ATTOCK: once the most important cantonment of the Royal British Army and a historic district of Pakistan, has always proved unfavorable for prime ministers and their families.

Sir Sikander Hayat Khan was the first person from Attock who was elected prime minister of united Punjab under British Rule. He was elected from Wah, then a tehsil of Attock. Later, Wah was separated from Attock and was included in Rawalpindi during Gen Ayub’s martial law. Sir Sikandar’s son Sardar Shaukat Hayat faced the wrath of Gen Ayub for supporting Mother of the Nation Fatima Jinnah against him, and the general excluded Wah, a stronghold of the Hyat family from Attock and included it in Rawalpindi.

The Sharifs and Bhuttos also do not have pleasant memories of Attock. Asif Ali Zardari, spouse of former prime minister and chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party, Benazir Bhutto, is still suffering from hardships in Attock. He is in jail for the last seven years, out of which he spent almost half the period in the Attock Fort, constructed by the British in the 18th century. It is now under Pakistan Army supervision.

Allegedly, officials from investigating agencies had subjected him to severe physical and mental torture at Attock Fort during Nawaz Sharif’s second term in office.

Former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, who had dozens of cases registered against Mr Zardari and sent him to Attock Fort, suffered the same fate and was sent to Attock Fort after his arrest from Prime Minister’s House on October 12, 1999. His elder son Hussain Nawaz was also arrested and was sent to the fort where he was kept in a separate barracks, despite the notion that he was not involved in the hi-jacking of Musharraf’s plane.

The fort is located in the centre of a natural jungle where deadly snakes and scorpions are common. Once a deadly snake is said to have crept into Nawaz Sharif’s cell and was about to bite him when a security guard killed the venomous reptile.

But, future prime minister Shaukat Aziz will never forget Attock. If he gets elected from NA-59 Attock and becomes the prime minister, he will definitely try to improve life for his voters with development projects in the area. Perhaps, he will also think of putting an end to the detention of political prisoners in Attock Fort. Once Mr Zardari told this scribe, “Political people like us come to Attock Fort directly from Prime Minister’s House and return there after being released.”