Sufi Sindh: ‘Mystical secularist political economy’ is the talk of the day
Three-day Sufi conference pays tribute to GM Syed.
Three-day Sufi conference pays tribute to GM Syed. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The Sufi ideology of Sindh is secular and so is the future of the province based on that ideology, said Jalal Mehmood Shah, the grandson of renowned Sindhi politician GM Syed.
“Comparative religion, politics, Sufism, literature and political economy were some of Syed’s favourite topics,” Shah said on the first day of the three-day Sufi conference organised by the Sindhi Sufi Institute at the Karachi Arts Council on January 6. The first day conference was titled ‘Sufi Conference on GM Syed’.
Shah, who is the chief of the Sindh United Party, said that Syed’s suggestions during the Planning Commission of 1946 are still included in Indian history books. Referring to the recent debate on rural and urban divides in the province, Shah recalled that there was a district board and a municipal corporation in Karachi in 1901. “Karachi comprised a rural and urban populace at that time as well,” he said.
Prof Aijaz Qureshi remembered Syed as a “social transformer”. “He strived for a modern education system in his village where he set up an English school during the 1930s,” he pointed out, adding that the University of Sindh and Sindhi Adabi Sangat could not have been established without Syed’s efforts and contributions.
Qureshi pointed out that, according to the World Bank, Sindh was the richest province in the country at the time of independence. “Poor governance has made the people of Sindh poor.”
Zahida Hina and Dr Ali Ahmed Rind also spoke on the occasion and explained Syed’s concept of Sufism from their own perspectives. They said that he struggled for a peaceful and prosperous Sindh. They felt that Syed was often misquoted and added that his untiring political and social struggle should not be ignored.
“There will be no progress and prosperity until political economy is not included in the national agenda,” suggested Prof Mushtaq Mirani. He said that Syed’s concept aimed to empower marginalised and economically suppressed people. Mirani added that about 72 per cent of households in Sindh are facing food insecurity.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2014.
The Sufi ideology of Sindh is secular and so is the future of the province based on that ideology, said Jalal Mehmood Shah, the grandson of renowned Sindhi politician GM Syed.
“Comparative religion, politics, Sufism, literature and political economy were some of Syed’s favourite topics,” Shah said on the first day of the three-day Sufi conference organised by the Sindhi Sufi Institute at the Karachi Arts Council on January 6. The first day conference was titled ‘Sufi Conference on GM Syed’.
Shah, who is the chief of the Sindh United Party, said that Syed’s suggestions during the Planning Commission of 1946 are still included in Indian history books. Referring to the recent debate on rural and urban divides in the province, Shah recalled that there was a district board and a municipal corporation in Karachi in 1901. “Karachi comprised a rural and urban populace at that time as well,” he said.
Prof Aijaz Qureshi remembered Syed as a “social transformer”. “He strived for a modern education system in his village where he set up an English school during the 1930s,” he pointed out, adding that the University of Sindh and Sindhi Adabi Sangat could not have been established without Syed’s efforts and contributions.
Qureshi pointed out that, according to the World Bank, Sindh was the richest province in the country at the time of independence. “Poor governance has made the people of Sindh poor.”
Zahida Hina and Dr Ali Ahmed Rind also spoke on the occasion and explained Syed’s concept of Sufism from their own perspectives. They said that he struggled for a peaceful and prosperous Sindh. They felt that Syed was often misquoted and added that his untiring political and social struggle should not be ignored.
“There will be no progress and prosperity until political economy is not included in the national agenda,” suggested Prof Mushtaq Mirani. He said that Syed’s concept aimed to empower marginalised and economically suppressed people. Mirani added that about 72 per cent of households in Sindh are facing food insecurity.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2014.