A chapter of enmity closed
Was Tipu Truckanwala a don, a criminal or only a protector against gangsters?
By Waqar Gillani
If some one wants an example of how this city is an open field for gangsters and ‘dons’ of the ‘underworld’, the incident of attacking Tipu Truckanwala can be a fair and very recent example.

It has never been an easy decision for the Lahoris to agree on where to dine-out. The options are so vast that sometimes it takes the prospective diners hours to decide what to have in breakfast, lunch, dinner or at anytime in between meals.

The problem is not solved even when the menu is decided. The next step is to identify the asli (original) shops that offer specialities like fried fish, payas (trotters), chicken roast, hareesa (a dish prepared with meat, lentils and spices) and what not… This identification is becoming increasingly difficult day by day with new branches of famous food outlets sprouting up in all parts of the city.

As owners of all these branches claim to be running them with the approval of the original shops or the main branches, the buyers find it hard to reach a conclusion. There are more than one example of two or more different food outlets, operating with the same name at the same place, offering similar food, and claiming each other to be fraudsters.

The highest number of such clones can be found at D-Block Market, Model Town where hundreds of families come every day to satiate their taste buds with delicious seekh kababs.

Operating under the name of Bhayya Kabab Shop, all these outlets have employed young and diligent waiters who start running toward every customer or vehicle approaching the market. All of them wear similar badges and claim themselves to be employees of asli (real) Bhayya.

This leaves the visitors in a fix who ultimately opt for the one that appears to be the original to them. Many try a different shop every time in the hope that one day they will discover the original.

Muhammad Ijaz, a private sector employee and a regular visitor of Bhayya, says he simply goes to the shop where they have hoisted a larger than life portrait of Bhayya and places the order. He says he is sure that he dines at the original shop as the food sold there tastes the best.

The same formula does not work with other people like Tariq Iqbal who says all of them are equally good as they had once been employees of Bhayya. He tells TNS he was told by a shopkeeper that he had set up his own shop with the help of an investor (also a regular diner at Bhayya’s shop) once he had left Bhayya’s job.

Muhammad Abid, front desk attendant at Siddiq Fish Shop, Garhi Shahu says they have only four branches one each in Garhi Shahu, Scheme More, Faisal Town and Shahdara. All other shops with this name are doing fake business, he says, adding many of them have clearly stated on their billboards that they have their principals in Garhi Shahu.

Abid says the owners have not yet taken serious action against these fake outlets except in the case of one such shop opened at Scheme More, Allama Iqbal Town. The name of that shop had to be changed to Sadiq Fish from Siddiq Fish when the issue was contested by the real owners. He says they may take legal recourse against impostors in case they do not mend their ways. Some of them have written words like ‘new’ in small font before the word Siddiq to hoodwink the customers, he says.

Abid tells TNS that their business in Garhi Shau is suffering due to strict traffic regulations — "The traffic wardens do not allow their customers to park their vehicles on the road which is over-crowded especially during their business hours." This has also led them to spread out and open branches at different places across the city.

Fazl-e-Haq Restaurant, a food outlet specialising in traditional siri payas, has come up with many branches over the years. Starting from the first shop inside Texali Gate, the business has spread to the remotest parts of the city and has a presence on Lahore-Islamabad Motorway as well.

Abdus Samad, manager of the restaurant’s Wahdat Road Branch, says that they are strict when it comes to assurance of quality of food served at different branches. He adds the new branches have helped their business increase significantly as more and more people have access to their food now — "Those who would earlier think twice before driving all the way to the centre of the city can now have this food close to their house."

Samad says they have placed portraits of the owner at every branch which makes it hard for the impostors to dodge the customers.

Imtiaz Ali, Incharge, Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Pakistan’s Lahore region office and deputy director copyrights informs that the first owner of the trademark has the right to operate under that name. In case of the popular food outlets in Lahore, they cash on the goodwill they have earned over generations.

Imtiaz says in many cases the family members split and open branches under their own names. Sometimes this is done with mutual consent and sometimes not, he adds. The trademark can be inherited by multiple family members as has happened in the case of Sardar Fish, Gawalmandi. Imtiaz says different family members have opened branches with the same name in different areas of the city.

