AN ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION IN PUNJAB IN 1689 AD ALAMGEER’S TIME
META BIN DERVAISH POET AND HISTORIAN WRITES HIS NATURAL VIEWS

THINGS HAVE REMAINED THE SAME IN ALL WAYS

Meta Bin Dervaish has written a book TUFAH UL PUNJAB in 1689 AD, which records many things not normally present elsewhere. The amazing thing is his analysis of the deteriorated condition in Punjab as the Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgeer is nowhere near. Stationed in Aurangabad, the Emperor has no knowledge of the things gone wrong in Punjab. He states quite clearly:

“Things have changed with time. There is no rush in bazaars nowadays. Bribery and corruption has reached its height. Bribery is the only way left now to earn money. Palaces worth looking and houses illuminated are due to bribery alone. Now even Muslims are taking SOOD (interest) like Hindus. And except for Kalma, there is no difference between Muslim and Hindus. Forbearance has left people of abstinence and people have left patience all together. The rich are so insolent that they do not help anyone. People in power like the bureaucracy have no fear of the Emperor, in fact they have no fear of even Allah. Jails are so full of convicts that the sound of chains is so much that people cannot even sleep at night. Honesty has abandoned the people. Cruelty and lack of justice and even the Emperor’s treasure is not safe from harm. And nor the people in general. No one relies on their jageer alone but is bent upon looting the wealth of others. People in power give 50 percent to the State but after a hundred excuses. Journalists (waqai nawis) and bureaucrats are reporting wrongly to the Emperor all the time. If a wrong happens, it is converted into a good which has materialized. The whole nation is tired of these state representatives. and all these representative are doing is increasing their share of spoils. If a Kafir is caught red handed, all he has to say is the Kalma and he gets away with it. The muslim caught has no such luck and is punished dreadfully. The innocent sheds his blood to no avail. The Emperor is unaware of the sins of his designated representatives.

Brother takes interest from own brother. The husbands have no loyalty in their hearts but the wives have also abandoned shame from their eyes. If somebody is dying of thirst, no one has the taufeeq to quench his thirst, by offering him a cup of water. In the path of the rich even if a blind person is sitting, he turns his glance and walks away. There is so called restrictions on jobs for Hindus in the Royal structure, but they are comfortably sitting in all jobs and no one can stop them. The Hindus have become so arrogant and hard headed that they do not even look sympathetically towards the Muslims. They insult Muslims all the time and laugh at their folly in believing that things can be corrected. They take revenge on Muslims all the time. People fed up of the Hindu hypocrisy. Muuezins afraid of reciting the azan in a loud manner for fear of censure from the Hindus. Afraid of neighbours complaining. The Quran cannot be read loudly for same fears. The representatives are loud clear in SHAN SHAUKAT The Hindus are sahulat kar to all wrongs being done here and support the person doing wrong. Muslims are misfortunate in front of Hindu doors. The Muslims run after the Hindus in galli kochas for possible favours. The Hindus are in control of power state.

The Muslims feel no shame in going to Hindu company, one can only ask why they do not become Hindus themselves. Curse of Allah be upon these people who have become Munshis of Hindus. Our Emperor is so far away and cannot listen to our plight. Our well being has changed into national despondency. The situation is so bad that Jazziya is even now being given by the Muslims. Safarish is like biting the dog’s ears. People are tired of the cruelty of the State. We need an Emperor. In this dark night we need the flame of hope.”

I could not believe what was written by Meeta in 1689 and yet all that seems to be the same today. The Mughal Emperor and the reign of the filthy democrats all the same. Things have not changed at all ever since. Riots were witnessed through the history. The last big riots were in 1947. Lahore was a witness to that. Cow riots were predominant in Mughal times as well as in British times. Butchers of Delhi Darwaza were murdered by Hindus. And yet we learn nothing. We all want to live in peace without exploitation. Shanti is the key word but this Shanti should not include a dagger between the sleeves. For anyone desiring to read the original can consult the manuscript in the National Archives of Pakistan.