The old man, the turbaned and bearded minister was referring to, was Hasan bin Sabbah. The English word "assassin" has its roots in a movement which he ran from his secluded mountain fortress, the gardens of which were shown to his hashish-addicted followers as paradise. The word assassin came from Hasan or hashish. Many believe it was the latter - with hashishin becoming assassin.

I did not celebrate the Independence Day on August 15 in 1947 because I was a refugee at that time. With my parents and two brothers I had taken shelter in the safer cantonment of my home town, Sialkot. Nor did I celebrate the independence day of Pakistan on August 14, a day earlier, because the shadow of partition had already cast gloom all over.