He says the case is not the same always. Recently, an ex-employee of another popular fried fish shop Siddiq Machli, opened a branch with the same name. The employee was forced to remove the board when he could not prove that he belonged to the same family. "His point was that Siddiq was his spiritual trainer; that’s why he had selected the name."

Imtiaz says his office issues certificates but it does not have enforcement powers. The aggrieved approach the court in case of any copyright violation, which may call us for any clarifications, he adds.

Imtiaz explains further that an applicant for copyrights is required to place a newspaper advertisement under section 39 of Copyrights Ordinance, 1962. Anybody with reservations can oppose the grant of these rights by filing objections with the relevant authorities, he adds.

While the overall situation discussed above hints at the lax implementation of copyright and trademark laws, it also brings a fact to the fore. It seems many of the popular food outlets are content with the sales they make everyday and care less about those using their name, far away from where they are located.

The filling of a pail

"Hello, professor sahib, how are you?" inquired a very revered friend of mine as he rang me up the other day at around 3 in the afternoon. After the usual exchange of greetings in a typically Pakistani and peculiarly Punjabi fashion, he requested me to help him out with something.

"Why not, what can I do for you?" I queried, puffed up by the very title he addressed me with. Flattered I was, for I am far from being a professor, and would rather introduce myself as ‘Professor blah blah blah, lecturer in English’.

"Yaar ik choti jinni speech te likh de…."

As it turned out, he wanted me to write a speech for his son, who apparently had to participate in a declamation contest at the school. Ironically enough, the topic was ‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’, a quote generally attributed to W. B. Yeats. He wanted it the same day.

After the call was over, I found myself least inclined to immerse into the ‘damn’ thing. I requested a friend of mine to do something about it, who, I discovered, was equally unenthusiastic, uninterested.

So I went home without writing a single word about it, but mustered courage to lie to my friend, telling him I was half way through, and "Inshallah you will get it tomorrow before noon."

The next morning, before 11 O’clock, I had received two reminders and a text message containing his e-mail address to send him the speech. This made it very clear that escape was not an option.

Finally I typed up the topic on my machine and started concentrating on the subject. Googling the topic for a few minutes yielded fair amount of material on www, and hence a good news — plagiarism was not a problem. I lay my hands on the dictionary, copied the meaning of word ‘pail’ and picked the thread from that point: "Pail, as a matter of fact, is a vessel of wood or tin, etc., usually cylindrical and having a bail, used especially for carrying liquids, as water or milk, etc.; a bucket. It may, or may not, have a cover."

I then cut-pasted the following lines from a ‘gora’ website without even bothering to check out whether or not the information was correct:

"Pail in Danish is spand. Pail in Dutch is emmer. Pail in French is seau. Pail in German is eimer. Pail in Italian is secchio. Pail in Portuguese is balde. Pail in Spanish is cubo, balde. This deliberate attempt at providing dull and drab information about the word ‘pail’, without shedding light on the intellectual significance of the quote, was to enact the meaning of ‘filling of a pail’."

"I have given my august audience the definition of the word; I have also furnished you the translation of the word in at least seven major languages of the world…Should I now hope that you know the meaning of this phrase, or understand as to what is the spiritual and intellectual content therein?" I continued.

After this came a confession that I had committed a blatant act of filling of a pail. "I have fallen short of lighting a fire. I have wronged this very quotable quote," I wrote.

Further down the lane, I unethically borrowed most of the material from here and there to explain what the best approach to education was.

"Fill her mind with wonderful stories, and she’ll delight in writing some herself. Insist that she writes a story on a particular subject by a certain time with the proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation; and she may quickly decide that she hates writing and balk at doing it."

And then another paragraph full of wisdom to conclude the very discourse: "I’d rather they enjoy reading, and writing, and great literature; that they have fun playing math games, and cooking; that they learn how to find things out for themselves; that they learn how to exercise wisdom and discernment; that they grow in godly character; in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with man and with God."

I quickly e-mailed the document to my friend with a deep sense of satisfaction over the queer paradox I had just been a part of.

‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’. ‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’. ‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’. The thing kept resonating in my mind for the next few hours as I sat contemplating on my accomplishment to fill yet another pail of education to the brim.

