Mahmooda Ghazia: Against all odds

MUNIR AHMED

WOMEN face enormous problems in pursuing their careers. It was worse in the 1970s. The environment was not conducive as it is today, says Mahmooda Ghazia who started her creative journey as a poet and journalist in 1975.

“I joined monthly Sang (Stone) in 1975 and almost a year later, I joined Hum Watan, a monthly magazine of the Federal Ministry of Religious and Minority Affairs, as an assistant editor. The magazine, focusing on minorities, was published regularly until April 1979 when we published a cross on the title of the magazine to show solidarity with Christians on Good Friday.

“Those were turbulent times, with people protesting against the death sentence of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. They were the early years of General Zia’s martial law. The dictator took offence to our magazine’s title page, perhaps thinking it was intentionally published to mourn the death of a popular political leader. Therefore, the magazine was closed down.

“After spending two years in the surplus pool, I was sent to the Ministry of Culture in 1981 as a Publications Officer with the RCD Cultural Trust, a section of the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD). Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey were the members. Following a conflict between Iran and Turkey, the RCD met its destiny. The mistrust among nations lost the Cultural Trust. Most of the staff was sent to the surplus pool again.

“During the same period, somewhere in 1982, Hassan Abbas Raza and I were publishing a literary magazine Khayyaban. In the third issue, we published several pieces of resistance poetry by Ahmed Faraz, Hassan Abbas, Aftab Iqbal Shamim and others. The federal government registered an FIR against us, the first one under the Terrorist Act.

“Hassan Abbas Raza was arrested, thrashed, and beaten brutally, and sent to Rawalpindi Jail. However, I managed to flee to Lahore.

“Hafeez ur Rehman, who is now a well-known cultural and art critic, was the Punjab’s Secretary of Culture and living in Lahore. I remained hidden in his house for many months. An inquiry committee was founded with a seasoned bureaucrat Yousaf Jamal as its head. Although the case was dismissed later, I was deprived of six years’ government service as punishment.

“I joined PNCA in 1983. Even that was a bumpy road until I retired as Director National Performing Arts Group (NPAG) in June 2011. The male-dominated PNCA created all possible hurdles for me while the blue-eyed ones were promoted frequently and without seniority.

“I had been struggling and fighting against them since my first day of joining the PNCA. Those who compromised professionally and flattered the bosses were successful while I had to wait for justice. Even then, it was half delivered.

“I am proud of what I am today, and proud of not compromising in anyway. Though the journey of life was not easy, I had to prove a woman could be hard to hunt and could serve her family like a man. In many cases, better than men. I believe a woman has more courage and patience than a man to fight against the odds.”

During her career, Mahmooda Ghazia published two collections of poetry; Ikai ki Maut (1987) and Aetebaar Kiyun Nahin Kartay (2005). Her third, Neend ki dor hi Toot gai, is under print.

Published in daily Dateline Islamabad, Jan 10, 2012

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