EDITORIAL: Former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, 76, died on last Wednesday in a Rawalpindi hospital. Jamali belonged to a political family that played a highly important role in the Pakistan movement. His uncle, Mir Jaffar Khan, was a close companion of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. That Jamali was a humble person is a fact; his demeanour was one hundred percent self-effacing, gracious and polite. His air of kindness and sagacity always tempted people to confide in him. He always demanded the highest standards of behaviour from his children. Rarely was he seen making himself noticeable or trying to get the attention of other people. Jamali was one of most moderate politicians from Balochistan who believed in mainstream politics. Jamali had served as the prime minister during the military regime of Gen Pervez Musharraf following the 2002 general elections. In 2004, he was replaced by Shaukat Aziz. He arguably owed his prime ministership to the Chaudhrys of Gujrat. He therefore obligingly accepted his removal. In other words, he promptly displayed his quality of having understanding and the ability to make good judgements.

Jamali, an MA in History from the University of Punjab, was extremely good at his low-key approach to politics. Last but not least, Jamali was a staunch opponent of land reforms in the country. He is said to have successfully persuaded his "boss" Gen. Musharraf that the PML-Q government would never carry out any statutory division of agricultural land and its reallocation to landless people. Unfortunately, however, he failed to convince the then military ruler to allow him to continue his premiership beyond one year.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020