*Exhibition titled ‘Convergence’ at Alhamra Art Galleries, The Mall from Mon, to Wednesday from 10-6pm. Paintings, murals and ceramics on

display. Artists: Horeen Amjad and Zahir uddin Babar.

*Exhibition of Paintings by Faraz Ali at Ejaz Art Gallery

on Friday.

*An exhibition of artworks titled ‘Strange Days’ at The Drawing Room Art Gallery.

*Exhibition of Paintings by Sumaira Tazeen & Roohi Ahmed at Rohtas Gallery.

*Paintings by Amira Farooq on display at Nairang Gallery.

*Calligraphy of Holy Bible by Shafique Shad Khan on display at

Alhamra, The Mall till Wed, Feb 10 from 8-4pm daily.

*Learning to See Art with Salima Hashmi at

Faiz Ghar from 5pm-6pm.

*‘Weekend Cycle Ride’ today to start at 10:20am from Zakir Tikka intersection, Sarwar Road, Lahore Cantt. Will end at 1:20pm.

issue

Prey to poverty
Aoun Sahi & Naila Inayat

Sight of a young eight to 13-year-old maid carrying a baby has become common over the years in our society. One always feels for the young girl in shabby clothes, untidy hair with a rock-eyed face who can hardly balance herself but there she is expected to manage a baby. This is what we often see in public but there are households where these very young maids are taking care of the entire house on their own. Many readers would here disgustingly shake their heads thinking no one forces these young girls to work, they work for their families’ well being, etc…

True! No one forces (apparently) but when cases like the death of the 12-year-old housemaid Shazia are not only widely reported but condemned by people from all walks of life. These cases also give us an opportunity to take a close look at our society, rather the lower strata of our society which is the most vulnerable when it comes to ill-treatment.

As we enter the Henry-Khan Colony from Ferozepur Road, we are faced with quiet streets. An ideal slum just behind the posh area of Gulberg III is home to thousands of young housemaids. A dingy setup with children (not that many) playing stapu, and men ‘relaxing’ on charpais. And young girls? Well, it is that time of the day when they’re busy working for the men in their families. "From six in the morning the maids start going to their workplaces. If you ask me how many young girls are doing this work my answer would be "innumerable," said the on-duty-guard.

Every year there are two to three reported cases of dacoity in the area and the blame is often shifted on the housemaids. "Only a few months back, posters were put up on the main entrance of the colony of two little maids accused of stealing some Rs8 lakh from the house," said Rani while showing her security card to the guard for verification. Forty-year-old Rani is a housemaid and has been working for the past 10 years.

A little wary of talking to us she hesitantly starts, "there are people of all sorts in our society. All I can say is that the home where I work is safe aur woh loug buhat achhay hain (and those people are good). I have six children, five boys and one girl. My girl doesn’t work, she has just finished her matriculation."

Female domestic servants also suffer abuse in some form — verbal or non-verbal. Labour laws do not protect domestic staff as there are no regulations which define work hours, leaves and other such rights. They have nowhere to turn to when subjected to violence and abuse.

Shamim, a resident of the area said, "Poverty is what forces parents to leave their young girls at someone’s house where they get food. These people also lend you extra cash in hard times."

There are many like Rani and Shamim who think that it is the choice that parents face — either to leave their children at a stranger’s place or else face the repercussions. Story of Shazia’s death is now known to all because her father refused to remain silent but what about more such incidents where girls or their families stay mum.

By now we had a huge group of little boys and one or two girls following us, rather making way for us in the narrow lanes of the colony. Often they would jump like monkeys upon seeing the camera.

We are now standing in the house of Nadir and his wife Katherine who have five young girls. Five years back Nadir was working in Janbaz Force and two of his daughters were housemaids in the area. The girls’ employers shifted to a new place and took his daughters along with them without informing Nadir. "I asked my captain to look for the family’s whereabouts and when I found the house they would stop me from seeing my children and only we know how we spent those days," Nadir’s voice trembled at this. "But luckily with the help of my captain I got my daughters back. This is not their age to work, instead my girls should be studying but I am a patient of -year-old asthma and we don’t have any other source of income."

The eldest girl, 18-year-old Anum works in a factory and is getting Rs 4000. The other two, 15-year-old Sadaf and 13-year-old Arooj, are earning Rs 2500 and Rs 1500 respectively. The youngest one fetches Rs1000 only. "Now you tell me what is that money these days. Our house rent alone is around Rs3000 and with the power bills it adds up to Rs5000 or more," said Katherine.

