TWO AMERICAN AMBASSADORS AT CHUGHTAI MUSEUM AT SAME TIME;
YES, INDIA AND PAKISTAN AND LITERALLY FREE ATMOSPHERE IN 1987-88

Ambassador Arnold Raphael came to Pakistan at the end of 1987. Amongst the languages he knew, both Urdu and Persian were there. He was very interested in Art and called with a small group here. Wife Robin Raphael was there too. I presented him and Robin with a copy of Amal-e-Chughtai on themes of Dr Allama Iqbal. He was very happy with his visit and kept in touch. Indeed, he was an exceptional man.

Later John Gunther Dean, the American Ambassador to India was the guest of Arnold Raphael, and Raphael decided to bring Ambassador Dean to Chughtai Museum. It was a strange coincidence. Two American Ambassadors, to India and Pakistan, sitting with me in my office and freely talking about both countries. Ambassador Dean was very surprised when I presented a copy of Amal-e-Chughtai to him too. He never forgot and back in Delhi, he sent me a letter of thanks, which is in our archives. Another exceptional diplomat.

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One could never know what would happen to them that year in 1988. Arnold Raphael died in a plane crash with President Zia-ul-Haque. Ambassador Gunther Dean revolted against the official policy of his country and was declared psychologically insane by the State Department. Later status restored. Both Ambassadors were of Jewish background and both blamed Israel for their troubles. The death of Arnold Raphael so much unsettled John Gunter Dean, that he left his job and went back. Strange indeed! The legend was that:

“Dean’s suspicions that Israeli agents may have also been involved in the mysterious plane crash in 1988 that killed President of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, led finally to a decision in Washington to declare him mentally unfit, which forced his resignation from the foreign service after a thirty-year career. Later he was rehabilitated by the State Department, given a distinguished service medal and the insanity charge was confirmed to be phony by a former head of the department’s medical service.^“

We love Pakistan and we sowed our love in both Ambassadors. And they in a sense sided with our view and both suffered in all way. God bless them! Both are dead by now. One buried in Islamabad, the other died in 2019 at age of 93. The memory is still strong!