The Murder of Aziz Khan

ZULFIKAR GHOSE

Zulfikar Ghose holds a unique spot in Pakistani letters. He is the main author of
Pakistani inception to have delivered such a broad, fluctuating, and achieved
assortment of English language verse, fiction, and analysis. His one novel about
Pakistan ‘The Murder of Aziz Khan’ had such a ground-breaking sway, that a Pakistani
readership of the 1960s despite everything recalled him for that one book.

In that harsh period, nobody scrutinized the express. Ghose’s depiction of widespread
defilement and social foul play contacted a profound harmony. He depicted Pakistan’s
unrefined new free enterprise of the 1950s and his plot spun around a poor Punjab
rancher deliberately annihilated by savage industrialists.

His was the primary Pakistani English language novel written in present-day English
and was loaded up with idyllic pictures about the land and its kin, to which he came
back with his multifaceted, eleventh novel, The Triple Mirror of the Self.

At seven, Zulfikar Ghose moved with his family from Sialkot to Bombay, a city he
cherished as he did the brilliant supernatural Arabian Sea. He joined the Don Bosco
School and his school companions included Shashi Kapoor. Partition matched with
Ghose`s close lethal ailment yet was horrible actually in light of the fact that he out of
nowhere wound up viewed as an outsider Muslim. In 1952, his family moved to
London.

Ghose joined a Grammar School in Chelsea, which supported his two extraordinary
interests: verse and cricket. He had begun composing verse in India at 14 yet the
mishap of going to England at 17 and to a school where the director was a
Shakespeare researcher and English educator molded his abstract sensibilities. He
was acquainted with the best works of art and furthermore urged contemporary
essayists, for example, T.S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas. This would not have occurred in
India or Pakistan.

In 1959, he moved on from Keele University, an edit of verse from British colleges, and
fashioned a memorable companionship with BS Johnson (1933-73). They would
scrutinize each other`s work and discuss perpetually writing. He is a recognized
writer`s writer and doesn’t want to have an abstract precursor from his ethnicity.

A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF ZULFIKAR GHOSE

Zulfiqar Ghose was born on 13th March 1935. He was born in Sialkot, now Pakistan.
His upbringing took place as a Muslim. His father was Khwaja Muhammad Ghose. He

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was a businessman. When The Second World War was on peak his family shifted to
Bombay, now Mumbai. He was only seven years old then.

In Bombay, he went to a missionary school. The time wherein Ghose was conceived
and developed was set apart by the battle for the freedom of India, just as the Muslim
League requested for a different nation-state. The development brought about the
partition of British India into contemporary India and Pakistan. The period was
described by severe mutual viciousness between Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. Ghose,
at the time in 1947, was living in a predominantly Hindu city, Mumbai.

That was normally a period of dread for a Muslim kid in the unpredictable milieu
there. Recalling those minutes Ghose says that strolling down the road in the first part
of the day; one would discover the hacked appendages of a man lying on the asphalt.
Lorries, gathering dead bodies, would pass by the boulevards as if they were gathering
trash jars. This mirrors the oppression, wantonness, and rot in human qualities just
before the parcel.

In 1947, after the partition, his family immigrated to England. He attended secondary
school in Chelsea. The period in Britain, additionally dissimilar to Mumbai, was set
apart by starting monetary success for his family, and later monetary battle for Ghose.
This period was mentally remunerating for him. Ghose met with a few set up and
acclaimed authors and conceded to a composition profession. He graduated in English
and Philosophy from Keele University in 1959.

Afterward, he started teaching at Ealing Mead School in London. During these days, he
developed close ties with B.S. Johnson and Anthony Smith. The three worked on
several projects in collaboration. They also worked as joint editors for ‘Universities`
Poetry.’ It was an annual anthology of poetry by students.

He taught in London, England between 1963 and 1969. At that time, he also served as
a sports journalist. He served as a reporter for ‘The Observer’ newspaper. In 1964, he
published his first collection of poetry ‘The Loss of India.’ In 1967, he published his
second book ‘Jets From Orange.’ Besides poetry books, he also published two novels
including ‘The Contradictions’ in 1966 and ‘The Murder of Aziz Khan’ in 1969.

Zulfiqar Ghose married Helena de la Fontaine in 1964. She was an artist from Brazil. In
1969, he shifted to the United States. There he started teaching at the University of
Texas in Austin. He retired as a professor in 2007. He also got U.S. citizenship in 2004.

In the 1970s, he published his trilogy ‘The Incredible Brazilian.’ This trilogy includes
‘The Native’ in 1972, ‘The Beautiful Empire’ in 1975, and ‘A Different World’ in 1978. This
gave him worldwide fame and recognition.

ZULFIKAR GHOSE’S WRITING STYLE

Regularly experimental in structure and subject, Ghose’s works are injected with
realism, magic realism, analogy, imagery, and moral story to make a supernatural

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reality. He utilizes mimetic systems inside his composition to drive the readers to
reevaluate the reason for the content.

Ghose verifiably moves the readers to recognize that storyline and language are
optional to a bit of composing and are just apparatuses the creator controls to pass on
his message. His work frequently communicates the perspective of a socially
estranged individual and relates not exclusively to his own feeling of removal from his
country, yet proposes a more extensive reaction to life in a post-pilgrim society.

