The BBC commissioned Tariq Ali to write a three-part TV series on the circumstances leading to the overthrow, trial and execution of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. As rehearsals were about to begin, the BBC hierarchy - under pressure from the Foreign Office - decided to cancel the project. Why? General Zia ul Haq, the dictator at the time, was leading the jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. He was backed by the USA. According to expert legal opinion, there was a possibility of a whole range of defamation suits from the head of state to judges involved in the case. In consequence, it was decided not to broadcast this hard-hitting and provocative play. The Leopard and the Fox presents both the script and the story of censorship.
Tariq Ali, who was commissioned by the BBC to write the TV serial in 1985, has now published the play in the book form titled ‘The Leopard and the Fox’. (Libertybooks.com)
This is a short 16 min BBC Urdu interview hosted by Mahzar Zaidi on Tariq Ali’s new book ‘The Leopard and the Fox’. The interview covers the summary of the book with reference to historical footage. The book is available in the UK and Pakistan. In the U.S, it is due to come out on May 1st 2007.
Video: Interview with Tariq Ali
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