Journey Through History

I had no intention of writing this book. I was of the opinion that, if the gist of a book is objective and factual, then the general public will feel that the writer is trying to exaggerate his involvement. However, my daughters, Sabah Khan and Faiza Faaiz Khan, argued that I had lived through, and made some contribution to, so many historical events relating to the young Pakistan State that it was essential to record these spectacular events for posterity. Such events included the partition of the country, the construction of the Karakoram Highway, two wars with India, the country’s nuclear bomb, the army housing scheme, martial law, the Siachen conflict and the building of the Kalabagh Dam. I was also involved in resolving the power problems of the country as the Chairman of the WAPDA, winning the cricket World Cup in 1992 as Chairman of the Cricket Board, fighting the NAB to clear my name and the setting up of the non-profit International Scarsdale School amongst other contributions to life in Pakistan. Later, the real persuasion came from my grandchildren who argued that they had read books about some of these events that were depicted very differently to the way in which I had described them. They claimed that lowed it to the country that had given me so much to make matters clear. I therefore dedicate my book to my . five most persuasive grandchildren – Anna Khan, a graduate of Stanford University with an MA from Harvard; Asad Rahim Khan, a law graduate from the London School of Economics and Lincoln’s Inn; Saad Rahim Khan, a University of Notre Dame graduate; Ibrahim Khan, a graduate of Harvard University; and Zabreen Khan, also a graduate of Stanford University.

I am also grateful to my wife Nadeem Burlci, herself the author of many books, who fortified me with cups of tea at all hours and endured my working late into the night.