Like every mother she is worried about her daughters and after knowing Shazia’s case she pushes Nadir to go and pick the girls from work everyday. "I always ask my daughters if everything was okay because I want them to share their experiences with me especially after what had happened earlier."

"Now everyday I take my girls to work around 10am and then bring them back at 5pm on my own bicycle. We are trying our utmost to give them security but the government should also create jobs and give protection to workers," said Nadir.

caption

A hub of domestic help: Henry-Khan Colony.

Cases that never reached police

Shazia’s story is just one of the many horrifying incidents of subjecting girls to horrendous forms of violence. Thanks to media who brought this issue to light, it is indeed a high time for the State to admit and resolve issues encompassing sexual abuse, internal trafficking and child bonded labour and rights of domestic labour. Various forms of violence against children have come to the fore.

One among these is the story of Sumbal that I came to know from the child and her parents. Coming from a rural background, Sumbal, aged 15, was employed as domestic help at the house of a businessman living in Allama Iqbal Town when she was only 10 years old. Her six months salary was paid in advance to her parents on the condition that she would be allowed to visit her parents only on Eid. This was a round the clock job of long routine of house-cleaning, washing piles of dishes, doing laundry and attending to the guests of the family. A few years passed away with the usual drudgery.

Sumbal was approaching teen-age with the obvious manifestation of adolescence when she became prey to her middle-aged lascivious male employer. Following initial sexual overtures he extended to Sumbal, and later visual advances, crept into physical caressing and molesting. Sumbal was confused and confounded. She was simultaneously showered with trinkets and physical/sexual overtures. Soon after Sumbal found herself pregnant with its usual signs and symptoms.

It appeared that a clandestine deal was struck and Sumbal was taken to a private clinic with the employer’s wife and subjected to abortion. Sumbal got pale and weak and lost interest in work and finally she unfolded her ordeal to her neighbourhood friend when she was visiting her parents. In a month’s time Sumbal was terminated from the job with the excuse that the employer had to proceed abroad and in lieu a bonus equivalent to six months salary was paid. After Sumbal left the job her friend told the ordeal to her parents, who faced the challenges of sustenance and decided to remain silent. "We think all day about bringing food to table, how can we think of legal recourse", Sumbal’s father said.

Fauzia Saeed, psychologist at Punjab Red Crescent Society explained that child sexual abuse is a trauma which lasts to the grave. Immediate result is extreme loss of self-esteem, feeling of guilt, stunted mental growth, lack of interest in healthy social activities and general paranoia of society. In some cases it often leads to a shattered personality resulting in rebellious and criminal attitude to the society in general and the repercussions are manifold.

While working at the Women Desk of the Church of Pakistan this scribe came across many complaints by girls who are working in beauty salons for 8 to 10 hours on not more than a Rs. 2000 to Rs.3000 salary. A girl, Maryam (18), a resident of Gawalmandi precinct, left job in a beauty parlour after her female employer forced her to do men’s facials. Maryam said the employer took her in a rickshaw to some cloistered area near Railway station and introduced her to a middle-aged man to do facial and massage. On refusal Maryam was not given her monthly 2000 salary.

Same is the case of Fauzia, 25, a resident of Lohari who was attracted by the offer of free beauty salon training at Safanwala Chowk. The training wasn’t for free, was the first thing she found out there. She was given many household responsibilities like cleaning the house and washing clothes of the employer. Following Fauzia’s expression of displeasure, the employer asked her to bring Rs. 10,000 if she wanted to learn the trick of the trade but she could manage to bring Rs.5000 only. Following this, her employer increased her working hours from 8 hours to 12 hours and told her to do cleaning of the house in exchange of Rs. 5000 which she failed to bring. After two months she left her job without even completing the course.

In Pakistan where education is not compulsory and there is virtual absence of the regulation of domestic labour laws and child labour laws, the problems have further compounded.

The existing laws concerning physical sexual assault and Bonded Labour Abolition Act need to be implemented in letter and spirit. This year on January 20, Senate’s approval to the amendment in Sexual harassment law is commendable. Furthermore, rights of domestic labour need to be framed out to counter abusive practices and provide protection. Such efforts should not meet the fate as the recent bill on domestic violence passed by National Assembly. The Senate failed to pass it within the stipulated period of three months required by the constitution.

