The Jinnah Debate
By Yasser Latif Hamdani (Courtesy Daily Times) Ayesha Jalal, probably the finest historian that this country has produced in 64 years, said in a recent interview that the Jinnah discourse as Ahmad Ali Khalid put it in his article ‘The Jinnah discourse’ (Daily Times, August 24, 2011) makes her hopeful that Pakistan will at some point hark back to the original vision that Quaid-e-Azam gave this country. As Mr Khalid put it in his well argued … Read entire article »
Filed under: Jinnah
Partition of Sudan: Learning from India and Pakistan
By Yasser Latif Hamdani Sudan, the largest country in Africa, has been partitioned into two much like British India was partitioned in 1947. The principle on which South Sudan today stands as the newest member of the comity of nations is the same principle on which Pakistan was founded. In both cases the underlying principle was not religion but rather a group identity escaping the majoritarian identity of the mother state. At the very least it … Read entire article »
Filed under: Jinnah, Pakistan, Pakistan-India Peace Process, Partition
Attention “Professor Emeritus” Ishtiaq sb
By Yasser Latif Hamdani In a discussion on a public forum, Professor Ishtiaq Ahmed wrote the following – a claim that was extremely astonishing as having read most of Jinnah’s cases I have never come across any evidence of it. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Jinnah
Was Jinnah the only founder of Pakistan?
Many – both friends and foes of the Quaid-e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah take him to be the sole founder of Pakistan, whereas, a close scrutiny of the research material on the subject reveals that this is not a fact. The title ‘Quaid-e Azam’ [great leader] was at first bestowed on him by one Mian Ferozuddin Ahmed. It became an official title on the 11 August 1947, when Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan moved a resolution … Read entire article »
Nations within a Nation; The Search for a Pakistani Nation – 1
By Adnan Syed “Doubt is uncomfortable, certainty is ridiculous” (Voltaire) Nations within a Nation I write these lines in the year 2011. It is 63 years since my country gained independence. The idea of a separate homeland for Indian Muslims gained momentum during the momentous decade of 1940s. The idea of Pakistan proved so strong and infectious among the Muslim masses of then United India that within 7 years after a resolution was passed by Muslim League, Pakistan was born. From the very beginnings, this idea of Pakistan contained certain vagueness to it. Two Nation Theory stipulated that India primarily consisted of two major nations that were distinct from each other. The primary cause of this difference came from their religions. Nations were derived from their religious identity; even if cultural differences were distinct, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Egalitarian Pakistan, Identity, Islam, Jinnah, Pak Tea House, Religion, Rights, state
At Ideological Crossroads
By Yasser Latif Hamdani (writing in Daily Times) Pakistan, as a state, has always been conscious of its Muslim identity but till 1977, at least, this Muslim identity was not at odds with modernity, democracy and human rights. The 1956 and 1962 constitutions significantly did not have a state religion. The 1973 constitution made that concession but, in the pre-Zia form, it was still arguably a liberal Islamic constitution. Bhutto’s compromises notwithstanding, it was General Ziaul Haq who laid the foundations for a rabidly fundamentalist society by confusing Pakistanis about their history. A generation of Pakistanis grew up believing, quite inaccurately, that Pakistan was achieved so that Muslims could establish an Islamic theocracy and be governed by shariah law. It is not uncommon to hear the argument that Pakistan must be an Islamic … Read entire article »
Filed under: Jinnah
Salmaan Taseer’s murder — the death of reason
Raza Rumi Salmaan Taseer’s brutal murder at the hands of a policeman is a cruel reminder of where we have landed ourselves: in a dark morass of irrationality lorded over by pernicious ideologies. Taseer was a representative of the federation in the largest province of Pakistan. Yet, as his death shows, he was very vulnerable to the deep-seated prejudice within the state and society. A target of the reactionaries and of bigots, he became a symbol of … Read entire article »
Another blow to Pakistan: Salmaan Taseer killed by extremism
Raza Rumi Salmaan Taseer’s brutal murder at the hands of a security personnel is a cruel reminder of where we have landed ourselves: in a dark morass of irrationality lorded over by pernicious ideologies. He was a brave man and stood for a liberal, tolerant and progressive Pakistan where economic and political freedoms could be upheld. He has paid for his life for his bold stance on the blasphemy law and countering Talibanisation. He was our hope … Read entire article »
Was Jinnah A Democrat?