SEARCHING FOR HOMELAND

In a lot of his verses, Ghose looks at the subject of the outcast looking for his place on
the earth. ‘The Loss of India’ centers around the ambivalent sentimentality Ghose feels
for his country in spite of his affection for life in the West. The poetic works in this
assortment are personal in the subject and contain numerous references to nature.

The poetry in ‘Jets from Orange’ (1967) comparably brings out impressions of
development and rootlessness, yet centers more around change and industry as
opposed to nature. ‘In The Violent West’ (1972), Ghose records his perceptions of his
new country, Texas, and is progressively reflective in regards to his removal from the
East. The poems in this assortment are more experimental in structure and style than
those in his past assortments.

MAJOR SUBJECT

The subject of social disengagement is predominant in Ghose’s first novel, ‘The

Contradictions.’ In this work, an English lady can’t discover her place, either in her
country or in the new society of India, where her husband is positioned. In his next
novel, ‘The Murder of Aziz Khan’ (1967), Ghose expands his scope of characters and
worries to relate an account of a Pakistani rancher’s fruitless endeavor to oppose
three corrupt siblings from usurping his territory.

Ghose’s interest in the suffering human soul is additionally clear in his acclaimed
‘Brazilian Trilogy’, which traverses four centuries of Brazilian history. The principal
volume, ‘The Incredible Brazilian’: ‘The Native’ (1972), describes the experiences of
Gregório, the child of a rich ranch proprietor, and gives a clear picture of
seventeenth-century Brazil.

STYLE OF DOMINANCE

Ghose isn’t a political essayist. As it were, he isn’t focused on any political belief system
and opposition techniques. However, his work features structures of power and abuse
of numerous types—strict, political, and financial. In reasonableness, Ghose’s work is
loaded with resonations, thoughtfulness. it discovers articulation in a style that is

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picky and sparkles the reader’s brain with splendor. His virtuoso lives in the
production of a language that is melodious and brimming with clear symbolism.

The magnificence of the pictures of his local land, Punjab, the South American scene,
and the scent of the wildernesses of the Amazon make a shudder between the
‘shoulder bones.’ In his experimentation with structure, he makes it new. His abstract
excursion is from the mimicry of nineteenth-century realism to the most trial and
goal-oriented works. For example, Hulme’s Investigations into the Bogart Script and
The Triple reflection of the Self mirrors his wide scope of experimentation with
structure and style.

GHOSE’S UNIQUENESS

Ghose’s experimentation with structure and his battle to locate an extraordinary style
doesn’t imply that he simply submits himself to oddity. In like manner, he doesn’t
surrender to the common thoughts of patriotism and twofold places of the East versus
the West, provincial versus colonized, focuses versus minor, et cetera.

To be exact, Ghose gets himself far from the starkness of postcolonial earnestness.
What stays focal in Ghose is his fixation on the structure and a battle to discover a
style for his provocative topic.

GHOSE’S SOCIO-POLITICAL STYLE

Ghose’s work is loaded with socio-political material. In any case, except for his initial
two books, he doesn’t bargain his style at the expense of substance. His foremost
thought remains how it is said instead of what is said. This examination, in addition to
other things, researches the auxiliary examples in the books of Ghose that give every
one of his works it’s impossible to miss the tasteful plan.

This examination takes note of that despite the creator’s fixation on style his topic is of
incredible hugeness to contemporary socio-political reality. Without falling into the
allurement of the honesty of Ghose’s work to land settings and self-portraying
encounters, the truth of the conventional and non-customary structures of power and
misuse in the entirety of its structures and signs.

Themes of His Novels

Ghose implicitly challenges the reader to acknowledge that story-line and language
are secondary to a piece of writing and are merely tools the author manipulates to
convey his message. His work often expresses the viewpoint of a culturally alienated
individual and relates not only to his own sense of displacement from his homeland,
but suggests a wider response to life in a post-colonial society.

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The theme of cultural dislocation is dominant in Ghose's first novel, The
Contradictions. It explores differences between Western and Eastern attitudes and
ways of life. It is a story of an English woman who is unable to find her place, either in
her homeland or in the unfamiliar society of India, where her husband is stationed.

His next novel The Murder of Aziz Khan, first published in 1967, has acquired an
important place in the literary history of Pakistani writing in English. It presents a
picture of Pakistani society in its earliest years in the persons of Aziz Khan, who
represents ancient and traditional values, and the Shah Brothers, who are out to
exploit the resources and people of the new country for their personal gain. The story
is built around this central conflict between the Shah Brothers and Aziz Khan, whose
land they are determined to possess and which he refuses to sell.

The novel works on many levels, but certainly it is the story of a culture in transition, a
new way eclipsing an old way. Resplendent with striking images of Pakistan, the
sociological matter is rich: modernization clashes with tradition, economic progress
and industrialism obliterate time-honored values. The Shah Brothers represent the
new order, avaricious, devoid of scruples, shrewd manipulators of the economic
process. On the other hand, Aziz Khan symbolizes the tradition, the land, and the
stolid character at the heart of the old culture.

Ghose writes: 'And these seventy acres, this piece of earth, this world of Aziz Khan, did
not appear to him as land, as a property with a market value. It was a sufficiency of
existence. So that nobody could take the land away from him without first taking away
his existence.'

