political setbacks. In 2005, despite Congress winning a massive majority under his informal leadership, Bhupinder Singh Hooda was chosen as CM, leaving Bhajan Lal out in the cold. This led to a bitter feud, culminating in Bhajan Lal leaving Congress in 2007 to form his own party, the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), with his younger son Kuldeep Bishnoi. His elder son, Chander Mohan, then Deputy CM in the Hooda government, courted controversy in 2008 by converting to Islam and marrying Anuradha Bali (who became Fiza). This deeply angered Bhajan Lal, who disinherited Chander Mohan from his property. Fiza later died under mysterious circumstances in 2012. Bhajan Lal fought his last election in 2009, winning the Hisar Lok Sabha seat on an HJC ticket. The same year, the HJC emerged as a kingmaker in the state assembly elections, but Hooda once again outmaneuvered Bhajan Lal, engineering the defection of five of the six HJC MLAs to form the government leaving Kuldeep Bishnoi the lone HJC MLA. Bhajan Lal's legacy is that of a political survivor, a master strategist, and a man who understood the art of power play like few others. He remains a figure whose influence on Haryana politics, despite his absence, continues to be felt and discussed. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also Read: 3 mighty Lals shaped Haryana politics for decades. How BJP has co-opted their descendants
The Print
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Story behind ‘treason' charge against Morarji Desai & why Congress is reviving it to target Jaishankar
The purported incident dates back to Desai's tenure as the prime minister between 1977 and 1979, leading the Janata Party government formed in the aftermath of the Emergency imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. It was this flattery and friendship that had led Desai to reveal that India was aware of Pakistan's covert attempts at developing military nuclear capability, the book titled The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane had alleged. New Delhi: A 2007 book by a former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) officer B. Raman had claimed that to flatter India's Morarji Desai, Pakistan's General Zia-ul-Haq would ask, 'Excellency, how many times one should drink the urine in a day? Should it be the first urine of the morning or can it be any time of the day?' These allegations against Desai have now resurfaced, with India coming fresh out of a flare-up with Pakistan. In accusing External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar of doing something 'eerily similar to what Morarji did', Congress Kerala's X handle refers to this book in making these claims against the former prime minister, alleging that the aftermath of Desai's disclosure was that 'several RAW agents were captured, executed or vanished'. Raman's book does not speak of such repercussions. Responding to the allegations, Desai's great-grandson and national vice president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Advocate Madhukeshwar Desai points to the fact that Morarji Desai was India's first non-Congress prime minister and challenged Indira Gandhi multiple times. This, he asserts, 'remains a historical sore point for the Congress party, which has long treated the office of prime minister as the exclusive preserve of one family'. 'Any leader who emerges from outside that lineage—whether Morarji Desai, Lal Bahadur Shastri, P.V. Narasimha Rao, or even Manmohan Singh—inevitably finds their legacy either diminished, sidelined or tarnished by Congress leaders,' he told ThePrint. 'Treason' At the centre of this furore are Jaishankar's remarks about a 'message' by New Delhi to Islamabad at the 'start' of Operation Sindoor that it was targeting terrorist infrastructure, and not military bases. Citing these remarks, the Congress earlier this week alleged 'treason' on the part of the minister, alleging that he had acted as an 'informant' for Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs has called this 'misrepresentation of facts'. However, Congress media and publicity department chairperson Pawan Khera went on to draw comparisons, and recalled a 'history of such espionage involving Pakistan'. 'Turn back the pages of history and consider what Morarji Desai, who was made the PM by the Janata Party and Jana Sangh, did. Recorded history shows that on a telephone call with (Pakistan's military dictator) Zia-Ul-Haq, Desai had passed on information on RAW's infrastructure in Pakistan. That was the undoing of decades of work,' Khera was quoted as saying. 'What he did was a sin, a crime. What Jaishankar did is also a sin. And the PM's silence is a sin as well.' However, Madhukeshwar asserts that the comments are 'baseless and driven purely by political motives'. 'These allegations, revived from the misinterpretation of a 2007 book by a former R&AW officer, have never been substantiated by any credible evidence,' he said, adding that no formal inquiry or independent assessment has ever supported the notion that the former prime minister compromised Indian intelligence or national security. Also Read: Congress revives Morarji 'treason' charge to attack Jaishankar over Op Sindoor 'message' to Pakistan 'Indiscreet political leaders' While there isn't a lot of official documentation on the claim, the book by Raman, former head of R&AW's Counter-Terrorism Division, details the efforts taken by the agency's Science and Technology Division to establish details of Pakistan's clandestine military nuclear programme. This S&T Division had first discovered that Pakistan was secretly constructing a uranium enrichment plant at Kahuta, in addition to a plutonium reprocessing plant. This was done through 'brilliant analysis' of tit bits of technical intelligence collected by the monitoring division of the intelligence agency. According to Raman, Desai had told Zia that he was aware of Pakistan's clandestine attempts to develop nuclear capability in a conversation. 