A continuation from “Was Jinnah secular?” and “Did Jinnah want Pakistan?”. By Yasser Latif Hamdani There are many people who criticize Jinnah – quite incorrectly in my opinion- of having laid the foundations for subsequent periods of authoritarian military rule. They allege that Jinnah’s decision to become the Governor General was the first blow to parliamentary democracy in Pakistan. Unable to distinguish the argument of constitutional purists pleading the ceremonial and executive roles of president and prime … Read entire article »
Did Jinnah Want Pakistan?
By Yasser Latif Hamdani This is partly a continuation of my earlier article “Was Jinnah secular?” but mainly a response to a letter posted by Moin Ansari addressed to Mr. Najam Sethi called “refuting Mr Sethi’s blasphemy” in response to a TV show the latter did on the distortion of history in Pakistan. Ahrari Fifth Columnist Moin Ansari is from a breed of self appointed Pakistani McCarthyites who abuse and attack anyone who tries to point out some facts … Read entire article »
Was Jinnah secular?
By Yasser Latif Hamdani (In wake of the national debate on ideology and textbooks, Mr. Raza Rumi, the founder and editor of Pakteahouse, recently asked me to revisit the issue of Jinnah’s secularism through a comprehensive blog-post. This blog post is written for PTH exclusively and may be reproduced by giving PTH credit.) Many people (though not all) on all sides of the ideology divide in Pakistan take umbrage with the description of Mahomed Ali Jinnah – … Read entire article »
Filed under: Jinnah, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, liberal Pakistan, Pakistan, secular Pakistan
Religious Right in Their Own Words; Apostasy Punishment, Jihad and the Role of Non Muslims in the Land of Infidels
Part 3 By Adnan Syed This series revisits one of the pivotal events of the early Pakistani history; the riots by the religious right wing parties to get Ahmadis declared as non-Muslims, and the subsequent Munir-Kiyani inquiry commission report into the causes behind the riots. The report went on to interview the religious leaders of the newly formed state of Pakistan regarding their motives and their ideas of Pakistan as a pure Islamic state. As the interviews revealed the incongruous replies of various leaders, they also showed vague but chilling ideas that the right wing parties harboured to turn the newly formed Muslim nation into a politically Islam dominated theocratic nation. The interviews reveal the role of democracy, non Muslims, Jihad and punishments like apostasy that would be practiced in an ideal … Read entire article »
Filed under: Constitution, Democracy, History, Identity, India, Islam, Jinnah, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, minorities, Pak Tea House, Pakistan, Religion
Religious Right in Their Own Words; the Concept of an Islamic State
Part 1 By Adnan Syed This two part series revisits one of the pivotal events of the early Pakistani history; the riots by the religious right wing parties to get Ahmadis declared as non-Muslims, and the subsequent Munir-Kiyani inquiry commission report into the causes behind the riots. The report went on to interview the religious leaders of the newly formed state of Pakistan regarding their motives and their ideas of Pakistan as a pure Islamic state. As the interviews revealed the incongruous replies of various leaders, they also showed vague but chilling ideas that the right wing parties harboured to turn the newly formed Muslim nation into a political- Islam-dominated theocratic nation. The interviews reveal the role of democracy, non Muslims, Jihad and punishments like apostasy that would be practiced in an ideal … Read entire article »
Filed under: Constitution, Democracy, Islam, Islamism, Jinnah, Judiciary, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, Pak Tea House, Pakistan, Religion
Denialistan: DAWN's romance with jihadis exposed
Nasima Zehra Awan laments the media romances with sectarian Islamists while the country drowns The August 21st editorial by DAWN is a good example of what is wrong with the media in Pakistan. “Hardliners and Flood Relief” is precisely the kind of vacillating apologia for extremists that is the bane of the local media.A media that has anointed itself as “Independent” for hounding out elected politicians at the behest of a powerful establishment, has failed in informing the public about the various Islamist militant groups and their agendas. In this regard, it is baffling that DAWN’s editorial prefers to maintain an Ostrich-like approach to the exponentially growing existential threat from these sectarian bigots. President Zardari is absolutely correct in pointing out this threat. The exclusive bashing of elected PPP leaders is … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Democracy, Islamism, Jinnah, minorities, Taliban, Terrorism, violence
Jinnah And Jefferson : Dreams From Two Founding Fathers
Originally published by Washington Post on the independence day of the US and Jefferson’s death anniversary, we reproduce the same article on our Independence Day. By Akbar Ahmed Sunday, July 4, 2010 “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship. . . . We are starting in the days when there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination … Read entire article »
Filed under: History, Jinnah, secular Pakistan, secularism, USA
PTH biweekly Cartoon
Picture of the Week
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Sunrise at the Arabian Sea, Charna Island
24 Dec 2011
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