Satire and Irony in His Novels

Satire is a big element in novels of Zulfiqar Ghose. He examines the vice or folly of his
characters and makes them appear ridiculous or contemptible. Shah Brothers create a
smoke screen of piety and philanthropy around them for fulfilling their evil designs of
wealth grabbing through every act of injustice and cruelty.

'Shah Brothers were respected not only in Kalapur but gradually all over Pakistan, for
they contributed handsomely to the public and, during one year, rewarded twenty of
their best workers by sending them on a pilgrimage to Mecca, attracting considerable
publicity for their laudable gesture in Allah’s service. Their generosity was remarked
upon and their textiles were brought in increasing quantities.'

He describes the minister in an ironic manner. He calls the minister a charming man
with neither education nor ability. Actually the novelist means to say that the minister
is not eligible. In addition to it, he is extremely corrupt and gathers wealth at the cost
of the future of his country.

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Characters in The Murder of Aziz Khan
Akram Shah – The protagonist of the story, an ambitious individual who seeks to
establish his own business and expand his ventures in Kalapur.

Aziz Khan – The stubborn owner of a substantial 70-acre tract of land that becomes a
significant obstacle for Akram Shah. He refuses to sell his land despite Akram’s
repeated attempts at negotiation.

Afaq – The youngest son of the Shah family, depicted as a spoiled and immoral
bachelor who becomes involved in illicit activities.

Ayub – The middle brother of the Shah family, is portrayed as aggressive and volatile.

Rafeeq and Javaid – The sons of Aziz Khan, who share information with Afaq about the
broker they sell their cotton to.

Muhammad Hussain – The broker who plays a significant role in the financial dealings
between the Shah brothers and Aziz Khan.

Jameela Bano – A 13-year-old girl who tragically becomes a victim of Afaq’s assault in
Aziz Khan’s fields.

Zakiya – Aziz Khan’s wife who faces kidney problems and undergoes a successful
kidney transplant surgery.

Razia – Ayub’s wife who engages in an extramarital affair with Afaq and later travels to
England hoping to meet him.

Zarina – A significant character whose relationship with Akram Shah is revealed as the
story unfolds.

Shahid – Aziz Khan’s cousin, who Aziz turns to for help in regaining his fields but
receives disrespect and humiliation from a police officer instead.

The Murder of Aziz Khan Summary

Marxism foregrounds the economic conditions and examines their impact upon the
historical circumstances like social, cultural and political atmosphere. It focuses upon
the working of capitalism and its ideologies to show its disastrous implications for the
individual, the society, the social fabric and its institutions. The study intends to
investigate the operation of the basic Marxist postulate that the economic base
determines and shapes the superstructure of the society, consisting of the social,
political, cultural and religious realities and ideologies, in Zulfikar Ghose's novel, The
Murder of Aziz Khan. Marxism contends that the differences in socio-economic classes
are much more serious than other social, cultural and ideological differences. The

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study intends to show that in consequence of the operation of capitalism and its
ideology, society gets divided into two classes of haves and have-nots. The study is to
be based upon the analysis and interpretation of the text of the novel, The Murder of
Aziz Khan in the light of Marxist and Postcolonial critical approaches.

Chapter one

“The Murder of Aziz Khan” is a compelling novel that explores the complexities of
human nature, the societal implications of unchecked capitalism, and the
consequences of power dynamics within a politically unstable backdrop. Set in
Pakistan during martial law and political unrest, the story weaves together themes of
exploitation, resistance, social injustice, and moral dilemmas.

The narrative unfolds with the introduction of the protagonist, Akram Shah, who seeks
refuge from the escalating tensions between Hindus and Indian Muslims in Mumbai.

He arrives in Kalapur, a rural setting in Punjab, where he is captivated by the lush

greenery and sprawling cotton fields. Inspired by the surroundings, Akram decides to
establish his own business. He sets his sights on acquiring the cotton fields that
initially ignited his entrepreneurial spirit.

Armed with significant money, Akram successfully purchased the cotton fields and
quickly became a prominent player in the local economy. He trades the cotton
produced for a handsome profit, rapidly ascending the economic ladder. Encouraged
by his success and with the support of his friends, Akram embarks on an ambitious
venture to establish two cloth industries.

Chapter 2

However, amidst his rapid rise, Akram encounters a persistent obstacle – Aziz Khan,
the owner of a substantial 70-acre tract of land. Aziz Khan refuses to sell his land to
Akram despite repeated negotiation attempts. Intrigued by the challenge, Akram
exhibits incredible patience, opting not to pressure Aziz Khan for three years as his
enterprises continue to flourish.

The stage is set for a clash of wills between Akram and Aziz Khan. Aziz Khan, holding
onto his treasured land, becomes a symbol of resistance against the encroachment of
unchecked capitalism. Meanwhile, Akram’s insatiable desire for expansion fuels his
determination to acquire the land and further grow his enterprises.

Zulfikar Ghose weaves a rich tapestry of characters and events as the story unfolds.
The youngest son of the Shah family, Afaq, is portrayed as a spoiled and immoral
bachelor, often criticized by his brothers for his foolishness. Ayub, the middle brother,
is aggressive and volatile. Their interactions reveal underlying tensions within the
family dynamic.

