THIS IS MY STORY—43
MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE ERA OF AYUB KHAN TO THE TIMES OF IMRAN KHAN.
GHULAM AKBAR
Two Conflicting View Point
The difference of opinion was on what to do with the profit. Enayatuallh Sahib’s opinion was that a large chunk of the profit should be distributed among the workers as bonus, Hadn’t they worked hard to raise the newspaper’s fortunes from ground zero to impressive heights?
The other point of view was that those who had been investing in the company in either the form of the Capital or loans, deserved to be paid dividend at last. The leaders of this point of view were Mian Rasheed, a small landowner of Lahore, and Mir Murad Khan Jamali. They were supported by two other directors— Raja Zauq Akhtar and Haji Sarbland Khan. As they were all regarded as Mamoon Jan Nasim Hijazi’s men, the company suddenly stood divided into two groups. All that was happening at Lahore. I grew helplessly aware of the sudden divide. I had reasons to believe that my cousin, and Mamoon Jan’s eldest son Khalid Nasim had played a pivotal role in creating cracks in the relationship between Mamoon Jaan and Enayatuallah Sahib.
I really felt sorry for Khalid who apart from being my cousin had been a dear friend since childhood. I had no idea that he had been harbouring a grudge against me in his heart for the simple reason that Mamoon Jan had always given me great importance, and now Enayatuallah Sahib had chosen to become my promoter. My elevation to the status of the Company’s Director wouldn’t have been possible without Enayat Sahib’s affectionate patronization. He had transferred the necessary qualification shares to me from his own account.
He had his own nephew too— Afzal Haq whose elder brother Ijazul Haque had been General Manager of Kohistan till about two years before my induction. Both Khalid Nasim and Afzal Haque were ignored in my favour when the issue of filling a vacancy on the Board of Directors had come up. Afzal Haque unfortunately was to die young of a rare disease. His widow in the years to follow was to get married to Enayatullah Sahib. I’ll take up this part of the story later in the book. Let me state here a few sympathetic words for Khalid Nasim who being Mamoon Jan’s eldest son had harboured probably a genuine desire to become Nasim Hijazi’s deserved successor.
Enayat Sahib however had other ideas.
“Great organizations, Nasim Sahib retain their greatness not through normal successorship, but through continuity of merit and talent. I think your nephew has it in him,” I had overheard Enayat Sahib telling Mamoon Jan once.
