Literary Notes : Fall of Dhaka: a new autobiography triggers soul-searching By Rauf Parekh DECEMBER 16 marks an event that many of us would like to forget: the fall of East Pakistan in 1971, or the disintegration of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh. But forgetting does not solve problems and facing reality may offer a few lessons, enabling us to avoid making the same mistakes again. Luckily, some intellectuals have begun to feel differently, voicing their reservations unambiguously. “What is most painful about East Pakistan is the misunderstanding of West Pakistanis. But the rest of Pakistan was up to its neck in a state of denial that had probably begun from the Fall of Dhaka. If the majority of intellectuals of a country was to put all the blame on Bengalis even half-a-century later and insist on counting Bangladesh’s ‘failures’ — conveniently forgetting that their own country had become a centre of killings and lawlessness — how that country could have had a positi...

Culture and agency By Dr Ejaz Hussain Muhammad Izhar-ul-Haq’s  Bekhri Hai Meri Dastaan  [Scattered is My Story] marks the first part of his autobiography. Unlike some autobiographies that begin with the author’s birth and early childhood, Izhar opens his narrative by recalling the time after completing his bachelor’s degree at Government College, Asghar Mall, Rawalpindi. From this unusual, if compelling starting point, the reader is immersed in the intellectual and emotional evolution of a young man who stands at the threshold of a transformative journey—both personal and national. The author secures an inter-provincial scholarship from the Government of West Pakistan to pursue a master’s in economics at the University of Dhaka. This part of the autobiography captures his experiences as a student in East Pakistan during the 1960s—a decade of deep political and cultural ferment. He vividly portrays his interactions with fellow students, his explorations of Dhaka’...

Interviewed by Aasma Mojiz, DAWN News Q: What are you currently reading? A: Just yesterday I finished Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, which is about the freedom efforts of black [slaves] in the 19th century. The underground railroad was not actually a physical thing, it was just a symbol of their efforts - how they ran away, how they would be brought back, the kind of punishments they would face; their feet were chopped off or they would be killed with torture. It is a great book. The best book on this topic is Roots [by Alex Haley], after that this is the second best book [on the topic]. Last night I started reading An Era of Darkness by Shashi Tharoor. We have always been saying the British did us a favour by giving us the railways or the local government system, but he gave a lecture at Oxford and said that wasn’t true; there was looting and killing in that time as well, and he has elaborated on that [in the book]. Q: Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction...

 

ممتاز دانشور ‘ شاعر اور کالم نگار  محمد اظہار الحق  سے ایک منتخب گفتگو  مدیر : آپ کے ادبی نظریاتی سبھاؤ سے لگتا ہے کہ آپ کی طینت مشرقی ہے ۔۔۔یہ ایسا برا بھی نہیں اگر عملاً آپ مغربی طرز عمل سے آراستہ ہوں ۔۔۔اس دوئی میں کہیں سانسوں کی گھٹن محسوس نہیں ہوتی آپ کو ۔۔یا اندر کھاتے کبھی آزردہ بھی ہوئے ہیں ؟ (ایک بڑی سول سروس نوکری کی آپ نے ) ۔ ۔ اظہارالحق :شکریہ ضیاء صاحب! آپ کا سوال بہت شاطرانہ ہے  میں بنیادی طور پر مشرقی اور مغربی ثنویت پر یقین نہیں رکھتا لیکن چلیئے ‘ سکہ رائج الوقت گردانتے ہوئے انہی اصطلاحات میں بات کر لیتے ہیں ۔ دوئی تو یہ تھی ہی نہیں اس لیے کہ کوئی ایسی شے جو مشرقی تھی اور اچھی تھی میں نے ترک نہیں کی اور کوئی ئے جو مغربی سمجھی جاتی ہے اور بری ہے ‘ میں نے اپنائی نہیں ۔ کم از کم کوشش ضرور کی ‘ اِسے نہ چھوڑنے کی اور اسے نہ اپنانے کی ۔ اصل میں مشرقیت تمام کی تمام مستحسن نہیں ‘ نہ ہی جسے عرف عام میں مغربیت کہا جاتا ہے ‘ ساری کی ساری قبیح ہے ۔ انسان ایک وحدت ہے ۔ اکائی ہے ‘مشرقی اور مغربی کی تقسیم انسانیت کے ساتھ مطابقت رکھتی ہے نہ مناسبت ۔ یہ جو بچپن م...