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The narrative takes a dramatic turn when the family’s accountant informs Ayub about
the financial losses they have incurred due to Aziz Khan’s refusal to sell his land. Afaq
becomes curious about this issue, prompting Ayub to reprimand him for his lack of
understanding. Frustrated, Afaq leaves the house in outrage and encounters Rafeeq
and Javaid, the sons of Aziz Khan. They divulge information about the broker they sell
their cotton to each year.

The Shah brothers, driven by their financial struggles, approach the broker,
Muhammad Hussain, and instruct him not to pay Aziz Khan for his cotton crop. When
Rafeeq approaches Hussain, the latter pretends to be unwell, leading Rafeeq to offer
leniency. Instead of demanding the money owed, Rafeeq gives Hussain additional
funds. In a misguided attempt to assist his family, Rafeeq presents this money to his
father, Aziz Khan, claiming it is the amount returned by Hussain.

The story in the novel ‘The Murder of Aziz Khan’ turns dark when Afaq, fueled by anger
and influenced by his immoral nature, ventures into Aziz Khan’s fields. He encounters
a 13-year-old girl named Jameela Bano, whom he forcibly takes into the fields, sexually
assaults, and flees. Tragically, Jameela succumbs to her injuries and dies.

As the incident occurs on Aziz Khan’s land, his son Javaid is wrongfully arrested and
executed for the crime. Meanwhile, Afaq’s family sends him to England, utilizing their
wealth, to ensure that he avoids facing any repercussions from the incident.

Chapter 3

In this chapter, the narrative shifts its focus to Zakiya, Aziz Khan’s wife, who receives a
diagnosis of kidney problems. Her family arranges for her to undergo a kidney
transplant by a skilled doctor, and the procedure proves successful. However, upon
her return, Zakiya finds her husband mired in debt.

To alleviate the financial burden, Aziz sends his son Javaid to Muhammad Hussain, the
broker, to ask for a loan. When Javaid meets Hussain, the latter assumes he is there to
demand repayment of previous debts and starts pretending to cough.

Javaid, only there to request a loan, surprises Hussain. Hussain lends money to Javaid
but with a condition. Aziz’s 70 acres of land must be used as collateral. Hussain thinks
that Aziz might have forgotten the owed amount because of his other son’s death.

Tragedy strikes again as bandits attack Javaid, robbing him of the loan money and
killing him in a brutal act of murder. With the loss of his son and the stolen funds, Aziz
Khan finds himself in an even worse financial situation.

The Shah brothers seize the opportunity. They take advantage of Aziz Khan’s
vulnerable position. They seize his fields as he cannot repay the debt to Muhammad
Hussain.

This act exemplifies the social injustices and class struggles in the narrative, as the
privileged elite exploit the disadvantaged for their gain.

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Simultaneously, Razia, the wife of Ayub, embarks on a journey to England. She hopes
to reunite with Afaq, with whom she has been having an extramarital affair. However,
her time spent living with Afaq proves to be disillusioning, and she decides to return to
Pakistan.

In a significant turn of events, Akram Shah returns from Bangladesh after inaugurating
a soap factory. He orders Ayub, against his wishes, to move to Bangladesh and
manage the soap factory.

Feeling betrayed by his brother’s actions, Ayub reveals a deep secret to shake Akram’s
world. He discloses that Zarina, presumably a significant character, is actually Akram’s
daughter. This revelation adds another layer of complexity to the narrative as Akram
grapples with his identity and responsibilities.

Chapter 4

This chapter brings further tragedy to Aziz Khan’s family. After the death of her son
Javaid, Zakiya succumbs to her grief and passes away. The losses Aziz Khan
experiences leave him in a state of despair and solitude.

The narrative exposes the consequences of power struggles and corruption that
permeate the story.

As the novel reaches its climax, Aziz Khan finds himself burdened by misfortunes. He
encounters the machinery of the Shah industries operating in his fields. This
encounter becomes a significant turning point in the narrative. In deep depression, he
contemplates suicide and heads toward a nearby cascade.

The narrative of “The Murder of Aziz Khan” leaves readers on a cliffhanger. The fate of
Aziz Khan hangs in the balance while the stage is set for a final confrontation between
him and Akram Shah.

In the novel, Zulfikar Ghose masterfully explores themes such as capitalism,

corruption, social injustice, and the complexities of human nature. Zulfikar Ghose
captivates readers with rich character portrayals. He weaves an intricate plot that
invites reflection on unchecked ambition.

The novel explores moral dilemmas individuals face in pursuit of desires. It also delves
into the societal implications of power imbalances and systemic injustices.

A Character Sketch of Afaq in 'The Murder of Aziz Khan'

Afaq is a character in Zulfiqar Ghose' famous novel 'The Murder of Aziz Khan'. In this
article we will throw some light on his character which is a mixture of some good and
bad qualities. He, too, along with his brothers, plays a role in the destruction of Aziz
Khan's innocent family.Of three brothers, Afaq, a lad of twenty two, is unmarried. He

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is the youngest of Shah Brothers. He is still studying Economics at the Podar University
College of Commerce.

He has some positive qualities in his character. Two of which are worth-mentioning.

1. First, when Ayub and Akram consider ways to get Aziz Khan’s land, sitting along with
them, he says, 'It’s only seventy acres. What good will it do to us when we get it?' Here
he shows that he is not greedy and is also averse to using force for personal gains.

