A Season for Martyrs by Bina Shah

Introduction to the Novel:

A Season for Martyrs is a fictional novel written by Bina Shah and was published in 2014.

It all revolves around last three months of life of Muhtarma Benazir Bhhutto when she arrived back to Pakistan in October 2007 till suicide bombing attack on December 2007 in Rawalpindi.

This novel shows struggle to democracy by famous political figures. This novel represents two different stories from two different time periods.

The first and early part of novel shows tenth to twelfth century, when Sindh was under the rule of most powerful political personalities and our famous folk tale and poet Hazarat Shah Abdul Lateef Bhittai’s time period is under discussion. These all events are written in past time periods and later part of novel is about protagonist Ali Sikandar. He is a news researcher and son of pro-Bhutto landlord. Ali himself was frustrated by his own father due to political faults. This part of novel shows politicians of Pakistan in last nine weeks when Muhtarma Benazir Bhutto arrived back to Pakistan in mid of October till her death by suicide bombing attack in Jinnah Park, Rawalpindi.

The novel is divided into different twenty chapters, the early ten parts (parallel) are about past period events and last remaining ten chapters are (parallel) about Ali’s story as a news researcher and suicide bombing attack. Writer sharply has given attractive sequence to novel’s chapter that each political chapter is followed by historical chapter. If 1^st one is based on political so second one is based on historical perspective. Writer has presents her novel in reality, fictional, historical and geographical perspectives.            

Epigram

Bina Shah started her novel with the pronunciation of the word “Sindh” in an epigram which word also pronounced as ‘Sind”. Further, she explains the geographical location of Sindh Balochistan is in west-north, Panjab in the north, Indian states Gujrat and Rajasthan in the east, and the Arabian Sea in the south.

She explains that the Indus River Delta is an essential part of Sindh which is why it is also known as Sindhu River or Sindhu Naddi. Karachi became the capital city of Sindh in 1936. She presented a few picked lines from the book “Sindh and the river that inhabit the valley of the Indus” written by Sir Richard Burton in 1837.

Sir Richard Burton says “Sindh is a new country to us and it is a really important portion of our eastern empire. It is really important because we have two reasons. Firstly we have commercial and trading approaches throughout the entire central Asia and Second, we can protect India from natural enemies. Finally, at the end of the epigram, she quoted Hazrat Shah Abdul Lateef Bhittai’s couplet:

Oh God! May ever You on Sindh

bestow abundance rare;

Beloved! All the world let share

Thy grace, and fruitful be.

Hazrat Shah Abdul Lateef Bhhitai, (1689–1752)

Chapter 1: Peccavi

When General Charles Napier defeated the last great Sindhi chieftains of Hyderabad he sent a one-word telegram to the governor-general of India (former British Empire) he just wrote one word “Peccavi” which means “I have sinned” (I have Sindh). He told cleric Joseph who reached recently in Karachi and was suffering from different diseases. General Charles Napier informed the governor-general of India that I have sinned and killed Six thousand in the Miani battle and Five thousand in the Dubba battle. That’s why I am paid sixty thousand pieces of silver.

General Charles Napier gave a lot of tough time to Mir Rustam and others who escaped in the Thar Desert. General Charles was all about money because he was thinking of his wife and three daughters. He betrayed Sindh only for money which was paid by the East Indian Company. When the telegram reached at governor-general of India they became happy and appointed Charles Napier as commander chief of India for a time & his cleric Joseph couldn’t survive and was buried in the military cemetery in Karachi.

For the next hundred years, Sindh became an outpost of the Bombay presidency and the British made railway lines, and barrages, irrigating the fertile land of Sindh, grew cotton, rice, fruit orchards, and a lot of other fertility on the Indus basin. Sindh is the land of Sufi saints, the land of Sufism, the land of Sufis, the land of five rivers, the land of Pakhtoons & it became the land of Baloch in 1947. The story of General Charles Napier is just only a rumor not reality.         

Chapter 2: October 18, 2007

Ali Sikandar is the protagonist of this novel who is sitting at his desk and preparing a television program for the arrival of Muhtarma Benazir Bhutto. She was arriving in Pakistan tomorrow from Dubai after exile for eight years. Ali Sikandar is working in the media channel City24News as a researcher under his boss Ameena Hai. He is not satisfied with her and her channel because she always gives overburden to juniors but Ali hasn’t other options for another job. She ordered Ali Sikandar to go to the airport tomorrow and have live coverage for the channel rather than just a news report. Ali himself has completed one year of study in Dubai and now wants to go to America for his BBA degree. She ordered Ali to not explore any controversial things but rather just report with facts and figures quite simply. Ameena asks Sikandar that every Sindhi loves Benazir Bhutto and supports PPP. But Ali refused that he doesn’t support PPP.

