Author emphasises on need to publish counter-narratives for coming generations

Dr Jaffar Ahmed compiles his articles of last 15 years in book form

KARACHI: There is a need to publish counter-narratives for the coming generations.

Dr Jaffar Ahmed said this at the launch of his book, titled 'Pakistan: Historical Legacies, Contemporary Issues', at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, Sunday evening. He compiled newspaper articles and research journal articles that he has written in the last 15 years into the book.

The book launch, attended by teachers, students, political figures and writers, was jointly organised by Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) and SM Sohail Trust.

"My book is divided into three major eras - Muslim separatist, state and society and federalism," Ahmed told The Express Tribune, adding that he has compiled his articles on history, leadership, crisis in the state and political settlements.



After retiring 25 months ago from the post of director of the Pakistan Study Centre at the Karachi University (KU), Ahmed said he did not know how life after retirement would be. "I thought I will take my books and leave the room I had occupied for 18 years but things changed when the Karachi Press Club, KU's history department and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Lyari, organised a reference for me," he recalled.

After all these references, Ahmed said he realised teachers would never become obsolete as people still read books. In the last 18 years, the Pakistan Study Center has published 63 books and, despite discounts, the book accounts stand at Rs2.9 million.

"People will keep reading if you publish and provide them what they want to read," he pointed out.



Criticising dynasty politics, Ahmed said it was the main reason why the civil and military imbalance in Pakistan cannot be countered. "There are families who are ruling in more than 40 constituencies of Punjab and we cannot compete with the military system with these practices. This is why they [the military] are stronger than a democratic system," Ahmed said.

The chief guest at the book launch, Senate Chairperson Mian Raza Rabbani, applauded the author, saying that Ahmed has pointed out some basic structural problems behind the ideology and reason of formation of Pakistan.

In one of the chapter's on Jinnah's notion of nation state, Rabbani mentioned how the five questions Ahmed raised have different aspects of an ideological crisis the country has faced.



Talking about the book's separatist era, Rabbani said that Pakistan was to be a secular state but Quaid-i-Azam's August 11, 1947's speech was not be found anywhere and the records that exist have been amended. Similarly, many chapters on the people's struggle have vanished from academic books in Sindh and Punjab.

He also pointed out there are books with chapters listing the advantages of dictatorships. There is a promotion of religious extremism in many textbooks, said Rabbani. "No one is searching for a counter-narrative," he said.

Counter-narratives cannot come from madrassahs, which only bring counter-productivity, said Rabbani, adding that such a political process does not have any maturity.

Giving his view on Ahmed's point about the civil-military imbalance, Rabbani said both are fearful, which is why there is a lack of intra-institutional dialogues. "Such dialogues should happen in [the] Parliament," Rabbani said.



Karamat Ali from Piler, Aurat Foundation's Mahnaz Rahman, SM Sohail Trust's Dr Tariq Sohail, writer Zahida Hina, former Chief Minister of Balochistan Abdul Malik Baloch, Supreme Court Bar Association President Rasheed Rizvi and Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, President Ahmed Shah also spoke at the event.