'Indiscreet political leaders are the unavoidable occupational hazards of the intelligence profession,' the book asserts. Commentators have claimed that this allegedly led to several of R&AW's assets in Pakistan being compromised. However, there does not seem to be any official documentation or inquiry on this. Desai often spoke of his attempts at maintaining friendly relations with General Zia. In his acceptance speech of Nishan-e-Pakistan—the country's highest civilian honour—in 1991, he mentions one such conversation. According to a newspaper report from the time, Desai had recalled that when he was the Prime Minister, he had told Zia: 'If you have any trouble, you come to me, and whenever I have any trouble, I shall come to you—we need not go to the army'. Nishan-e-Pakistan The 'Nishan-e-Pakistan' further muddled the conspiracy theories against Desai. The conferment of the award, which roughly means 'the ultimate symbol of Pakistan', was announced on 14 August, 1988—Pakistan's independence day. However, the award was kept in abeyance for several reasons—from the controversy it had thrown up in India, to President Zia's death in an aircrash days after the award was announced, according to reports from the time. Desai had recognised it as a gesture of goodwill towards the people of India by the people of Pakistan. However, it had drawn sharp reactions from the Congress at the time. A report by the The Indian Express from 17 August, 1988 talks about the All India Congress Committee-I opining that Desai's acceptance of the award was unconstitutional, referring to Article 18(2) of the Constitution, which says, 'No citizen of India shall accept any title from any foreign State'. Then AICC-I general secretary K.N. Singh and MP R.L. Bhatia had said that it was expected that Desal would reject the title 'with contempt it deserves', pointing out that the Pakistan president had been aiding terrorists in Punjab and indulging in hostility. 'Mr Singh and Mr Bhatia said that Mr Desai's acceptance of the title confirmed the 'suspicion' that the belated offer was linked with internal turmoil in Pakistan and the emergence once again of an opportunistic anti-Congress Janata type alliance in India,' the news report said. The award was formally conferred on Desai only in 1991 in a simple ceremony held in Bombay. Abdul Sattar, then Pakistani high commissioner to India, had said that the award was in recognition of Desai's contribution to promotion of good neighbourly relations between India and Pakistan. Also Read: Morarji Desai scolded Vajpayee for drinking alcohol. He was India's puritan PM 'Petty beyond belief' However, Desai's actions also found support. K.R. Malkani, the former editor of Organiser and a senior BJP and RSS leader, had written to The Times of India that Pakistan had 'honoured itself' in honouring Desai, and lauded Desai's foreign policy as 'a great success'. He had even written, 'We should hope we both trust more and more leaders on the other side of the Radcliffe Line.' This is documented in the book The People Next Door: The Curious History of India's Relations with Pakistan, authored by T.C.A. Raghavan, former high commissioner to Pakistan. An editorial in The Indian Express from 20 August, 1988, titled 'Petty beyond belief', had then called out the Congress's reaction to the award. It saw the award as a kind of 'tit-for-tat', speculating the reasons behind the conferment of the award. 'At worse, Gen Zia did not take kindly to the conferment on the Pakistani opposition leader, the late Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, of the Indian award of Bharat Ratna and sought only to pay New Delhi in kind,' it said, adding that the statement issued by Congress (I) leaders 'implicitly casting doubts on Mr Desai's patriotism is petty beyond belief'. Desai's great-grandson Madhukeshwar asserts that it was in recognition of his 'unwavering dedication to peace' that he was awarded the Nishan-e-Pakistan. 'Morarji Bhai was a lifelong Gandhian, who believed deeply in truth, non-violence, and peaceful coexistence. His commitment to these values was reflected not only in his personal life, but also in his politics. His efforts to improve relations with Pakistan were reflective of this,' he told ThePrint. 'Far from being an indictment, this underscored his Gandhian statesmanship and his courageous pursuit of regional stability at a time when dialogue was politically unpopular. To twist this into an allegation of betrayal is deeply disingenuous.' He added that the contributions of leaders like Desai, 'who upheld democratic values, championed civil liberties, and governed with integrity, deserve respect, not cheap attacks'. 'CIA informant' However, this is not the only allegation against Desai. A 1983 book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh had called Desai a 'paid CIA informant'. The book, titled The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House, had alleged that Desai was paid $20,000 a year by the Central Intelligence Agency for information, and was considered a valuable 'asset' to the US government during the administrations of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Desai had called the allegations 'sheer madness' and a 'scandalous and malicious lie', and dragged Hersh to a US court. Reports from the time peg the lawsuit at anywhere between $5 million to $100 million suit for libel. In August 1983, he lost an attempt at the Bombay High Court to stop the distribution of the book in India, with the judge only asking distributors to add a disclaimer on the title page of each copy, mentioning that the distributors 'have no reason to believe that the statements (relating to Desai) are true'. Meanwhile, the US trial saw Desai's lawyers subpoenaing former secretary of state Henry A. Kissinger, who submitted that Desai was not a CIA agent, 'to the best of my knowledge'. According to archived news reports from the time, Hersh's lawyer had claimed that the journalist's claim was based on consistent information received from half-a-dozen 'high level' government sources. In the libel lawsuit, Desai had to show not only that Hersh's claims were false, but also that he either knew it to be false, or wrote it in reckless disregard for the truth. In October 1989, a jury in Chicago ruled in favour of Hersh, in a trial that lasted longer than six years. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Morarji Desai reversed the changes Indira Gandhi made to PMO. Starting with the name