Although his father is a lecturer in the taxation department in the government of Sindh. Sikandar said that his father died two years ago from a heart attack but this was not true, he was hiding some secrets from everyone. Jahangir who also works with Sikandar in the same media channel, they both talked to each other via email when their boss was sitting beside them. Sikandar was sharing with Jahangir that he doesn’t to go for live coverage, there can be suicide bombing attacks but Jahangir told him that you are going to capture history. Ali collected some facts about Muhtarama Benazir Bhutto’s education, family, marriage prime ministership, policies, policies for women, etc.. Ali Sikandar’s father was the landlord and a true supporter of PPP who had a conversation with Ali Sikandar about PPP harshly.

Ali Sikandar recalls when his father told him that Benazir’s Father Zulifaqar Ali Bhutto was a great man on earth. His father said that even history can be rewritten if you pay a bunch of amount, he said that just look at 9/11 do you have any proof that they were Muslims? Anything can be made by anyone powerful. Anything can be true or untrue it is up to your interest. Ali Sikandar was anti-PPP he said to his father while conversing “BaBa we don’t have to defend criminals just because they are Sindhis like us” but his father didn’t answer Ali’s question. Once Ali Sikandar drove the car in the streets of Karachi he only observed a lack of facilities in the 21st century, darkened houses, load-shedding, street crime, ATM robbing, kidnapping, carjacking, burglaries, and a lot of crimes show bad governance. Ali and his friends sit and discuss the entire worst situation in Karachi. Later Ali once again was reminded by news that Benazir Bhutto is arriving from Dubai to Karachi tomorrow for freedom and democracy.

She is coming to participate in elections for prime Ministerships. Ali was in a different circumstance will tomorrow be a lucky day for me or unlucky? Suddenly Sunita called him and started to talk. Sunita is a Hindu girl whom Muslim Ali Sikandar loves a lot! Sunita prohibited Ali Sikandar from going there tomorrow but he emphasized that he would be safe. Ali Sikandar met Sunita when he came back from Dubai and went to the University in Karachi where they both fell in love with each other. Ali Sikandar talks to Sunita at late night when everybody is asleep because if Ali’s mother found out that Ali Sikandar has a Hindu girlfriend, it would be a problem for him, and if Sunita’s brother found out that Sunita has a Muslim boyfriend he will kill her because they both were from different religious and it is a matter of honor.

Ali Sikandar is hiding one thing from Sunita he doesn’t want to live here in Karachi he wants to go to America because he is bored here. But he can’t share this thing with Sunita because he loves her a lot Sunita than his parents. He thinks that in America he will be safe and will be having every facility. Ali doesn’t want to stay in Karachi in Pakistan. He will be killed one day here. Even tomorrow’s day can be unlucky for me.

Chapter 3: The Old Man And Sea

Khuwaja Khizr was the most spiritual religious Sufi saint of Sindh who was a contemporary of four other Sufi saints Zakaria Noor Gohri, Syed Jalal Bukhaari, Shahbudin Sakariya & Lal Shahbaaz. He used to be at the seashore for the protection of sailors who used to go for haunting Palla fish. Sahabdin Zakaria travelled for Bagdad, Syed Jalal Bukhari was involved in Multan’s mess and other events happen in the chapter where Khuwajah Khizr’s importance and wisdom are shown. Once a moment Zakaria Noor said to Khuwaja to leave these shore Sindhi men but he refused “I cannot leave them”. Noor says that they don’t value you! Khuwaja Khizr put his hand on Noor’s forehead and said “They may not value me, but they still need me”. Noor says that said this is not fair! Khawaja said to Zakaria “It is not up to us to decide that”. Finally, Zakaria left Astola but Khuwajh stayed on the island for months & used to keep praying for the sailor’s arrival from deep sea.

