People & cultureThe alliance era
Lyndon Johnson and the camel driver
A vice-president's offhand invitation to a Karachi camel-cart driver became one of the best-loved stories of the era.
1 min read
Karachi, May 1961
Sindh, on the Arabian Sea
24° 52′ N · 67° 01′ E
Karachi, May 1961
Sindh, on the Arabian Sea
24° 52′ N · 67° 01′ E
What happened
In May 1961 Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson toured Asia on a goodwill mission for President Kennedy. In Karachi on 20 May he stopped by the roadside to greet a group of camel drivers and shook hands with one of them, Bashir Ahmad. Johnson used a phrase he often used on his travels, inviting him to come and visit, and was surprised when Ahmad accepted1,2.
The story was widely reported. Johnson arranged for Ahmad's trip to be paid for through the People-to-People programme, and in October 1961 Ahmad travelled to the United States and visited Washington, where on 19 October he was photographed sitting at the vice-president's desk1,3.
Why it mattered
The episode became a symbol of the warmth of public ties during the alliance years and is still retold in Pakistan2,3. It also showed Johnson's personal style of diplomacy, which later shaped his own relations with Ayub Khan as president.
Sources
- Bashir Ahmad (camel driver), Wikipedia · Reference
- An unusual friendship between a Pakistani camel cart driver and an American president, The Express Tribune (blogs) · Press
- Lyndon Johnson and the camel driver (1961), The Friday Times, 16 September 2016 · Press
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