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Decode Politics: BJP, Congress are both talking Nishan-e-Pakistan, Morarji Desai. Here is why
As the dust around Operation Sindoor settles and political rivals trade barbs over it, the highest civilian honour of Pakistan – the Nishan-e-Pakistan – has found itself at the centre of India's political discourse, with the Opposition Congress as well as the BJP referring to it to target their rivals. The Nishan-e-Pakistan is Pakistan's equivalent to the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award. It was established under the Decorations Act in the neighbouring country in 1957 and is conferred upon people for 'services of utmost distinction to Pakistan's national interest'. Apart from the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the country also constituted civilian awards like the Nishan-e-Imtiaz and the Tamgha-e-Pakistan under the Act. The awards are announced each year on August 14, Pakistan's Independence Day, and conferred upon the awardees on March 23, Pakistan Day. On Tuesday, the award was mentioned by BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya to target Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. In a post on X featuring a cropped image overlapping Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir's face with Gandhi's, Malviya wrote, 'It is not surprising that Rahul Gandhi is speaking the language of Pakistan and its benefactors. He hasn't congratulated the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) on the flawless Operation Sindoor, which unmistakably showcases India's dominance. Instead, he repeatedly asks how many jets we lost – a question that has already been addressed in the DGMO briefings. Curiously, he hasn't once inquired about how many Pakistani jets were shot down during the conflict, or how many were destroyed while parked in their hangars when Indian forces pounded Pakistani air bases. What's next for Rahul Gandhi? The Nishan-e-Pakistan?' The Congress lashed out almost immediately, with the party's media and publicity incharge Pawan Khera pointing out that it was 'their leader' and India's first non-Congress Prime Minister (and Janata Party leader) Morarji Desai who is still the only Indian politician to have been bestowed the Pakistani honour. 'Some more people deserve Nishan-e-Pakistan, like Lal Krishna Advani, who called Jinnah a secular, and the person who went to eat biryani with Nawaz Sharif without being invited (referring to Modi),' Khera said. On Tuesday, AICC communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh, while slamming the government over sending all-party delegations to various parts of the world in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, also invoked the award. 'It was former Prime Minister Morarji Desai who got Pakistan's highest civilian honour Nishan-e-Pakistan. The BJP must recall that Desai's Cabinet had Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the External Affairs Minister,' Ramesh said. Desai took over as the PM in 1977, in the elections held after the Emergency in which the Congress led by Indira Gandhi was routed. He headed a government of the Janata Party, comprising many anti-Congress parties including the BJP (in its earlier avatar as the Jana Sangh). The internal contradictions within the Janata Party meant that the government proved short lived. In 1988, more than a decade after Desai demitted office and retired from public life, the Pakistan government awarded him the Nishan-e-Pakistan. Islamabad said it was choosing Desai for his 'anti-war stance' and the diplomatic measures he took during his tenure as PM (1977-1979) to normalise India-Pakistan relations in the aftermath of the 1971 war. As his External Affairs Minister, Vajpayee had visited Islamabad where he announced measures such as the stationing of journalists of the two countries in each other's capitals, more frequent exchange of visits, liberalisation of visa facilities and the general improvement of trade to each other's benefits. Addressing the press in Islamabad, Vajpayee said the question of Kashmir could be discussed by the two countries, in accordance with the Simla Agreement, only after the process of normalisation of relations between the two countries was complete. As PM, Desai also advocated normalising ties with China, provided that China returned all Indian territories captured during the 1962 War. After the Bhutto government announced the Nishan-e-Pakistan for him, the Congress urged Desai not to accept the award. However, despite reservations, Desai accepted the award in 1990. In 1991, Desai was conferred the Bharat Ratna, thus becoming the recipient of the highest civilian honour in both the countries. In his autobiography The Story of My Life, Desai wrote about a conversation with a Pakistani minister: 'The Pakistani foreign minister once told me that they didn't expect as much help from Nehru as from me for making peace between the two nations. The policy of threat and blackmail is wrong. I was clear in my mind that friendship can't be achieved by pampering our neighbours. Pampering would make them more aggressive.' In 2020, the Imran Khan government honoured Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader and Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani with the award for 'bolstering support for Pakistan' and for 'his decades-long commitment to the cause of Kashmir'. In 2023, the current Shehbaz Sharif government bestowed the honour on Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohras, for 'his focus on inter-faith peace, education and healthcare, and his efforts to promote cross-border engagement through social development'. There is a significant population of the Bohra community in Pakistan.
India Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Who are the Indians who got Nishan-e-Pakistan and why
On May 20, BJP leader Amit Malviya launched a sharp attack on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of undermining India's recent military success in Operation Sindoor and echoing sentiments similar to those of Pakistan. Malviya even asked if Rahul Gandhi was aiming for Pakistan's highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Pakistan. The Congress reacted, and suggested names from the BJP for the Pakistani award. However, Indians did get the Nishan-e-Pakistan, with the last recipient being awarded in the Nishan-e-Pakistan in 2023 was awarded to Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community, the one in 2020 was for Syde Ali Shah Geelani, a Kashmiri separatist. Even former Prime Minister Morarji Desai was among the few latest political war of words involving Nishan-e-Pakistan has to do with the Opposition's stand on Operation Sindoor, in which India targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). In a strongly worded post on X on Tuesday, Amit Malviya criticised Rahul Gandhi for not acknowledging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in what he called a "flawless" operation."He keeps asking how many jets we lost, but not once has he asked how many Pakistani jets were shot down or destroyed. What's next for Rahul Gandhi? The Nishan-e-Pakistan?" Malviya Congress leader Pawan Khera countered, saying, "...As far as Nishaan-e-Pakistan is concerned, their leader, Morarji Desai, was the only Indian politician who was awarded it."Morarji Desai was the first non-Congress prime minister and Janata Party just Desai, there are some more Indians, including a Kashmiri separatist and a spiritual leader, who have received Nishan-e-Pakistan -- the country's highest civilian IS NISHAN-E-PAKISTAN AND OTHER CIVILIAN HONOURS?Pakistan's civilian honours were established to reward people for exceptional contributions to the country or to humanity—awards that often reflect not just personal legacies, but broader political, cultural, or humanitarian connections across the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the highest civilian award, is conferred for services of the utmost distinction to Pakistan's national interest, equivalent to the military's Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the second-highest civilian honour, is awarded for outstanding achievements in fields like arts, literature, science, or public Tamgha-e-Pakistan, a fourth-tier civilian award, recognises exceptional bravery or service to Pakistan or awards are generally announced on Pakistan's Independence Day (August 14) and conferred on Pakistan Day (March 23). They are awarded to both Pakistanis and foreign nationals.1. MORARJI DESAI: NISHAN-E-PAKISTAN (1990)Morarji Desai, India's fourth Prime Minister, received the Nishan-e-Pakistan in 1990 — years after he left office. A Janata Party leader, Desai was also the first non-Congress for his strict Gandhian principles and policy of non-alignment, Desai took diplomatic steps during his tenure to stabilise relations with Pakistan after the 1971 openly rejected nuclear weaponization and avoided escalations despite provocations, particularly after the 1971 War and the formation of 1978 visit to Pakistan marked a thaw in bilateral ties, and his approach to cross-border diplomacy, though often debated at home, was seen as pragmatic in was recognised for his efforts toward peace and diplomacy between India and Prime Minister (1977–1979), he prioritised dialogue over conflict, and was known for his strict anti-war stance. He openly rejected nuclear weaponization and avoided escalations despite Nishan-e-Pakistan to Desai recognised his effort to keep dialogue alive at a time when tensions ran some in India viewed his outreach sceptically, Desai's acceptance of the award underscored his belief in regional peace, making him the only Indian to receive both the Nishan-e-Pakistan and the Bharat Ratna.2. DILIP KUMAR: NISHAN-E-IMITIAZ (1998)Another towering figure, legendary actor Dilip Kumar — born Yusuf Khan in Peshawar — was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the second-highest civilian honour, in cinematic legacy spanned borders, and Pakistan's gesture was meant not just to honour a film star, but to celebrate a shared cultural heritage. Though the award drew criticism in India during a time of heightened tensions, Kumar's acceptance was defended as a gesture of goodwill rooted in art and as the "Tragedy King", Dilip Kumar's films like Mughal-e-Azam and Devdas were immensely popular in Pakistan, fostering shared cultural appreciation. His award acknowledged his role in soft diplomacy through Peshawar roots added a personal dimension, as he maintained a sentimental connection to his birthplace, visiting Pakistan multiple times. His humanitarian efforts, including charity work, further aligned with the award's award sparked debate