This was love Khuwajah for these people who prayed for all.  Khuwaja Khizar later was also given the task of protecting Indus land from the controversy between Muslims and Hindus. Actually, in the middle of the night during prayer he was informed about a country that was one will be into two. Killing each other and throwing bombs on their territories, even the sea is not safe. Sailors who only go into the sea for just their earning purposes are arrested jailed forever and later branded as spies. Khuwaja Khizr prayed for both Hindus and Muslims day and night with hardship to the front of Allah, reciting the holy Quran and praying Namaz. Then the mercy happened plane traveled to drop the bomb trapped into clouds, and arrested innocent those who were tied up to loosen their ties, the gate unlocked and the guards were asleep finally they crossed the border safely. The war ended after three weeks. Later six years after once again war started Khuwaja Khizr started his prayers but two countries became three! Pregnant Bangla women and innocent students came to him in the dream that what crime have they done.

Later Khuwaja Khizar went for immortal rest or asleep on his Aramgah. He is alive and awakened by spirituality but just by physically, he is not here. In the absence of Khuwaja Khizar Indus started to become dry, salty & unproductive. It was heart-wrenching when one day a boy from the shore called their villager and saw that due to deadly water, all fish died, they started to call Khuwaja Khizar to end this Mara Pani (Deadly Water). Government and non-governmental organizations came up with different excuses for water pollution from the Layari River. These dead fishes are brought to Empress Market Karachi and dwellers eat them without knowing that they can die or sick. But only Fisherman knew that because of the absence of Khuwajh Khizar, it was there! Because our protector, guardian is angry with us.

Chapter 4: October 18, 2007 (II)

The entire Karachi was decorated as a bride because Benazir Bhutto was about to step into her mother’s homeland. City Karachi was full of lights, crowds, and lights. She arrived through Terminal I and stood on a truck wearing a white and green Shalwar Kameez as the Pakistani flag’s reflection and tied up Imaam Zaamin on the shoulder. Ali and Haroon were busy filming the scene but behind the camera, Ali was wiping his tears.

Haroon’s hands were shaking Ameena would scream about these filming shoots because Ameena wanted every shot to a perfect. Haroon was from Hyderabad like Ali who never forgot the riot scene of 1990 when MQM threatened every Sindhi to leave their houses. More and more people were gathering as a crowd special Makurani from Layari. Ali and his friends set at the hotel to get something to eat where he noticed that we should talk to the waiter and security guard for their opinion, the guard was looking at Pathan and of course, trained by the Taliban.

Ali and Haroon interviewed Shahid Jokhio who was Sindhi and from other people who presented different opinions about the arrival back of Benazir Bhutto. Ali and Ram were at Karsaz Overpass to eat something and a sudden huge explosion blasted, motorcycles and everything was destroyed, sky was filled with sounds. Ram and Ali thought about where Benazir would be supposed. Is she safe? All part workers and MPSs were tracing her but she was invisible. Suddenly another blast happened and then everyone started to scatter even not thinking about other’s bodies and just wanting to go back safe. Everywhere it was Panic.

Chapter 5: The Seven Queens

The fifth chapter is based on Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, one day he came home and saw his wife Bibi Sayadah weeping. Shah Latif asked the reason why you are crying. What happened to you knows he can’t see her wife in this condition, but she was not answering him. Even though she was not gazing at him, because she was not conscious, Shah Latif gave her a glass of water took out his prayer beads, and recited ninety-nine names of Allah. Shah Latif prayed for his wife ya Allah would restore her and her sense. After a moment his wife lifted her head and looked at him with watery swollen eyes. Again he asked why this is so! She says that when she went to his grandfather Shah Abdul Kareem’s dargah, the urs were begging.

She sat for a while and listening to scary songs and beating holy drums uplifts her greatly on days she is tired from carrying her child. Then in honor of Shah Kareem’s Grandson, they began to start the ‘sur’ of “Sassi and Pannu”, Bibi Sayadah overhead two women were talking behind her, they were saying, that her husband loved seven queens more than his wife, so this is the reason Allah has not yet blessed them with child, they are deprived for blessings of a child. Shah Latif says this is just ignorant of village peoples, he was not unknown to it, he observed when he walked disguised outside and heard these kinds of hummers around. He was a man of God, disliked by many people who were his enemies.

They spoke in a hushed tone his wife was barren, why did he not take a second wife, why did he not take an interest in worldly affairs? Therefore he avoided and beard these nonsense things. He had hoped that his wife was secluded in the home, but he was accused of loving the seven queens more than his wife. He had immortalized in his poetry the great heroines of Sindh, such as “ Sassi, Marvi, Noori, Leela, Sohni, Heer and Moomal, they are manifestations of love between God and man. It doesn’t mean that they had to have the object of lust and they were not to be compilation for his wife Sayadah.