ISLAMABAD: This is with reference to the letters of Dr Najeeb A Khan and Dr Atif Alvi commenting on Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy’s article of February 11 titled “Why Sir Syed loses and Allama Iqbal wins in Pakistan” on the relative contribution of both men to the progress of Muslims of the subcontinent.
Though useful for academic pursuits, this debate is more or less fruitless unless some lessons are learnt and applied to the present situation of this beleagured country of ours. It is true that both the intellectual giants were knighted by the British. It is also true that the two belong to different categories and hence a comparison between the two can be misleading. I believe that both have taught us something of vital importance. Now, the key question is whether the current regime has learnt anything from the thoughts of Sir Syed and Allama Iqbal. And the simple answer to that is that nothing comes to my mind to suggest that the present rulers have followed the teachings of these two intellectual giants.
Iqbal is known to have warned that a nation which has no grip on its affairs cannot confront the daunting challenges of tomorrow. So, while the current political dispensation has made a veritable mess of everything under the sun, our scholars are debating the relative strengths and weaknesses of our past heroes whose philosophy is already well known. If our intellectual class does not address the burning issues of today and remains focused on hair-splitting over issues of yesterday, without reference to our current crisis, such a debate, with due respect to the learned writers, is escapist and diversionary.
Our current crisis is moral, constitutional, political, economic, social, regional and international. Our focus should therefore be on what the present rulers have/have not learnt and whether they have/have not applied lessons from history. The need of the hour is courage not sophistry and this is something that our intellectuals in particular need to show more of.
BA Malik
Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2013.
