It’s almost like an understood fact that the Chaudry family went through dissection because of their children. And its so rampant that it goes undebated. But its not the children that divided the family it’s the politics of a narrative, finally.
Remember this was the last stage of the Lota Mukao drive. People were watching what’s been happening very closely. Who left who, and who joined who. People knew this was the first time any man had attempted to go against their own men, and people generally don’t really like party swappers. Which the PMLN got to know the hard way.
Workers and supporters campaigning against an opponent suddenly had to vote for the same person. This was very hard to pull off on constituency level (it’s easier in the assemblies). The politics of honesty is a long route but it comes back very strong whenever it does. What would PMLN do now, would they be allotting tickets to their old people or the new ones. And even if they give tickets to the ones who were ignored this time would the workers be working with the same motivation they had earlier? it’s all messed up for them now.
There is a clear divide between the people of old politics and the people of the new politics.
The old politics of dirty reconciliation, the old politics of slinging mud and forming an alliance and then doing it again, the old politics of family vote banks, the old politics of horse trading against the new politics of honesty or at least the politics of attempted political-correctness.
The divide in the Chaudrys was whether to sit with clearly declared enemies or not. To sit with people who declared them murderers, to sit with people who backstabbed them and left the country leaving them behind. One part of Chaudry family was of the view that this was the only time to finish this old rivalry with both parties but the other side of the family was not ready to forgive them. Ch. Shujat was in favour of reconciling for a better future, while rest of the family was on the other side. Shujat sb’s son just sided with his father, but rest of the family was on one side.
Zardari sb spotted this weak link from miles away and glided in. So Asif Ali Zardari meeting Chuadry Shujat was like the thirsty crow finding a cool jug of water. It was just so perfect. Because there was a demand and there was a supply, and like every dreamy fairytale, they found each other in the end.
Blaming all this down to the differences of children is just too small and so south Asian way to think of it. Brown parents usually take all the important decisions for their children themselves (rightly or wrongly) and use the weight of kids for their own advantages. And they try to shush others or by using children as an excuse. So they can make others understand without answering too many questions.
An acquaintance set his daughter’s wedding just days after the death of his sister’s husband. This caused quite a stir in the family. Family members kept asking the guy to defer the wedding for a week because they thought everything was in his control. Because his daughter was getting married to the son of his own brother-in-law. And the event was taking place in one house between one family, so people thought he was in complete autonomy to alter anything but no.
The man kept saying that both of his daughters are grown up and he is powerless in front of them. ‘You don’t know you are forced to do a lot of things when kids are grown up,’ is what he kept saying at that time. But no one knew that this small maneuvering would give way to irreversible damage that would cast a shadow on this family for times to come.
And now when people look back they say that the event would have never been possible without the consent of the father. Because at the end of the day, it was he who was writing all the cheques, he had everything in his power.
Just like him, at the end of the day, it was Ch Shuajat who wrote the letter not his kids. It was his responsibility to shun adverse opinions and enforce civility and his writ. If Chaudry Sb really wanted that letter would have never been written.
Every elder of the family faces backlashes, a true leader educates his way through differences. What do you think Zardari sb going to meet Chaudry Shuajat would be a smooth road, no. Remember, names of Q league leadership were amongst the men who Benazir Bhutto herself wrote to be responsible if she was killed. Many of the PPP people including Bilawal would not be willing to join hands with the ‘Qatil league’. Chaudry Shuajat was not the only one facing criticism in the family, I bet Zardari sb was facing more. But the party blaming it on children came out weaker.
Zardari sb would have now sat Bilawal down and explained to him how he destroyed three targets with just one jab. PTI by this defeat, PMLN by shoving them on to the inflation struck public and PMLQ by annihilated their family, and the politics based on it. So technically he came back real hard on Q league. Bilawal later that evening tweeted ‘Aik Zardari sab per bhaari.’
Also, after all, that has unfolded in the Chaudry family just for one CM seat, now the PMLN family looks better. They were always sitting at a table with higher stakes, they have had 5 PMs and 4 CMs rounds. And all of these people are still alive, it gets harder with that. Still, they didn’t end up like PMLQ. The Chaudry ended up shredded for a CMship of just 1.5 years. The Mian family I must say came out stronger in this area, dealing with so much power and still maintaining unity.
Also blaming it on the skirmishes of the children would also minimize Khan and the narrative he’s trying to set for 26 years. This divide has been seen everywhere. In schools, colleges, unis, on the streets, in cafes, in households, in offices, with relatives, with friends, over the internet, in Whatsapp groups, where not? Do you think all this is happening because of children fighting with each other? no!
It would be hard for the people of subcontinent to digest this but the reason why Chaudry family went through this split is not a difference between children, but the difference of having no narrative against finally having one. From this decision onwards, one part of the party would shine and the other shall shy.
He is a Pakistani journalist, documentary producer and teaches journalism at various universities in Lahore. He is a silver medalist in MPhil Mass communication and has reported and edited for a number of English print media organizations in Pakistan.