2. Secondly, when, upon Afaq’s reaction, Ayub delivers a lecture showing Shah
Brothers’ insecurity if they do not get Aziz Khan’s land, he is unable to understand the
dark motives and sense of insecurity of his brothers. He thinks when they have every
facility of life, why they are feeling themselves so insecure. It means his thinking is
very healthy and he is so innocent that he cannot understand the cunningness and
business-minded approach of his brothers.

Though Afaq has a positive and healthy attitude towards life, he is unable to come out
and initiate something good. In other words, all his goodness is impractical and
purposeless. He mostly thinks of escaping his brothers’ influence. However, he dares
not take any such step; for he knows that he cannot support himself. He cannot
achieve the facilities anywhere else, which are available to him here under his
brothers’ supremacy.

However, the positive side of Afaq’s personality is marred by his sex mania. This
abnormality starts working upon him from his early life and goes along causing him
play havoc with many people and himself too. Sometimes, it seems that the sole aim
of his life is to have sex with as many girls as possible. Whenever he looks at an
appealing woman, he bursts with desires to make love. He feels attraction for Razia
and thinks in his mind the procedure of their love making. Apart from Razia, he has
sexual thoughts for Zarina too.

In his first meeting with Rafiq, he complains that there are no women in Kalapur.
When he drives away with Rafiq and Javed, he remembers his student days in Bombay
when he had been with girls for long hours.

Once, near Aziz Khan’s land, he picks a girl of 13, transports her to a deserted place,
and rapes her till she is killed. Consequent upon this murderous act, Rafiq is trapped
in a murder case and is hanged. Despite very horrible results of his sex-sickness, Afaq
is unable to control himself. He leaves his country and continues his madness in
England as well. He did not join any educational institution on arriving in England.
Instead he spends his days and nights with a number of English and continental girls.
Every girl for him is a sex-object. He usually discards a girl he has enjoyed as if it were
a peel of fruit he has eaten.So, Afaq is a depraved and lustful bachelor. Aziz Khan's

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son, a very innocent Rafiq was hanged for the crime committed by Afaq. His sexual
perversion further adds to the depravity and degradation even in his own family.

The Portrayal of the Operation of Capitalism

The novel opens with a portrayal of the superior financial and social status of the
capitalists (Ghose, 1998). The farmers, at Kalapur, are forced to sell their land, because
of financial losses and the pressure of the creditors, made possible by the working of
capitalism. The Shah Brothers, the capitalists, are the only buyers of the same land.
The narrative also portrays the alliance between the capitalists and the ruling elite.
Because of money and government support they are in the position to purchase the
land from the farmers. The novel also provides a glimpse of the gulf that divides the
capitalists from the common people. Ghose hints at the evil associated with capitalism
and its working, by giving the name of Kalapur (The land of darkness) to the place
where the action of the novel is set. This is very symbolic and significant. This reflects
the opinion of Ghose about Pakistan of the sixties, in the grip of capitalists.

Ghose in this novel reinforces the basic Marxist postulate that the economic base of
society determines and shapes its superstructure in the form of its socio-political and
cultural circumstances. It means that whoever controls the money in a society,
controls its historical circumstances, as suggested by Newton (1997). Ghose is critical
of the ruling class of Pakistan after independence, for its practices of
self-aggrandizement and anti-people policies. Through the character of Aziz, a small
farmer, Ghose shows what happened to the ordinary people like him after
independence. The Shah Brothers, represent the capitalists in Pakistan. They came
from Bombay after Partition. They were petty money lenders there. But in Pakistan
they rose to become the capitalists, because of the greed and corrupt practices of the
ruling elite. The narrative exposes the ideology of capitalism as a route to the
fulfillment of dreams of prosperity and happiness of the individual and the society.

The Shah Brothers are the only beneficiary of capitalism. Only they can attain their
financial and social status at the terrible price to the general public and society. They
resort to criminal activities to possess every single resource of the country.

Ghose expresses his disapproval of the working of primitive capitalism and its
ideology pursued and practiced in the sixties under the patronage of the rulers. It had
a devastating impact upon the vast majority of the people, depriving them of their
rights, liberty and means of decent living. He maintains in the foreword to The Murder
of Aziz Khan that one consequence of freedom from foreign tyranny is that "native
adventurers" and "opportunists" instantly leap into space vacated by the foreign
exploiters to aggrandize themselves at the expense of the people (Ghose, 1998). Irving
Howe, while commenting upon Nostromo by Joseph Conrad, seconds Ghose (1957).
Howe suggests that the native opportunists and adventurers not only take the place of

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the foreign rulers, they even better the instruction, like Shylock claims to do
(Shakespeare, 1992).

Ghose in The Murder of Aziz Khan exposes the contention of capitalism regarding a
general prosperity of people. He shows that the military dictatorships are in alliance
with the capitalists, for their shared benefits. He suggests that capitalism always
benefits the upper classes and privileged opportunists who exploit the general public.
Ghose shows that the alliance between the ruling elite and the capitalists deprives the
ordinary citizens of their economic rights. Ghose, like Sidhwa also laments that the
rulers of Pakistan after independence, instead of acting upon the ideology of the
Quaid and running the country for the welfare of the ordinary people in line with the
secular and democratic norms espoused by the Quaid, became the devotees to
capitalism and its ideology of exploitation (1998).

