August 17, 1988.
Illustration and caption from The Age, August 18, 1988
Today is the death anniversary of General Zia ul Haq. While as Shahid Saeed points out, the obituary by Anatol Lieven should be on top of the Mard-e-Momin memory reading list, here are some excerpts from foreign press coverage of his death and funeral. You can also watch Ghulam Ishaq Khan announcing his death on national television here.
‘A ball of fire’
A Pakistani paper, The Moslem, reported that most witnesses had seen an explosion in the air like a ball of fire that fell to the ground. The only visible item that reportedly escaped the flames was a copy of the Moslem holy book, the Koran.
Pakistan Seeking Reason for Crash in which Zia died – New York Times
‘A final category’
A final category of people who did not like General Zia were citizens who felt he had wronged them, a category Mr. Kreisberg said included ”anyone whose family has suffered a loss they attribute to Zia or any of the other people on that plane.”
Others stayed focused:
While joining Pakistan in mourning Zia’s death, the State Department stressed that it anticipated no slowdown in the flow of U.S. weapons to Afghan rebels through the South Asian country.
Mysterious Explosion arouses Suspicion – Associated Press News Analysis
In Islamabad…
Some clutched portraits of Zia and shouted, “We will mourn you forever!”
Tens of thousands gather for Zia’s funeral – Associated Press
The end.
As visitors left the funeral in a swirl of dust, heat and chaos, one large sign greeted them.
Strung across the road in front of the mosque, a sign read: ”Dear Zia. Our hearts mourn and shed tears on your sad demise. Afghan Mujahedeen.”
Zia Is Buried Before a Muted and Prayerful Throng – New York Times
And Zia ul Haq:
He was, in fact, a man of simple tastes. In accordance with his Moslem beliefs, he did not drink alcohol and his only indulgence appeared to be British cigarettes. His walls were covered with embroidered verses from the Koran.
”I really have been a reluctant ruler,” General Zia told reporters recently. ”Really, you can say that. But I am not a person to just give up in disgust and walk away. I am determined to stay here until I solve all of the many problems that continue to face our country.
”Only then,” he added, ”will I disappear and start playing as much golf as I wish I were playing right now.”
Mohammad Zia ul-Haq: Unbending Commander for Era of Atom and Islam – New York Times
Reading A Case of Exploding Mangoes will always warp my understanding of my man. It is hard to think of him as anything else but as a pious,paranoid but dangerous buffoon.
Zia surely used religion as a tool to rule. i like your work with all the posts but cannot go on liking and commenting each.