THIS IS MY STORY—40
MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE ERA OF AYUB KHAN TO THE TIMES OF IMRAN KHAN.
GHULAM AKBAR
Meeting with Mir Khalil ur Rehman
There were many other lovable persons too, I was to develop personal relationships with, in the months following my induction in a marketing role. My job was to sell the space of Daily Kohistan to both the advertising agencies, and the advertisers.
Before I proceed further in this context, I should mention here the concern that the arrival of a new team in Karachi, of Daily Kohistan had caused in the Jang Camp. We got information to the effect that the late Mir Khalilur Rahman had got convinced that Enayatullah Sahib had intention to launch Daily Kohistan form Karachi as well.
At that point of time Kohistan was fast catching up with Jang which till today has not lost the distinction of being the largest circulated daily in the country.
As per the ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation) figures of 1962, Jang had a circulation of 81,700 copies per day and Daily Kohistan stood at 73,300 copies per day. Nawa i Waqt, Imroze and Anjam three other key Urdu newspapers were well behind Jang and Kohistan.
The first time I met Mir Khalil ur Rahman was in a meeting of All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS). Kohistan was in the Executive Committee, and I was representing it.
I remember him asking me: “How is Nasim Sahib? When is Kohistan appearing from Karachi?”
“Nasim Sahib is fine”, I had replied. “And I don’t know about any plans of Kohistan appearing from your city, Mir Sahib….”
Mir Sahib laughed heartily and said: “Karachi is everyone’s city Akbar. Why just mine? Tell Enayat Sahib, I will welcome Kohistan’s presence here.”
This was weeks after I had begun working in Karachi. In the month of April 1962. I got partially acclimatised with the demands of marketing and the environment in which I was to work.
Let me state here that my marriage had been scheduled for May 2, 1962.
Mamoon Jaan Nasim Hijazi was against it as he wanted me to marry after getting settled well in my job. My financial position was pretty bad at that time.
Another argument of Mamoon Jan was that I should wait for Enayat Sahib’s arrival back from the U.K where he had flown to, in emergency to settle certain issues regarding Weekly Mashriq London. I told Mamoon Jan that as my parents had decided about the date of my marriage already, I was in no position to fulfill his desire.
Let me state here that I had been betrothed to my maternal aunt’s daughter from my childhood. My mother-in-law to-be was the youngest sister of Mamoon Jaan Nasim Hijazi. They are both dead now— as infact are all the offsprings of my maternal grandfather whose memories I still cherish as Tehsildar of Dhariwal (Gurdaspura).
I took leave for ten days on April 28th 1962 and proceeded to Lahore.