He shows that the people, who inherited property from their ancestors, got poorer
after independence than they were under colonization, and they had no civic facilities
and opportunities at all in a free Pakistan.

Ghose shows in The Murder of Aziz Khan that the masses are stripped of everything
they possess to fill the coffers of the capitalists. He blames the vicious combination of
primitive capitalism, the military dictators' lust for power and an increasingly assertive
priesthood's repressive imposition of their ideology upon society for the misery and
suffering of the people. This unholy alliance ruins the prospects of Pakistan growing
into a liberal, vibrant democratic country (1998). Ghose shows through the character
of Aziz Khan, that the capitalists can deprive and dispossess the rural small farmers
with the patronage of the rulers. The reader is introduced to Aziz Khan, as a small
farmer, who owns seventy acres, has a small house on his farm, owns some animals
and is happy and in harmony with his environment. Ghose shows that Aziz has a
wonderful, happy and contented life before he is destroyed by the capitalists.

Ghose shows that Aziz Khan had survived even under colonization, but was deprived
of his land, family and identity in his own "free" country. This shows that the native
ruling elite and their capitalist allies are even worse than foreign rulers. He just
highlights the working of capitalism, with disastrous consequences for the common
man after independence and the crimes of the ruling elite. The Shah Brothers learnt
the tricks from the Hindu money lenders of Bombay of "gripping the commonest
peasants' throat with the claws of compound interests". The Shah Brothers are
equipped with their experience and the "villainy" they learnt from their stay in
Bombay, which they further improve and make use of in Pakistan to make a fortune
for them, even if this involves taking the life of others. Ghose highlights their expertise
as capitalists who can resort to a mixture of bluff, calculated speculation and the
ability to socialize with people who matter.

Ghose further describes them as "middle men, narrow-eyed, tight-lipped men who
produce nothing and achieve nothing and yet acquire a fortune for themselves" (p.
20). Ghose shows that the so-called capital formation and the prosperity of the few are
made possible by criminal acts on the part of rising capitalists. Akram bribes the
deputy commissioner, Mohammad Karim to get his things done. Akram Shah

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approaches the chairman of a commercial bank with his offer of a certain percentage.
The minister is also bought with a similar offer of five percent of the total amount to
be transferred to the minister's account in Zurich.

Ghose shows the impact of the working of capitalism on Aziz Khan, who symbolically
represents the general public in Pakistan. Before his world is taken over by the
capitalists, he is in love with his piece of land, which he inherited from his ancestors.
To him, his crops are like living creatures; he would kiss and caress the plants. For Aziz,
his world carries no market value. It was as important to him as his life. But capitalism
ruins his life and he is reduced to the level of non-existence and absurdity. The image
of the dispossessed Aziz Khan staring at his land form behind the barbed-wire fence is
described by Ghose as the "climactic metaphor" (p. 315) of the novel. This is the real
fruit of capitalism for the common people in Pakistan.

Ghose shows that the deliberate attempt on the part of the capitalists and ruling elite
to deprive the common people of the fruit of their labour can lead to the
concentration of wealth in the hands of the few. The capitalists, the political
adventurers and the opportunists, are the only beneficiaries of freedom and
independence. Ghose shows the power of money, which enables the capitalists to
have the government machinery and the policy makers in their pockets and the
policies are tailored to their interests. This results in immense wealth for the
capitalists within no time at the cost of the general public. He shows that the
anti-people practices and repressive policies of the ruling elite promote and
strengthen the hands of the capitalists. This has converted this promised land of the
pure into a hell. Ghose shows that the partial policies of the ruling elite have enabled
the capitalists to build fortunes and virtually to own and control everything in the
country.

Ghose shows that the capitalists after independence have taken over Pakistan as
neo-colonizers. As a result, the masses are displaced and uprooted from their homes
and places and they come to the cities in the form of factory hands. The poor farmers
are reduced to the level of slaves, thanks to the predatory policies of the ruling elite
after independence. Ghose shows that the immense wealth and the possession of
property by these so-called self-made men under capitalism do not grant them true
security. The Shah Brothers want to possess the seventy acres of land of Aziz Khan, for
its sign-exchange value. Their condition is not very different from that of Gatsby who
wants to possess Daisy at any cost in The Great Gatsby. The price they offer for land is
"pitiably small".

The farmers have no choice, for they are reduced to the condition of bankruptcy and
poverty by the alliance between the capitalists and the ruling elite. As a result the
Shah Brothers own the whole of Kalapur, with thousands of acres of land but even
then their hunger for possession is not satiated. Aziz' piece of land is the only
exception, which they are desperate to get, at any cost.

Interestingly, this shows that even then the capitalists are not at peace with
themselves. They are constantly driven mad by their greed and lust to possess more
and tormented by anxiety and insecurity. This reflects upon capitalism and its

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ideology, with its claims to happiness and prosperity. The capitalists have money,
therefore every single institution, individual, office and organization is in their pockets.
Ghose makes a critique of capitalism by showing that it is more than an economic
divide that has developed between the masses and the privileged rulers. It is an
economic genocide of the people of Pakistan. Ghose shows that the masses are
converted into the colonized subjects in their own country after independence. The
condition of the farmers and workers in Pakistan after independence is not different
from that of the natives under colonization. The capitalists in Pakistan have the
lifestyle of the colonizers as painted by Conrad (2001).

