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Remembering G M Syed January 17, 2021 Syed Ghulam Murtaza Shah Kazmi, commonly known as G M Syed, was a renowned Sindhi politician, born in British-occupied Sindh in 1905. For many reasons, G M Syed is considered the father of the Sindh rights movement in Pakistan. And even after his death he continues to remain a towering figure, rallying his supporters, admirers and even opponents on his birthday every year. This year, his 117th birthday is being observed today in Sindh and other parts of the world to remember him, and understand why he remains relevant to political currents in Sindh. One...

The writer is an author. PERHAPS half the readers of this column might not have been born 50 years ago. Others old enough will recall the mood prevailing in January 1971 across East and West Pakistan — a feeling of child-like accomplishment, of a new-found confidence as our dyslexic nation tottered towards democracy. The month before, in December 1970, the country had voted in its first ‘free and fair’ general elections, overseen by a military president, Gen A.M. Yahya Khan. He expressed his determination to hand over power to the elected representatives of the people. The results put p...

The writer holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK and works in Islamabad. Some other books that have discussed One Unit include ‘Pakistan of Jinnah’ by Ahmed Salim, ‘Pakistan in the 20th Century’ by Lawrence Ziring and ‘Federalism in Pakistan’ by Muntzra Nazir. Interested readers may also find details of the One Unit scheme in some biographies and memoirs such as ‘Mera Siyasi Safar’ by Hasan Mahmood, and ‘Daultana Dastaan’ by Wakeel Anjum – both published by Jang Publishers. Dr Tanweer Ahmad Tahir’s doctoral thesis ‘Political dynamics of Sindh’ completed...

Opinion December 27, 2020 There are mainly two reasons for discussing the One Unit episode in our history in this column. First is that in 2020, it was the 50th anniversary of the dissolution of One Unit, which after 15 years of experimentation was abolished in 1970. The second is the present drive of the government to roll back the 18th Amendment, which will essentially bring back memories of One Unit. For the uninitiated, just a quick recap. When Pakistan came into being in 1947 it comprised two wings: East Bengal and West Pakistan which had multiple provinces and administrative units. Eas...

Achakzai’s statement generated intense indignation among the wider circles of Punjabi literati Last Sunday, Mehmood Khan Achakzai’s insinuation about Lahoris’ collusion with Hindus and Sikhs against Afghans stirred a heated response. I think by Lahoris he meant Punjabis in general. The people of the Punjab are frequently accused of not putting up a fight against invaders from the north. Achakzai re-invented that allegation by accusing Punjabis (he called them Lahoris, though) of aiding and abetting Hindus and Sikhs to defeat Afghans. Thus, to him villainy of the Punjabis had been their...