Book review of "Bikhri Hay Meri Dastaan" by Dr Ejaz Hussain - published in The News
Culture and agency
Muhammad Izhar-ul-Haq’s Bekhri Hai Meri Dastaan [Scattered is My Story] marks the first part of his autobiography. Unlike some autobiographies that begin with the author’s birth and early childhood, Izhar opens his narrative by recalling the time after completing his bachelor’s degree at Government College, Asghar Mall, Rawalpindi. From this unusual, if compelling starting point, the reader is immersed in the intellectual and emotional evolution of a young man who stands at the threshold of a transformative journey—both personal and national.
The author secures an inter-provincial scholarship from the Government of West Pakistan to pursue a master’s in economics at the University of Dhaka. This part of the autobiography captures his experiences as a student in East Pakistan during the 1960s—a decade of deep political and cultural ferment. He vividly portrays his interactions with fellow students, his explorations of Dhaka’s urban life and rural landscapes and his reflections on the cultural differences.
Izhar says that Punjabi students, often in Western attire, stood in a stark contrast to their Bengali fellows, who proudly embraced their indigenous dress and language. He records subtle expressions of identity that separated the two communities. His visits to Sylhet, Mymensingh and Jugni Mora provide touching glimpses of rural hospitality and human warmth that transcended linguistic boundaries. He admits, however, that language remained a barrier he could only partially bridge by learning some basic Bengali expressions.
Beyond cultural insights, Izhar demonstrates an astute awareness of the political undercurrents sweeping through Dhaka University. He describes the rivalries between the pro-government National Students Federation and the pro-Awami League East Pakistan Students League. The slogans echoing across campuses—End Punjabi Raj and Down With Ayub Rule— speak of a deepening alienation. Izhar blames the political mismanagement, particularly the controversial presidential election of 1965 for this. The tragic culmination of these events—the secession of East Pakistan in December 1971—becomes the moral lesson in his narrative. His takeaway is both reflective and prescriptive: Pakistan must pursue equitable federalism and developmental parity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, to build a cohesive, egalitarian society free from separatism, extremism and terrorism.
Employing flashback as a narrative technique, Izhar-ul-Haq occasionally carries his readers from the lush greenery, monsoon streams and forests of East Pakistan to Surla, a symbolic mountain pass near his native village. Surla provides a metaphor for nostalgia and rootedness. It is a place where travelers paused to relish nature’s serenity. Izhar invokes the rustic setting to recall his formative phase. His father, who taught at a local high school, emerges as a guiding figure—an educator and moral compass who instilled in his children a reverence for knowledge, morals and community service. The author’s recollections of household life—simple meals of saag and lassi, and the warm bonds of kinship—evoke the sensibilities of an era when rural Punjab embodied both cultural continuity and human decency.
Izhar’s formative years in the early 1950s, were spent in Pindi Gheb. He recalls his early schooling there and childhood companions such as Akram Bhatti, whose camaraderie shaped his sense of belonging. His father’s transfer to Chaklala, Rawalpindi, brought a shift in the family’s life. Enrolled in FSc at Government Intermediate College, Satellite Town, he later joined the Agriculture University Faisalabad, but withdrew, feeling alienated from his native environment. His subsequent decision to shift from the sciences to the arts proved transformative, as he discovered his true intellectual calling in literature and history—a transition his father supported.
At college, Izhar encountered inspirational teachers such as Professor Mukhtar Siddiqui and Dr Zaheer Fatehpuri who encouraged him in his literary pursuits. He became the student editor of the college magazine. His time at Government College, Asghar Mall (1965–67) further cemented his literary reputation. He again served as magazine editor (Kohsar), graduated at the top of his class, received a Punjab University scholarship, and earned a place on the college’s Roll of Honour.
Izhar-ul-Haq attributes his decision to study in Dhaka partly to his fascination with a travelogue on East Pakistan by Sehba Lakhnavi, which kindled his curiosity to explore the distant province. Following his master’s degree in economics, he began his professional career as a lecturer at Government College, Talagang. He took the Central Superior Services examination and was selected in 1972. This was the final pre-reform batch before Zulfikar Ali Bhutto restructured the bureaucracy. Izhar’s commentary on Bhutto’s administrative “lateral entry” policy is sharp and critical. He views it as a populist measure that privileged political appointees over merit.
His account of training at the Civil Services Academy in Lahore is striking. He depicts the pedagogical environment as one steeped in colonial hierarchies—an institutional culture designed to mould officers into quasi-imperial administrators who ruled rather than served the populace. Izhar’s reflections on this ethos raise pertinent questions about continuity in Pakistan’s bureaucratic structures.
Throughout his long tenure in the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Service, Izhar chronicles encounters with fellow bureaucrats, military personnel and politicians. He writes candidly about the ethical challenges of public service in a system where bribery and favoritism were routine. He recounts an incident involving Rao Sikandar Iqbal, the then defence minister, who tried to pressure him into an unlawful appointment—a demand Izhar says he steadfastly resisted.
Yet Bekhri Hai Meri Dastaan is not a cynical portrait of officialdom; it is also a deeply humane and introspective memoir. Izhar pays tribute to likes of Shoaib bin Aziz and Sarfraz A Shah, and recalls with affection his interactions with artists, musicians and actors whose work required official clearance from his office. In later years, he rose to the rank of Additional Auditor General of Pakistan and pursued further education abroad, including a diploma in economics from Italy and a master’s in Arabic as a private candidate at Punjab University. Despite a demanding career, he remained devoted to his family—particularly to his parents, whose rural ethos continued to shape his worldview. Beneath the urbane exterior of a senior civil servant and poet, Izhar-ul-Haq reveals himself as a man profoundly rooted in his village culture and identity.
Bekhri Hai Meri Dastaan, unfolds as the story of a boy from a modest village who, through perseverance, intellectual curiosity and moral resolve, rose through bureaucratic ranks while also nurturing his literary soul. The narrative blends history, memoir, travelogue and reflection, producing an engaging portrait of post-colonial Pakistan.
As one awaits the next volume, one hopes that Izhar-ul-Haq will extend this narrative to his literary evolution and the creation of his poetic works—particularly the making of his celebrated poetry collection Deewar-i-Aab (1982)—and reveal how his poetic consciousness intersected with his bureaucratic and personal life. His reflections on nostalgia, rural identity and the erosion of traditional culture under urban and global pressures will be invaluable.
Bekhri Hai Meri Dastaan, not merely chronicles a life. Izhar has crafted a mirror to a generation that straddled two cultures and two moral worlds—one fading, the other in flux. The result is a work that is as historically and culturally significant as it is literarily graceful.
Bikhri Hai Meri Dastaan
Author: Muhammad Izhar-ul-Haq
Publisher: Book Corner, 2025
Pages: 335
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The writer has a PhD in political science from Heidelberg University and a postdoc from University of California, Berkeley. He is a DAAD and Fulbright fellow and an associate professor. He can be reached at ejaz.bhatty@gmail.com
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