The working of capitalism ensures the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few.
This reflects a vicious link between the rise of capitalism and the misery of the general
public. Ghose shatters the assumptions of capitalism and its ideologies. The peasants
and farmers, as a class groan under debt and have no choice but to sell their
possessions to the capitalists represented by Shah Brothers. The portrayal of the
working of capitalism in Pakistan during the sixties is verified by other non-literary
discourses like that of Lamb (1991). Ghose encourages the rural farmers to act like a
revolutionary force, to get rid of naked oppression and exploitation. Ghose exposes
the government ministers and rulers for being selfish, greedy, incompetent and
corrupt. He also criticizes them for not having any sense of justice or humanity and for
having no interest whatsoever in the welfare and well-being of the general public.

The rotten nature of the state of affairs at Kalapur (Pakistan) is further highlighted
with a suggestion of incest between Razia and Afaq. The youngest of the Shah
Brothers, is having a relationship with the wife of his elder brother, Ayub. The venereal
diseases Akram suffers from, also reflect the filth and malaise they live with. This
reflects moral degeneration that engulfs the upper classes as a natural result of their
crimes. Ghose shows the true character of the representatives of capitalism, and the
environment of evil and curse it fosters and generates. He shows that Shah Brothers,
in spite of what they possess, have no future. None of the Shah Brothers has a son,
therefore no future in the context of the cultural environment of the Indian
sub-continent. Akram and Farida are childless, sterile and barren. Ghose refers to the
dark impact of the exploitation through various metaphors and symbols. Ghose shows
that Aziz is surrounded by darkness and evil.

The Portrayal of the Anti-Capitalist Agenda

The narrative mirrors the condition and the attitude of the people in Pakistan, which is
still the same as it was under colonization, as desired by capitalism. The people
develop a superstitious nature and fatalistic belief under colonization and capitalism,
which Ghose describes as "defeatist fatalism". Ghose wants the general public in
Pakistan to shatter the capitalist ideology and to rise up against the corrupt
oppressors. Louis Althusser in his essay suggests that capitalism through its ideology
reduces the people into subjects, who are willing agents in the service of the capitalist
system. The ideology makes them accept the status quo. Ghose attains Fanon-like

14
position with his advocacy of action against exploiters and disapproval of complacency
on the part of the general public (Fanon, 2008). Ghose shows that the indifference of
the people to their plight and cynicism was a direct result of the colonialist and
capitalist ideologies. This is common among all postcolonial societies.

The Shah Brothers are not satisfied with the judicial murder of Rafiq, the elder son of
Aziz, which they arranged and supervised. They are determined to inflict an even more
terrible punishment on Aziz for his crime of refusing to sell his land to the capitalists.
They hire assassins and get Aziz's second son, Javed, killed.

The important and pivotal role played by the workers in the production process and
their exploitation by the capitalists, is highlighted by Ghose in The Murder of Aziz
Khan. He focuses upon the outright and utter exploitation of the workers by the
capitalists in Pakistan in the sixties. He shows that the basic rights of the workers are
denied by the capitalists. He exposes the tactics used by the capitalists for denying the
legitimate rights of the workers, like organizing themselves into the unions and
associations. Through the characters of Riaz and Saleem, Ghose, points out the cruel
and inhuman treatment meted out to the workers by the capitalists in Pakistan during
the sixties.

Riaz and Saleem subscribed to socialistic ideas and invariably pointed to the injustice
of the capitalistic system. They want the workers to get united and put an end to the
exploitation of the workers through collective bargaining. Ghose is unsupportive of
capitalism and believes it is based upon human exploitation. Ghose also voices his
support for the concept of socialistic partnership of the workers and the capital and
makes Riaz express their genuine grievances.

The highhandedness of the capitalists towards their workers is portrayed by Ghose in

The Murder of Aziz Khan. He shows that the workers are dismissed from their jobs by
the capitalists to punish them for raising their voice against injustice and exploitation.
The workers are abused and humiliated before being dismissed. Ghose shows the
power of the capitalists and the vulnerability of the workers in a capitalist society and
culture. The Shah Brothers, the capitalists, in The Murder of Aziz Khan, kill Aziz Khan's
two sons and grab his ancestral land. This is of immense symbolic significance. Ghose
persistently shows that the artificial division of the society in the name of capital
formation distorts the social, cultural and political fabric of the society. He shows that
human rights, civil liberties, and democracy simply cannot survive in these conditions.

The narrative mirrors the appalling conditions of the people, the institutions and the
loss that has been done to the social and cultural fabric under capitalism. Ghose
shows that the capitalists take possession of Aziz Khan's land, by fraud, bribery and
the misuse of power. This stands for a complete takeover of Pakistan by the capitalists
and their allies, through corrupt practices. This results in complete subjugation of the
farmers and the workers in rural and urban Pakistan to the capitalists. Since the
economic base is controlled by the Shah Brothers, the capitalists take control of the
whole society including its institutions, bureaucracy, police and judiciary. Aziz Khan
tries to get justice, but the efforts prove to be futile and fruitless.