in India, with some questioning an Indian icon receiving Pakistan's house that Kumar grew up in, located in Peshawar, was declared a national heritage monument in 2014 by the Pakistani government.3. SYED ALI SHAHI GEELANI: NISHAN-E-PAKISTAN (2020)Syed Ali Geelani was awarded the Nishan-e-Pakistan for "bolstering support for Pakistan and his decades-long commitment to the Kashmir cause".Often referred to as the ideological force behind the Kashmiri jihad, he was described by former RAW chief AS Dulat — who also served as an Officer on Special Duty to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee — as the "father of jihad" in the had been associated with Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir since the early 1950s and was considered one of its most influential leaders. He served three terms as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Sopore, having been elected in 1972, 1977, and 1987 on a Jamaat-e-Islami 1993, he played a central role in the formation of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), a coalition of Kashmiri political and social groups that advocated for a plebiscite in the region. He was initially selected to lead the died in 2021, but some years before his passing, there had been a growing sense in the Pakistani establishment that with his advancing age and related ailments, he was "of no use" to Pakistan's Kashmir agenda.4. SYEDNA MUFADDAL SAIFUDDIN: NISHAN-E-PAKISTAN (2023)In 2023, Pakistan conferred the Nishan-e-Pakistan on Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community. With large segments of his community residing in Pakistan, and his leadership known for its focus on education, healthcare, and interfaith harmony, Saifuddin's initiatives were is the Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia situated in institutions — like the law school in Karachi and the religious seminary Jamia-tus-Saifiyah — symbolised a form of cross-border engagement rooted not in politics but in social development and community recognised for his global leadership and humanitarian work, including contributions to social services, health, education, and the environment. He received the award from Pakistan President Arif Alvi in Islamabad.5. NEERJA BHANOT: TAMGHA-E-PAKISTAN (1987)Perhaps the most poignant honour, however, was the Tamgha-e-Pakistan awarded posthumously to Neerja Bhanot in 1987. An Indian flight purser on Pan Am Flight 73, Bhanot, died saving passengers during a hijacking in actions, shielding children, hiding American passports, and helping evacuate passengers, saved over 350 lives as the hijacked flight was kept in Karachi on September 5, the hijacking, Neerja alerted the cockpit crew, allowing them to escape and preventing the plane from being taken elsewhere. Throughout the 17-hour ordeal, she safeguarded passengers by hiding their passports to protect them from the terrorists, who were targeting Americans. In the final moments, as the hijackers opened fire, Neerja opened an emergency exit and helped passengers escape. She was fatally shot while shielding three children from recognition of her heroism, she became the youngest and first female recipient of India's Ashoka Chakra, the nation's highest peacetime gallantry award. She also received several international honours, including the Flight Safety Foundation Heroism Award from the US.
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
May 20, 1985, Forty Years Ago: 56 Tamils Killed
Unidentified attackers killed 40 Tamil civilians and burnt Tamil houses in towns near the site of a recent massacre in the latest round of ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, the police said. Attackers also killed 16 Tamils in the eastern port of Trincomalee, despite an unofficial curfew imposed in some parts of town. Quota Debate Madhu Dandavate, Janata Party leader, said that the opposition parties were committed to the constitutional guarantees to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and backward communities. Dandavate suggested that a round-table conference of all parties concerned be called to sort out the reservation tangle which had led to widespread violence and disturbance in Gujarat in the last few weeks. FICCI Meet The private sector not only wants to play a bigger role in national development but also needs facilities and better government support to make it a success. This sentiment was reflected in three resolutions on the second day of the annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. R P Goenka, who is expected to be chosen vice-president of FICCI, moved the first resolution — about the distribution system in the service of consumers. Sundarayya Dead P Sundarayya, the founder-general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a top leader of the Telangana movement, died at a private hospital in Madras, following kidney failure. He was 73 and is survived by his wife Leila Sundarayya, a member of the Andhra Pradesh state committee of the CPI(M).