If some one wants an example of how this city is an open field for gangsters and ‘dons’ of the ‘underworld’, the incident of attacking Tipu Truckanwala can be a fair and very recent example.

Arif Ameer alias Tipu (Truckanwala) – a well-established transporter and an established character of the walled city – was shot in the parking area of Allama Iqbal International Airport in broad daylight on January 20 while returning from Dubai. Tipu, in late 40s, succumbed to injuries after two days. He has left behind teenage sons.

The killing of Tipu seems closing of almost two decades long chapter of enmity of gangsters in the provincial metropolis. Tipu had enmity with top gangsters and underworld ‘dons’ like Hanifa, Shafiq Baba, Teefi Butt, Mubeen Butt, Bhola Saniara, and many others. Tipu was always seen with a dozen security guards carrying ammunition, publicly.

According to senior police officials of the city, the tragic incident has apparently closed the chapter of almost two-decade long enmity with different gangs but the incident has raised many questions for the citizens who feel mercilessly dependent on the will of the gangsters and ‘dons’. Such elements can hit anybody in the city, from Lahore airport to Mayo Hospital and from Mayo Hospital to the walled city.

The scene at Mayo Hospital where Tipu was admitted after receiving bullets from a young man Khurrum Ejaz Butt, who claims that Tipu was involved in killing his elder brother in 2001, was shockingly strange when dozens of Tipu’s sympathizers had almost captured the entrance and emergency unit of the health facility carrying guns and other ammunition.

"We are not protected in the city airport – a sensitive and important place which is far from the city – and in the hospital in the heart of the city," says Muhammad Imtiaz, a commuter who travels daily to the airport, exposing tall claims of law and order situation by the government.

At the hospital, private people could be seen openly carrying guns, almost halting the routine operation of the hospital, putting fears in the hearts of the patients, their visitors and the hospital staff.

On the one side, Tipu is considered a ‘don’ of the underworld and on the other side, he, surprisingly, had an impressive funeral. Thousands attended the funeral before he was buried in Miani Sahib Graveyard. The mourners, generally, believe that Tipu was a protector of the walled city markets from the underworld mafia.

"Tipu was not a criminal and a gangster but he had lot of security guards with ammunition because of his enmity with many gangs," Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Pervaiz Rathore told TNS.

According to Sultan Mahmood alias Bachu Pehlwan (wrestler), uncle of Tipu, they were not ‘don’. "In fact, Tipu was working like a shield against the gangsters and Qabza mafia of the city who wanted to have certain position in the walled city but could not do it in his presence." Another client of Tipu’s business of goods supply through trucks said that he never had any impression that Tipu was a criminal.

According to Bachu Pehlwan the enmity of Tipu’s family started in 1994 with the gang of Hanifa and Shafiq Baba. Hanifa and Tipu were known to each other. Hanifa used to produce films. A cousin of Tipu, namely Amir, was keen to become a filmstar. Tipu’s family gave almost Rs 150,000 to Hanifa to produce a film casting Amir as hero – a film which was never screened but started an original film of enmity among these groups. There was a rift when Tipu demanded money back after a couple of years as no film was produced, Bachu Pehlwan recalled. Ameerudin alias Billa Truckanwala, father of Tipu, was allegedly killed by Hanifa and accomplices in October 1994 in front of his house. Later, close aides of Billa and eye witnesses of Billa’s murder also vanished from the scene one by one. The enmity later engaged many gangs taking dozens of lives.

Tipu is the traditional rival of notorious gangster Khawaja Tareef Gulshan alias Teefi Butt. In 1998, Tipu and his companions were also attacked at the Aiwan-e-Adal courts, killing three and injuring five people on the spot.

Whether Tipu was a ‘don’ or ‘mafia’ the local peoples’ love for him was obvious who want justice and a protector from the notorious mafias. "In the presence of Tipu no gangster had courage to intrude in the walled city, especially Shah Alam Market area," Waseem, a shopkeeper of the area said, fearing emergence of various groups after Tipu.

Newly built security post on the Fane Road encroaching the footpath.