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The final picture of Pakistan that emerges from the portrayal of Ghose is that of
lawlessness, cruelty, violation of basic human rights, economic genocide of the
workers and the farmers. Ghose shows that the unholy and illicit alliance among the
military and the feudal politicians and the capitalists subjugate the people, with no
prospects for any change for the better. The dispossession of the millions for the
enrichment of the few, the marginalization and exclusion of the workers and the
farmers and the total denial of justice with no place and scope for appeal, shows
categorically that no good is to come out of that rotten smelly primitive capitalism.
Ghose wants to arouse the feelings of outrage and indignation in the hearts of people
in Pakistan against their exploiters.

Ghose wanted the people of Pakistan to stop this cruel march of capitalism and the
ruling class. The portrayal of the social, economic, emotional and psychological
destruction of Aziz Khan conveys Ghose's disillusionment and disappointment with
the present and the future of Pakistan under capitalism.

The image of the dispossessed Aziz Khan staring at his own land from behind the
barbed wire becomes the climactic metaphor of the novel. The situation of Aziz is not
different from that of Javni and Annand in The World is a Bridge by Weston (1950).
They both have a lot of expectations from freedom and independence, but not only
their dreams are shattered, Javni is ironically killed by the rioting crowds and Aziz is
meted out a punishment worse than death. Ghose shows the killing impact of the
working of capitalism and the capitalist ideology on the individual psychology and
identity. After Aziz is dispossessed of everything he has, including his two boys, his
wife, his land, which carries infinite value, and the reason for his refusal to sell it. He is
no more his usual self.

He becomes a lost soul. His condition is not different from that of Shylock in The
Merchant of Venice, by Shakespeare (1992) towards the end of the play, except that he
does not have the flaws and shortcomings which Shylock had (Ghose, 1998). Ghose
portrays the conversion of Aziz from a happy, contended man, who loved his
profession and celebrated his family and social life to a homeless, familyless, landless
man, totally stripped of everything he possessed by the capitalists with the support of
the ruling class. His life lost its direction, sense and meaning, therefore, the title of the
novel, The Murder of Aziz Khan.

Murder of aziz khan and marxist ideology

If one needs to know the history of early Pakistan and the role of brown masters on
the poor and the destitute, critical reading of Zulfikar Ghose’ The Murder of Aziz Khan,
would prove the best read. According to Tariq Rehman “The Murder of Aziz Khan
(1967) is the most significant novel about Pakistan’s social reality in the nineteen
sixties” (Rehman 1991).It provides the two sectional life of Pakistani nation which was
still in the making. It provides, on the one hand,a Pakistani world which was powerful,
strong, and forceful and, on the other hand, is the world of the Pakistani people who

16
lived bare life and had to become the victims of the machinations of the powerful. Not
only their sources were grabbed but were dragged into different criminal plots and
were made to undergo debts which they could not pay. The rich also privileged
themselves as the masters of the destinies of their women. The rich lived the life of
luxury and the poor suffered even for their daily bread. The powerful were further
made powerful by joining hands with the powerful institutions of the country,
especially police and became sole rulers of their respective territories. They married
within each other’s families to maintain power. And whenever elections were held,
these very powerful people snatched the vote of the common people and after
assuming charge in assemblies became further powerful to prove themselves the
dictatorial ruler of the people of Pakistan. In fact, they proved truly to carry on the
legacy of the colonial master, rather even worse than that.

The Murder of Aziz Khanis about two sections of the middle class of Pakistan – agri
and industrial society. The novelist has shown the Agrarian section to be usually meek,
simple and unambitious like Aziz Khan and, on the other hand,Ayoob like industrialists
are greedy and ambitious. The newly acquired power makes them think about
acquiring lands in order to enter into the arena of landed gentry of Pakistan and grab
more of the resources of the land. For this purpose, they do not want to spend money
or give rightful payments, they just want to grab the large pieces of land and that too
as much as possible by any means. In the novel, Aziz khan is shown to be in
possession of a small piece of land which the greedy industrialist would like to acquire
but Aziz Khan would never sell it as he thinks it the property owned by his forefathers.
On the other hand, the corruption of the rich would inspire Ayoob to launch an evil
design and plot against Aziz Khan and his family in order to weaken and make them
submit their land. All the state machinery and politics help the Industrialist and no one
comes forward to defend the poor and simple farmer. His two young sons, Rafiq and
Javed are involved in different cases and accused of many crimes which they never
did. The corruption of the system spreads its wings and one son of Aziz goes to jail and
another one is dead. And ultimately, the surviving son is forced to work in the factory
of the industrialist.

Ghose is very particular about the oppressions and cruelties inflicted by the stronger
section of the society on the lesser ones. He criticizes rather heavily the Shah Family in
the novel who got Aziz, a little landlord deprived of his lands and other sources by
conspiring cleverly against him and ultimately deprived him of his life as well. The
greed and selfishness penetrate into the women characters of the novel as well and
Ghose has not hesitated in portraying this change because of the power that
corrupted these families absolutely.

The corruption of the system and the powerful is evident from the fact that Afaq, the
younger brother of Ayoob is involved in many crimes yet he is given a clean chit and
sent to England to enjoy his life. Ghose has pointed out to the monster of corruption
because of which the common masses are being duped into exploitation of their
resources and hard work and the only section of the society is their exploiter who is
getting rich and further powerful. The agenda of the novel appears to be Marxist,
which would demand better wages and protection of the rights of the workers and

17
somehow stop the evil practices of their exploitation as one of the major evils of
capitalism.

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